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Diana: The Musical LIVE! (HDTGM Matinee)

November 18, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The consensus among the hosts is that *Diana: The Musical* is a poorly executed production, likened to a "Wikipedia entry set to song" and a "war crime." 
  • June Diane Raphael watched *Diana: The Musical* twice in one day, finding the second viewing surprisingly more enjoyable, which the hosts found alarming. 
  • The musical is criticized for being structurally confusing, failing to clearly define Princess Diana's character, and being overly sympathetic to the Royal Family, particularly Charles and Camilla, despite their villainous roles. 
  • The musical *Diana: The Musical* is criticized for being inconsistent, trying to portray Charles as both an idiot/villain and a sympathetic figure in his love story with Camilla Parker Bowles. 
  • The famous black dress worn by Princess Diana was a deliberate 'f\*\*\* you dress' intended as a statement of defiance after Prince Charles's televised infidelity interview, a detail confirmed by research. 
  • The audience reaction and the nature of the production (filmed for Netflix versus live stage) significantly impacted the perception of the musical, with some hosts suggesting it might be more forgivable when seen live. 

Segments

Sponsor Read: Sebastian Maniscalco
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Promotion for Sebastian Maniscalco’s new stand-up special, ‘It Ain’t Right,’ premiering on Hulu.
  • Summary: The hosts read an advertisement for Sebastian Maniscalco’s stand-up special, detailing its premiere date (November 21st) and content, including his physical comedy and observations on life.
Sponsor Read: Alienware
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(00:00:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Advertisement for Alienware’s Black Friday savings event on PCs and gaming monitors.
  • Summary: An ad promoting Black Friday savings on select Alienware PCs, like the Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop, starting at $899.99.
Sponsor Read: 1-800-Flowers
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(00:01:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Promotion for 1-800-Flowers.com, offering up to 40% off bouquets.
  • Summary: A commercial break featuring 1-800-Flowers.com, emphasizing fresh arrangements and a limited-time discount.
Introduction to Diana: The Musical
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(00:01:35)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts establish the premise: singing words doesn’t make it a song, setting a negative tone for the musical.
  • Summary: The hosts begin the discussion, noting they saw ‘Diana: The Musical,’ and immediately question the quality of the music.
Live Show Opening and Initial Verdict
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(00:02:45)
  • Key Takeaway: The show is live at Largo, and the hosts express extreme disdain for the musical, calling it a ‘war crime.’
  • Summary: The hosts welcome the audience to the live show in Los Angeles. Jason Manzukas declares the musical a ‘war crime’ and compares it to a ‘Wikipedia entry set to song.’
Describing the Musical’s Quality
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(00:03:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical is likened to a poorly executed sixth-grade book report set to music.
  • Summary: The host summarizes the plot scope (Diana’s life from 19 onward) and compares the creative execution to a creative sixth grader’s singing book report.
Co-host June Raphio’s Second Viewing
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(00:06:23)
  • Key Takeaway: June has watched the musical twice in one day, suggesting a second viewing might lead to enjoyment or madness.
  • Summary: June Diane Raphio is introduced, having seen the filmed stage production twice in the same day (once in a sauna bed). She notes that the second viewing, sober and rested, was surprisingly enjoyable.
Audience Participation and Unmemorable Songs
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(00:10:03)
  • Key Takeaway: The first song’s thesis statement (‘underestimated’) is criticized, and the songs are generally deemed unmemorable.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss the opening song’s weak thesis. They ask the audience if they remember any songs, leading to one audience member singing a line, which Paul admits makes him look like an ‘asshole’ for criticizing the material.
Characterization and Narrator Confusion
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(00:12:37)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical fails to provide a clear understanding of Diana, presenting her as inconsistent, and the introduction of Barbara Corcoran as a narrator is confusing.
  • Summary: The discussion shifts to whether the musical successfully portrays Diana. They criticize the confusing narrative structure, particularly the introduction of Barbara Corcoran as a late-stage narrator.
Broadway Run and Netflix Filming
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(00:14:32)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical had a brief, unsuccessful Broadway run before COVID, and Netflix filmed the no-audience stage version hoping for a ‘Hamilton’-level success.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss the show’s history: it was set to open, shut down due to COVID, reopened to no audience, and then Netflix filmed it, likely hoping to replicate the success of the filmed ‘Hamilton.’
Lack of Energy in the Filmed Performance
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(00:15:58)
  • Key Takeaway: The filmed performance lacked energy, feeling like an ‘industrial musical’ or a flat Wikipedia entry.
  • Summary: The hosts contrast the energy of clips they’ve seen of other filmed musicals with this one, which felt flat, emotionless, and like an industrial presentation.
Camilla Parker Bowles Performance
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(00:16:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The actor playing Camilla Parker Bowles was surprisingly good, despite the overall poor material.
  • Summary: Paul admits he liked the portrayal of Camilla, noting the actor was good, even though he personally struggles to support the character.
Diana’s Age and Sister’s Involvement
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(00:21:55)
  • Key Takeaway: New information for the hosts included Diana being 19 and a virgin when marrying Charles, and her sister having previously dated Charles.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss facts they learned, such as the age gap (Diana 19, Charles 32) and the detail that Diana’s sister dated Charles first.
The Royal Family as Villains
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(00:27:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical fails by trying to make the audience root for the monarchy, who are presented as clear villains.
  • Summary: The hosts argue that the story should focus on the monarchy as villains, but the musical constantly tries to make the audience sympathetic to Charles and Camilla.
Charles’s Final Word and Lack of Accountability
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(00:37:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The biggest offense is that the musical ends by giving the final word to Charles, showing disrespect to Diana’s story.
  • Summary: The hosts are outraged that the musical ends with Charles speaking, implying the royals escape accountability for their villainous actions.
Sponsor Read: Amazon Five-Star Theater
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(00:03:57)
