Metamorphosis interruptus
Charles and Diana: The Musical
Book and music by Lewis Papier
Lyrics by Mary Sullivan Struzik
Directed by Clyde Baldo
Midtown International Theatre Festival
WorkShop Theater MainStage
312 West 36th St. 4th fl. (www.smarttix.com;
212/868-4444)
Equity showcase (closes Aug. 7)
Review by Charles Battersby
The true-life romance between an actual prince and princess is a great idea
for a movie of the week, and certainly a good foundation for a musical too. Charles and Diana: The Musical struggles
hard to keep itself from playing out like a movie of the week, and tells the
story from a perspective a bit more thoughtful than might be expected, but this
musical doesn’t quite take the modern fairytale to new heights.
The story starts with Diana’s death and her arrival in the afterlife, where
she meets Vicar Bones (Alan Ostroff),
who might be God or the Devil…. Bones offers Diana (Amanda Ladd) the chance to live her life over again and iron out
her mistakes. Diana, of course, accepts the offer, and the audience gets to go
along for the ride as they see Diana’s life from shortly before her marriage,
right up to the mid-’90s.
The gimmick of Diana in the afterlife doesn't add a whole lot to the story,
though it does make this more than just another biography. Lewis Papier's book does a good job of showing the
lovelessness of the royal couple but, on the other hand, it doesn't do much to
show the romance between Charles and Camilla (the Prince's mistress and true
love). There are plenty of scenes with Charles and Camilla (Kate Greer) together, but this
relationship comes across nearly as passionless as the royal marriage. There
are a few scenes of comic relief involving a pair of British newscasters (who
apparently just ended a fling), but these little reporter vignettes don't quite
fit in with the rest of the show and aren’t terribly funny.
Amanda Ladd looked the part of Diana (sporting a short blond wig), but Robert Resnick was nearly a clone of
Prince Charles, complete with his stuffy mannerisms. The leading cast members
were all on target, but the supporting ensemble was often unimpressive. Tracy Rosten and Kenneth Garner certainly stood out, though, as the Queen and Prince
Phillip, particularly when providing comic relief, like in their duet
"Silver and Gold."
Papier's music iss intended to capture the feel of the ’80s, and it does
so, though the New Wave sounds tended to blur together, leaving behind no
memorable tunes. The use of canned music, instead of a live band, caused some
troubles, and the cast were often drowned out by the sound system.
Clyde Baldo's direction made the most of the script and the limited
production resources of this festival production. The costumes (by Mr. Baldo
and Samantha Manas) were a cut above
most showcase productions. The set was sparse, though it was perfectly
functional, and made very efficient use of the small theatre, including staging
numerous scenes on a small platform at the very foot of the stage.
Charles and Diana: The Musical is ultimately an entertaining but forgettable show. It certainly has greater potential to it, though at this stage of development the project is somewhere between Prince and frog.
(Also features: Amy Russ, Kiirstin Kuhi, and Natalie Delena)
Writing: 1
Directing: 2
Acting: 1
Set: 1
Costumes: 2
Lighting/Sound: 1
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Copyright 2005 Charles Battersby