Overview of Diana: The Musical LIVE! (HDTGM Matinee)
Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas record a live How Did This Get Made? Matinee at Largo to discuss Diana: The Musical (the Netflix/filmed-stage version). The episode is part critique, part comedy roast — the hosts (and the live audience) largely agree the piece is a bizarre, uneven spectacle: technically polished in places but dramatically hollow. The show spends time on the musical’s structure, tone, staging choices, casting/characters (notably Diana, Charles, Camilla and James Hewitt), Netflix’s decision to film a short-lived stage show without an audience, and how the musical compares to other Diana treatments (The Crown, Spencer, documentary coverage).
Main takeaways
- Short summary of the musical: a 1 hr 57 min stage musical about Princess Diana’s life (roughly ages 19–36) presented on Netflix as a filmed stage production. The hosts call it a “book report set to music” — exposition-heavy, often confusing and emotionally flat.
- Strong performances, weak material: the cast, choreography, quick changes and technical craft get credit for effort and competence — but are undermined by thin writing, poor staging decisions and songs that mostly serve plot exposition rather than memorable hooks.
- Filmed without an audience: Netflix recorded the stage production (during/recovering from COVID). The hosts argue that filming it this way removes the vital audience energy most stage musicals rely on and makes the result feel like an “industrial” or “Wikipedia entry set to song.”
- Tone and point-of-view problems: the musical fails to present a coherent protagonist or perspective. Diana’s portrayal alternates between childlike, vindictive and unclear; other figures (Charles, Camilla) are inconsistently villainized/sympathized, culminating in a controversial final beat that privileges Charles.
- Few memorable songs: almost none of the score sticks, aside from the infamous “feck/’fuck you’ dress” moment (the one sustained, declarative beat most viewers recall). Most numbers are functional plot-singing rather than earworms.
- Netflix strategy questioned: hosts speculate Netflix hoped to replicate Hamilton’s success by capturing a stage musical early, but the result lacked the qualities that made Hamilton work on screen (audience energy, cinematic staging).
- Viewer reactions vary: some viewers enjoyed it unironically; others (like the hosts) found it catastrophically bad but also oddly watchable — for some, a second viewing softened the shock and made it more entertaining.
Topics discussed
- Why the musical exists and how/when it was filmed (short Broadway run disrupted by COVID; Netflix filmed with no audience)
- The book/score writers’ background (David Bryan, Joe DiPietro referenced) and the musical’s rock-forward sound
- Character portrayals:
- Diana: presented inconsistently; hosts feel the musical doesn’t do her justice and sometimes makes her appear “dumb” or petulant
- Charles: alternates between villain and sympathetic figure; controversial closing moment gives him the final word
- Camilla: played with surprising sympathy in the musical; hosts debate whether that’s fair or narratively sound
- James Hewitt: introduced and dramatized in ways that generated both ridicule and fascination; the musical leans into tabloid angles
- Staging, choreography and costume quick-changes — technically impressive but often tone-deaf
- The “feck you dress” scene (based on a real event — Diana wearing a striking black dress on the night Charles’ television interview aired) and how the show dramatizes it
- Audience Q&A: whether the musical intentionally makes Diana look “dumb,” teams (pro-Camilla vs pro-Diana) and reactions to the show being a filmed stage presentation
- Related Diana media: The Crown, Spencer, “Diana: The Tapes” (Netflix), and historical context around the marriage and press stories
Notable quotes & soundbites
- “A book report set to music.”
- “A Wikipedia entry set to song.”
- “Take this movie to The Hague” / “a war crime” (hyperbolic roast lines used for comedic effect)
- “Two babies in the same song” — host complaint about the musical’s compressing and rushing of events
- Praise for production craft: performers “doing everything you’d expect a Broadway cast to do,” even if material is weak
- Observations on audience effect: filming a stage show without a live audience removes crucial energy
Arguments & positions from the hosts
- Paul Scheer: Very critical — sees the musical as emotionally empty, confusingly structured, and treating the royal family with too much respect; dislikes the tonal ambiguity and the final beat favoring Charles.
- Jason Mantzoukas: Extremely sarcastic and theatrical in his derision — finds it a surreal, ill-conceived spectacle; ridicules staging/choreography and watches it as almost-performing-theater-of-the-absurd.
- June Diane Raphael: Saw it twice and offers a more mixed read — initially appalled, warmed to it on a second viewing (says it “goes down smoother” on repeat). She defends the performers’ work and finds some moments enjoyable, though she recognizes dramatic failings.
Production & factual notes highlighted in the discussion
- Runtime: ~1 hour 57 minutes (hosts found the length daunting because it tries to cover an entire life).
- The “feck you dress” reference is real: Diana’s choice of dress at the Serpentine Gallery the night Charles’ interview aired is a documented moment (used as a narrative beat in the musical).
- Writers: David Bryan (Bon Jovi keyboardist / composer) and Joe DiPietro (book/lyrics) — the hosts remark on their prior work (Toxic Avenger: The Musical; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) to contextualize tone.
- Netflix’s release and marketing strategy compared to Hamilton; speculation about filming early to secure rights/platformal headline.
Audience interaction moments worth noting
- Live audience sing-along attempts (hosts teased audience members who could sing lyrics)
- Audience Q&A discussing whether Diana is made to look “dumb” and whether the “feck you dress” moment worked
- Lively crowd reactions to jokes, with hosts riffing on British monarchy and pop-culture touchpoints
Recommendations / who should watch this
- Recommended if:
- You enjoy campy, so-bad-it’s-fascinating musicals and want to witness a cultural phenomenon / internet sensation.
- You’re interested in theatrical staging, quick-change choreography, and seeing how a filmed stage piece translates (or fails to translate) to screen.
- Not recommended if:
- You want a factual, emotionally rich, nuanced portrayal of Diana’s life.
- You prefer cinematic musicals that use film language rather than a filmed theatrical performance without audience energy.
- If you want better dramatic/contextual treatments of Diana: consider The Crown (series) and Spencer (movie) for more cohesive drama; and Netflix’s Diana doc offerings for documentary context.
Quick actionables / further watching
- If curious about Diana beyond the musical: watch The Crown, Spencer, and Netflix’s Diana-focused documentaries (e.g., “Diana: The Tapes”) to get fuller context.
- If you want to sample the musical yourself: be prepared that it’s a filmed stage production (not a cinematic musical) and that many listeners find it more enjoyable as a shared, comedic “so-bad-it’s-good” watch.
- For theater-to-screen comparisons: revisit Hamilton (filmed stage version) as an example of a successful filmed Broadway production and contrast Netflix’s approach here.
Final verdict from the episode
The hosts agree the people on stage are working hard and can sing/choreograph/execute, but the source material, structure and filmed presentation create a baffling, tonally inconsistent piece. It’s an entertaining topic for a comedy roast and a cultural curiosity — but not a respectful or illuminating treatment of Princess Diana’s life.