“Diana,” a new musical about Princess Diana, gets its royal launch on Netflix prior to its Broadway opening. For now, it will stream before May 25, 2021, it’s slated debut at the Longacre Theater.
Like “Hamilton,” “Diana” will be filmed at the theater — but without an audience.
Jeanna de Waal stars as Princess Diana, directed by Christopher Ashley, who won a Tony for “Come From Away.” (“Diana,” originally scheduled for March 31, was rescheduled due to the pandemic.)
The cast also includes Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles and Tony Award winner Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth.
The team behind the Broadway musical “Memphis” is responsible for “Diana.” Joe DiPietro is handling book and lyrics, while music and lyrics is by David Bryan.
The producers stated: “Though there is no substitute for the live theater, we are honored to be a part of the quality entertainment that Netflix provides its subscribers worldwide.”
No doubt Netflix hopes to emulate Disney+’s success with “Hamilton,” which scored big returns in July.
7ParkData reports that 37 percent of its studied viewers watched “Hamilton” — far outpacing rival Netflix. The catch to “Hamilton,” the researchers report, is sheer volume. It captured the largest audience of any show in one month this year.
Viewers have to watch at least two minutes to count toward share of viewership. Disney+’s “Hamilton” registered 160 minutes, hitting the highest score in the study, at 8.7 percent.