  • Key Takeaway: A humorous ad segment featuring a five-star review for a scented candle that masks the smell of death.
  • Summary: The hosts read a review for a spice candle, performed by Tall John Scheer, which is praised for masking the smell of death in a mortician’s workspace.
Sponsor Read: DSW
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(00:04:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Advertisement for Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) emphasizing shoes for all life moments.
  • Summary: An ad for DSW promoting their selection of shoes for big and small moments at bragworthy prices.
The Choreography and Dated Elements
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(00:02:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The choreography featured ‘aggressive shoulder movement,’ and the paparazzi scenes felt strangely dated.
  • Summary: The hosts mock the choreography, specifically the repetitive shoulder movements, and the depiction of paparazzi running around in trench coats.
The Creators’ Backgrounds
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(00:04:39)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical’s creators also wrote comedy musicals like ‘Toxic Avenger’ and ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect Now Change,’ making ‘Diana’ seem out of place.
  • Summary: The hosts discover the composer (David Bryan) and lyricist (Joe DiPietro) have comedy backgrounds, which makes the serious tone of ‘Diana’ even more baffling.
Audience Question on Diana’s Intelligence
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(00:05:48)
  • Key Takeaway: An audience member asks why the musical constantly portrays Diana as dumb, supporting the hosts’ critique that the show is not on her side.
  • Summary: An audience member named Montana asks why the musical emphasizes Diana’s lack of intelligence, leading to a discussion about whether the show is truly supportive of her.
Camilla’s Role and Marriage Status
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(00:59:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Discussion about whether Camilla was already married when her affair with Charles began.
  • Summary: The hosts discuss being ‘Team Camilla’ and clarify the timeline of Camilla’s marriage in relation to her relationship with Charles, noting that she was already married when they were having an affair.
Portrayal of Diana’s Intelligence
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(00:59:49)
  • Key Takeaway: A listener question points out the musical consistently portrays Diana as ‘dumb,’ suggesting the play does her a disservice.
  • Summary: The hosts address a question about why Diana is constantly portrayed as unintelligent, concluding that the musical makes her seem like a ‘dumb kid’ and might not be entirely on her side.
Musical’s Conflicting Narrative
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(01:00:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical struggles to commit to a single perspective, trying to paint Charles as both a villain and part of a true love story.
  • Summary: The discussion centers on how the play seems to contradict itself, wanting the audience to view Charles as an idiot/villain while simultaneously believing in his love story with Camilla.
Queen vs. Romance Novelist
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(01:00:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical conflates the Queen and the romance novelist character.
  • Summary: The hosts note the musical wants the audience to see the Queen and the romance novelist as separate entities, but one host argues they are portrayed as the same person.
Audience Q&A on Allegiances
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(01:00:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts open the floor for audience members to state which character they support.
  • Summary: After a quick change discussion, the hosts take questions, including asking audience members whose side they are on regarding the central conflict.
The ‘Fec You Dress’
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(01:01:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The audience and hosts discuss the famous black dress Diana wore, often referred to as the ‘fuck you dress.’
  • Summary: A segment dedicated to clarifying the pronunciation and significance of the dress Diana wore after Charles’s interview, confirming it was an effective declarative statement.
Origin of the ‘Fec You Dress’
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(01:03:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Research confirms the dress was chosen by Paul Burrell to show Diana was not humiliated after Charles’s televised infidelity admission.
  • Summary: A host provides research detailing that Paul Burrell encouraged Diana to wear the black dress and choker to the Serpentine Gallery party as a defiant statement.
Juxtaposition of Key Moments
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(01:03:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The musical failed to effectively dramatize the tension between Charles’s interview and Diana’s powerful dress moment.
  • Summary: The hosts lament that the juxtaposition of Charles’s televised interview and Diana’s ‘fuck you dress’ moment—which could have created great tension—was poorly executed.
Second Opinions Segment Intro
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(01:06:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The show transitions into the ‘Second Opinions’ segment, where they read audience reviews.
  • Summary: The hosts introduce the segment where they review audience feedback, noting that some people apparently enjoyed the musical more upon a second viewing.
Review Confusion with Shrek
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(01:08:44)
  • Key Takeaway: A significant number of five-star reviews found on the Amazon soundtrack page were actually intended for Shrek the Musical.
  • Summary: The research team discovered that many positive reviews were mistakenly attributed to Diana: The Musical instead of Shrek the Musical.
Shrek Musical Discussion
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(01:09:24)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts briefly discuss Shrek the Musical, including a joke that Camilla Parker Bowles played Donkey.
  • Summary: The discovery of Shrek the Musical leads to a brief tangent about whether the hosts had seen it and the revelation that Camilla supposedly played Donkey in that production.
Stage vs. Screen Experience
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(01:11:09)
  • Key Takeaway: One host suggests the musical might be more enjoyable or forgivable when viewed live on stage rather than on Netflix.
  • Summary: The discussion turns to whether the translation from stage to screen inherently harms the experience, suggesting a live audience might have provided a better atmosphere.
Songs Lack Memorability
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(01:13:58)
  • Key Takeaway: The songs in the musical are criticized for being purely ‘sung exposition’ without any memorable hooks.
  • Summary: The hosts agree that none of the songs stick with the listener, concluding they primarily serve to deliver plot information rather than being catchy musical numbers.
Live Show Thank Yous
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(01:14:34)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts thank the live audience, researchers, and production staff for the matinee show.
  • Summary: The episode concludes with thanks to Avril Halley for suggesting the live show, sound engineer Devin Bryant, producer Cody Fisher, and researcher Nate Kylie.