Review: ‘Diana' at Theo Theatre was no ordinary opening night

Back in 2021, I reviewed a widely reviled musical flop called 'Diana, the Musical' on Broadway. Soon after I returned to Chicago, I found myself at Theo Ubique Theatre (now Theo Theatre) reviewing a show and talking to its voracious artistic director, Fred Anzevino. I recall the humorous conversation as going something like this:Opening night for Anzevino's long-awaited staging of 'Diana' (music and lyrics by David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro) arrived some four years later on Sunday night, but alas, Anzevino himself did not live to see it. The giant of tiny Chicago theater died during the rehearsal process. His co-director, Brenda Didier, followed his specific instructions to make sure his beloved project made it to the stage. I caught Didier's eye on Sunday night; she seemed at once elated, relieved and deeply sad.
I recount all of that to tell the reader that this is hardly a normal theater review for me. I admired Anzevino's directing work very deeply, and consider some of his Theo Ubique productions, mostly shows staged about a decade ago, as masterful productions that were among the very best storefront theater I ever saw in Chicago. (I thought of him as the David Cromer of Chicago musicals.) 'Diana' was, to put it mildly, a passion project for Anzevino, a gay man who was around the same age as Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997 at the age of 36. I am only a little younger myself.
Anzevino had lived for years with the HIV virus and told me several times how profoundly grateful he had been in 1987, when she held the hand of a hospitalized AIDS patient, a gesture she had chosen to reduce the stigma felt by AIDS patients at the time. By 1991, Diana's handshakes had become hugs.
Some of those scenes are in the musical; they were very hard to watch on Sunday. Frankly, the whole show was very hard to watch, so you'll have to take this review in that context. It must also have been very difficult to perform in this context, even though some in the cast are young performers who did not have a long history with Anzevino. However, I don't doubt they know the level of respect in which he was held.
'Diana' did not magically become a great American musical, of course, much as I might wished such a transformation in Anzevino's memory; it simply does not have that level of insight. But he turn what was a campy affair on Broadway into something with heart, passion and integrity. Anzevino changed the show, which had seemed to all about a tabloid love triangle in New York, into a loving tribute to the woman he so admired.
'Diana' is not the first musical to look ridiculous on Broadway, only to work much better in a little room in Chicago (well, Evanston) with a young, hungry cast pouring their hearts and talent into the work. And, frankly, the passing years have been kind to the show in various ways. The young Kate McQuillan, who plays the title role, is charming as she scurries from one wig and costume into another (as designed by Patty Halajian and Kevin Barthel). Jack Saunders is delightfully dotty as Prince Charles, out-maneuvered at every turn, and Collette Todd, a veteran of many Theo shows, mercifully avoids all tempting stereotypes as Camilla.
I also don't want to suggest the show is maudlin. It's not. It's fun. Especially if you watched all of 'The Crown.' That's an apt comparison of tone and veritas, although this show certainly did not have a writer of the caliber of Peter Morgan. But then, 'The Crown' did not have power ballads like 'Pretty, Pretty Girl' and 'As I Love You.' Go in with the right spirit and you'll have a good time. Drinks are to be had at the bar.
One final note: Anzevino was spectacular when it came to casting young talent. Aside from those already mentioned, here he found a young guy named Matheus Barbee, a recent Northwestern University graduate who plays one of the AIDS patients, among other small ensemble roles. Barbee acts with real honesty and sounds fantastic in what, at this particular production, actually is the most important role in the show.
Though no official star rating appears with this review, four stars for Anzevino's life in the theater.
Review: 'Diana'
When: Through July 6
Where: Theo Ubique Theatre, 7321 Howard St., Evanston
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Tickets: $51-$66 at theo-u.com

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