Diana: The Musical offers a refreshing retelling of Princess Diana's life and legacy, and here is the musical's cast, alongside their real-life counterparts. Featuring the music and lyrics of Joe DiPietro, the musical's author himself, and David Bryan, Bon Jovi's keyboard player, Diana: The Musical is released on Netflix just a month before its official Broadway opening. The musical was completed in early 2019, but it went through a whole year of workshop first, before unfortunately, getting postponed again, this time due to the pandemic. At long last, Diana: The Musical is set to open on November 17, 2021, with previews starting on November 2.
Directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Kelly Devine, Diana: The Musical chronicles the short yet impactful story of Diana, Princess of Wales. The narration begins when at the young age of 19, she met Charles, the Prince of Wales and the heir in line to the British throne. Over its two-hour runtime, the musical digs deeper into the princess's stardom, romances, royal duties, and physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Diana: The Musical closes with the tragic remembering of Princess Diana's car accident, which led to her untimely death.
Below is the talented cast of Diana: The Musical, alongside the real people they portrayed.
Jeanna de Waal as Diana, Princess of Wales
Jeanna de Waal originates the musical's titular role: Diana, Princess of Wales. de Waal trained at the Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and obtained her degree from the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts. She had also starred in other Broadway productions, including Kinky Boots, where she played Lauren, and American Idiot, where she was Heather, and in the American Repertory Theater production of Waitress by Sara Bareilles, where she portrayed Dawn. Also, de Waal had a recurring role as Sophia in Marvel's Iron Fist season 1.
The iconic character de Waal embodies is Princess Diana, who also grew up in British nobility. Prince Charles met Diana while he was looking for a suitable wife, and she was the perfect option. Her marriage to the British royal family then skyrocketed her to stardom, as she represented the Queen in public appearances and royal functions across the Commonwealth realms. She wittingly used the excessive media attention on her to illuminate her humanitarian causes. Unfortunately, shortly after getting divorced, Diana was in a car crash in Paris, which ended her life suddenly.
Roe Hartrampf as Charles, Prince of Wales
Roe Hartrampf's performance as Prince Charles, the longest-serving heir apparent in British history, is actually his Broadway debut. Previously, he appeared in the Second Stage's production of The Bad Guys, a reunion-themed one-act play, and Nobody Loves You, a musical spoof of dating reality shows. Besides the stage, he had also graced both the small and silver screens, with television credits including a recurring role as Trevor Kingston on the CBS political drama Madam Secretary, Mark on Amazon's Red Oaks, and Tate Poindexter in Netflix's The Get Down.
Meanwhile, Charles, as the Prince of Wales, takes up the official duties of the Queen, up to this day. He is also the founder, patron, or a member of hundreds of organizations, including The Prince's Charities. Besides his royal obligations, he is also an environmentalist, architecture enthusiast, and writer.
Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles
For her 2006 Broadway performance as the young socialite Edith Beale in the musical production of Grey Gardens, Erin Davie won a Theater World Award — and that was just her debut. In the following years, Davie graced the musical stage with different roles, including Isabella Andreini in The Glorious Ones, Eve Harrington in Applause, Niki Harris in Curtains, Countess Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music, and Violet Hilton in Side Show. She also appeared in an episode of Orange Is The New Black.
For Diana: The Musical, Davie portrays Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall and the second wife of Prince Charles. Before Charles met Diana, he was in a relationship with Camilla, but she was deemed unfit for the throne. Instead of getting married to each other, they each pursued a different relationship: Charles with Diana and Camilla with Andrew Parker Bowles. However, despite their respective marriages, Charles and Camilla were still seeing each other, stirring negative attention from the public. They only got married in 2005, more than three decades after they first met.
Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth II
Judy Kaye is a veteran Broadway performer, with a long line of singing and acting credits behind her. She started in the 1970s as a replacement Rizzo in the original company of the iconic musical Grease. By 1978, she was the understudy of Madeline Kahn, the star of On the Twentieth Century, when she was tapped to take over the lead role following Kahn's early departure. After that, she turned into an overnight Broadway star, winning two Tony Awards for her performances in The Phantom of the Opera and Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Here, she plays Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen has been serving the Commonwealth realms since she was 25 years old, after her father, King George VI, suddenly died. As the longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II continues to receive the support of her constituents, and her popularity remains consistently high.
Diana: The Musical's Supporting Cast & Characters
Gareth Keegan as James Hewitt: James Hewitt is a former cavalry officer in the British army. He rose into popularity in the mid-90s when he revealed that he had a five-year relationship with Princess Diana, while she was still married. In the musical, he is portrayed by Gareth Keegan in his Broadway debut. Keegan had appearances in several television shows, such as the true-crime drama Underbelly, Paramount+'s The Good Fight, and the canceled police show Tommy.
Holly Ann Butler as Sarah Spencer: Lady Sarah Spencer is one of Diana's older sisters, with the other being Jane, Baroness Fellowes. Sarah dated Charles in the 70s, but when she gave interviews about their relationship, their involvement was immediately dissolved. It was during their relationship that Charles first set eyes on Diana, who would later become his wife. In Diana: The Musical, Sarah is played by Holly Ann Butler, who had performed in the 2011 musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and the 2014 revival of On the Town.
Bruce Dow as Paul Burrell: As Princess Diana's close friend and former butler, Paul Burrell is repeatedly mentioned in media accounts about the royalty and had also been tagged as the "only man [Diana] ever trusted". Bruce Dow gives life to this musical version of Paul. Dow is best known for his featured roles on Broadway and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, the world's largest queer theater. He is also a voice actor, lending himself to the animated shows Total Drama: Pahkitew Island and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
Nathan Lucrezio as Andrew Morton: Andrew Morton is a journalist who has published celebrity memoirs, including Diana's. Years later, he has been commissioned to publish the detailed biographies of Prince William, his wife, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wife. Morton is portrayed by Nathan Lucrezio, who before appearing in Diana: The Musical, has been a part of the ensemble in the Broadway production of Aladdin.
Zach Adkins as Andrew Parker Bowles: The first husband of Camilla, Andrew Parker Bowles is a retired British army officer, who in his younger days, played polo with Prince Charles. He also dated Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and sister of Charles, before he settled down with Camilla. Throughout their marriage, Andrew was notoriously engaged in several extramarital affairs. Zach Adkins executed this role, after serving in the ensemble of Anastasia.
Judy Kaye as Barbara Cartland: Judy Kaye has another role in Diana: The Musical, acting as English novelist Barbara Cartland. With her hundreds of Victorian romances, Cartland was one of the best-selling authors of the 20th century. In fact, just in 1977, she had published 723 novels. Her stories were well-loved by Princess Diana, which fueled her romantic and fantastical desires.