★★★★★

“Bold, brilliant, and bursting with love”

What do you get when you mix pop music, drag royalty, and one of the most beloved figures in modern history? You get The Diana Mixtape musical, a joyful, high-energy, and heartwarming show that completely blew the roof off! This isn’t just a musical. It’s a full-on party, a tribute, and a celebration rolled into one fabulous, glitter-filled night.

Telling the story of Princess Diana like you’ve never seen it before, the show turns her life into a gig of a lifetime. With iconic music originally performed by Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande, and more, the soundtrack is pure pop perfection. The songs fit Diana’s journey so well, blending fun, emotion, and strength in every beat. You’ll laugh, you might cry, but most of all, you’ll be dancing in your seat.

In a brilliant and bold twist, Diana is played not by one actor, but five drag superstars: Courtney Act, Divina De Campo, Kitty Scott-Claus, Rosé, and Priyanka. Each brings their own sparkle, wit, and charm to the role, showing different sides of the People’s Princess. They aren’t imitations, they’re tributes, each full of love, power, and sass. Watching these performers own the stage is nothing short of magic.

And then there’s Keala Settle as Queen Elizabeth II, and what an entrance she makes! Best known for her powerhouse voice in The Greatest Showman, Settle brings the house down with her performance. She’s commanding, hilarious, and totally unforgettable, delivering both comedy and class with ease. Her scenes light up the stage, and her presence is simply outstanding.

Noel Sullivan is a fantastic Prince Charles, balancing charm and awkwardness perfectly, while Lucinda Lawrence brings a cool confidence to Camilla. The dancers, Ashton Bradley, Henry Chatfield, Jordan Jewell, Theo Simpson, and Leo Udvarlaky, keep the energy sky-high with fierce moves and flawless timing.

Behind the scenes, the show is just as strong. Directed and created by Christopher D. Clegg, every detail is polished to perfection. Costumes by River Smith bring back Diana’s most iconic looks with a glamorous twist. Choreography by Taz Hoesli is sharp, clever, and full of attitude. The wigs, the lighting, the video design, everything works together to create an unforgettable atmosphere.

But beyond the glitter and laughs, there’s real heart in this show. It’s a beautiful tribute to Diana’s legacy, her kindness, her strength, and the way she made people feel seen and loved. The Diana Mixtape is full of fun, but it’s also full of meaning. It reminds us why Diana is still adored by millions.

If you love pop music, drag, theatre, or just want to feel good for 90 minutes straight, this show is a must-see. Bold, brilliant, and bursting with love, The Diana Mixtape is a royal triumph. Long live the Queen of Hearts!

AUTUMN at Park Theatre

★★½

“Harry McDonald’s dialogue is snappy and Charlotte Vickers’ direction energetic, but little can save the meandering aimlessness of this story”

This new adaptation brings Ali Smith’s 2016 novel, which is widely viewed as ‘the first post-Brexit novel’ to the stage.

Across two timelines we follow 13-year-old Elisabeth Demand as she befriends her whimsical elderly neighbour Daniel Gluck and the same two characters, 20 years later as Daniel lies comatose in a care facility. There are also a couple of scenes which deviate into the fantastical. A scene between Daniel and his sister, which takes place in a dream world and a scene which details the life of 1960s pop artist Pauline Boty.

Harry McDonald’s dialogue is snappy and Charlotte Vickers’ direction energetic, but little can save the meandering aimlessness of this story, which follows an unlikeable and uninteresting protagonist.

Grace Venning’s set design is playful, props are pulled from drawers and a chaise longue is propped against a backdrop of autumnal trees. There’s innovative use of plastic dust sheets, especially in an evocation of The Tempest. It’s this moment too where Ali Hunter’s lighting design comes into force. Jamie Lu’s sound is most interesting in its subtle hum of the care facility.

There are some glittering moments. Daniel and his sister, who charmingly calls him her summer brother, dance around each other while she’s dressed in a suit of armour. Gary Lilburn as Daniel is joy encapsulated. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he embodies the aging bohemian, making it achingly clear that this story should follow him, by far the most interesting character. This scene particularly sparkles, in part because of clever movement direction from Vickers, but also because of the stunning performance from Nancy Crane. She multi roles throughout the show, some highlights being the smug bureaucratic Post Office worker, the knowing Eastern European cleaner and the New York psychotherapist. She gives each of these women a depth and realism and brings an effortless wit. For much of the show she watches on from the side-lines, a peculiar directorial choice, but her reactions are scene stealing. Lilburn and Crane’s playfulness and joy in this scene is a delightful respite from the gloom that hangs over much of the play.

Both Rebecca Banatvala and Sophie Ward are also strong, as mother and daughter, it’s just that their characters are hard to pinpoint. Elisabeth is utterly joyless, with a single-minded focus on Gluck, which is never fully untangled. Her mother is under explored, and her state of the nation monologues feel tired, nearly a decade on. While ostensibly a political commentary, nothing new or fresh is discussed. Characters bemoan their tiredness with the system, the liars, the current situation. There are comments on racist graffiti and the migrant crisis but it feels tangential to the main narrative. This play doesn’t fully decide what it is, whether it’s a family drama or a state of the nation lament. And it’s not clear what, in 2024, it is adding to the conversation about Brexit, which is relevant or interesting to today.

Tag Archives: Harry Elletson

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

★★★★★

Here at Outernet

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

Here at Outernet

★★★★★

“Bold, brilliant, and bursting with love”

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

Here at Outernet

Reviewed on 31st July 2025

by Beatrice Morandi

Photography by Harry Elletson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

PRISCILLA THE PARTY! | ★★★★★ | March 2024

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

THE DIANA MIXTAPE

AUTUMN

★★½

Park Theatre

AUTUMN at Park Theatre

★★½

“Harry McDonald’s dialogue is snappy and Charlotte Vickers’ direction energetic, but little can save the meandering aimlessness of this story”