The Diana Tapes, by James Clements directed by Wednesday Sue Derrico, is the true story of one of the greatest media scandals in British history – the publication of Andrew Morton’s book about Princess Diana, “Diana Her True Story in Her Own Words”, which ended her marriage and shook the monarchy to its core.
Based on the real transcripts from the Princess’s tapes, the show moves between Morton’s office, the sitting room where the Princess recorded her darkest secrets onto audio cassettes, and the dingy West London cafe where one of her best friends surreptitiously handed them over. The subterfuge and deception are brought to a scorching climax that changed celebrity, privacy, and the Windsor family forever. The question remains: who was the victim, and who the victor? The production gives voice to a woman so often defined by images and archetypes, and instead presents her complex and multifaceted reality. It tells her story in her own words.
It was first workshopped at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival ehere it was also shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatre Award. Subsequent workshop runs in Providence, New York and Toronto were met with acclaim, with critics calling the production “intricate and compelling, (BroadwayWorld) “entrancing,” (Motif ) “tense and provocative,” (The Providence Journal ) and “timely and relevant”
(Mooney on Theatre).
Cast: Ana Cristina Schuler (Diana, Pincess of Wales), James Clements (Andrew Morton), Jorge Morales Picó (James Colthurst), Sam Hood Adrain (Michael O’Mara).
Creative team: Director Wednesday Sue Derrico, Sound Design Adam Welsh & Jorge Morales Picó, Set, Props and Costumes Mairi MacInenns. Full creative team to be anounced.
The Diana Tapes, a co-production between New York-based What Will the Neighbors Say? company and Stockwell Playhouse, will get its New York premiere at HERE (145 6th Avenue) from May 24 – June 10 before transferring to London’s Southwark Playhouse June 26 – July 13 .
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