Theatre / Alma Tavern and Theatre

Review: Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, Alma Tavern & Theatre – ‘Mercurial, irreverent and rip-roaringly funny’

By Milan Perera  Friday Dec 2, 2022

It seems that anything Linus Karp touches turns to gold, even when it’s a lampooned film like Cats (2019) which garnered a damning 19 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Karp’s own spin on the maligned feline movie: How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From The 2019 Hit Movie Musical Cats became a box office sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe.

After this triumphant reimagining, Karp is back with Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, another showstopper of a performance, and a kaleidoscopic mix of physical theatre, puppetry, audience participation, video footage and a generous dash of drag.

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Diana, Princess of Wales has been the subject of myriad television and film adaptations, featuring the likes of Naomi Watts, Kristen Stewart, Emma Corrin and most recently, Elizabeth Debicki.

Linus Karp as Princess Diana in Diana, The Untold and Untrue Story – photo: Dave Bird

All the above portrayals were of sterling quality, but Karp’s interpretation is unique in its effervescent and irreverent treatment of a story which people seem to know intimately. Or do they?

For the opening night at the intimate venue of the Alma Tavern & Theatre there was a palpable excitement among the sell-out crowd.

Those audience members who were given cue cards were waiting in anticipation to be summoned to the semi-lit theatre. And so it was Diana’s ‘mum and dad’ who appeared on the stage to produce the baby Diana, who slid across the floor underneath her ‘mum’, eliciting raucous cheers.

Karp’s uncanny resemblance to Diana is matched by her majestic stage presence. As she begins to unfold her side of the saga, Prince Charles is represented as a life size cutout with a voiceover from backstage and Camilla –referred to as “the slag of death” – is a life-size puppet, deftly manoeuvred by Karp’s partner, Joseph Martin, who co-directs the show.

Then there is HM Elizabeth II, along with her corgis – who appear on the screen to a bombastic theme. If we’re making comparisons to The Crown, Geri Allen’s rendition of the Queen was more in line with Olivia Coleman than that of Imelda Staunton with her deadpan delivery.

The story does not follow the sequence of events that people are familiar with, and the audience is treated to a surprising, swerving narrative arc. The iconic line from the infamous Martin Bashir interview, “there were three of us in this marriage and it was bit crowded” rings multiple times throughout the performance as a leitmotif.

The passionate love-making of Charles and Camilla, Diana’s French language skills and most importantly, her disco dancing, reduce the crowds to fits of laughter.

I too had the honour to be called upon the stage to portray William’s nanny! To mimic the paparazzi, the audience were encouraged to take photos with their multitude of smartphones.

Even God is not spared in this show, sprinkled with satirical gold dust, portrayed with dulcet tones and raven flowing hair – the antithesis to Cecil B DeMille’s booming Barry White voice of God in The Ten Commandments.

The catchy selection of songs and sassy dance routines had the audience in the seventh heaven. But Karp’s creation is much more than orchestrated frolicking.

The performance I saw carried an added poignancy, happening to fall on World Aids Day – a cause which was famously close to Diana’s heart. There was a heartfelt message on acceptance, respect and more importantly, PrEP.

There is a lot to enjoy in Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. And even the most ardent monarchists should not be offended by Karp’s mercurial showcase, which functions ultimately as a satirical probe of the quirks and absurdities of contemporary Britain.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkndSabjcjh/?hl=en

Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is at the Alma Tavern & Theatre from December 1-3 at 8pm and December 4 at 5pm. Tickets are available at www.tickettailor.com.

All photos: Dave Bird

Read more: Review: The Snap Gram of Dorian Gray, Alma Tavern & Theatre – ‘The story couldn’t be more fitting for 2022’

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