Netflix’s Diana The Musical mocked for ‘ridiculous song lyrics’ ahead of its official Broadway opening

Netflix Diana The Musical
(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix's Diana The Musical is mocked over its 'ridiculous song lyrics' ahead of its official Broadway opening.

Royal fans have criticised the new Diana The Musical which has premiered on Netflix ahead of its official Broadway opening next month.

The production, which was scheduled to run on Broadway last year has finally premiered on the streaming platform much to the anticipation of royal fans everywhere.

But the decision to stream the recording of the musical, ahead of its official opening so that it could be enjoyed by fans on both sides of the Atlantic, seems to have caused a stir.

As critics have mocked its 'hysterically awful' lyrics and 'absurdly over the top' production.

Created by Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi's keyboardist David Bryan, the show stars Jeanna de Waal as Princess Diana, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Judy Kaye as the Queen, and Erin Davie who is said to turn 'Camilla Parker Bowles into the Wicked Witch of the West'.

Musicals are renowned for their sing-along-songs but fans have been left embarrassed by the words to the musical scores.

Among the cringy lyrics are 'Harry my ginger-haired son / You’ll always be second to none,' a song Diana sings to her infant son Prince Harry.

It is not yet known if the Duke of Sussex, who signed a multi-million deal with Netflix, has seen the production.

Meanwhile, Charles' lyrics don't get much better, when he rhymes, 'Darling, I’m holding our son / So let me say, jolly well done,' as he cradles the newborn.

Diana The Musical Netflix

(Image credit: Netflix)

But it's not only the lead characters who have questionable lyrics to sing, when Diana is being chased by paparazzi moments before her death, they also chant 'Better than a Guinness, better than a w**k / Snap a few pics, it’s money in the bank.'

And a man dying of AIDS sings to Diana, 'I may be unwell, but I’m handsome as hell.'

Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson notes the lyrics are not 'meant to be silly and campy', despite how they might read on paper. 'They are just the stilted, embarrassingly serious ramblings of a show that has no interest in real humanity.'

It comes after HBO max released The Prince cartoon which was branded 'cruel and unfair' towards Prince George.

And fans are not impressed with this latest offering. One tweeted, 'All you need to know about the Diana musical on Netflix is that it has a song that contains the lyrics “it’s a thrilla in Manila with Diana and Camilla”' - referring to the chorus of onlookers at a party thrown by Camilla that is crashed by her romantic rival.

Another fan slammed its existence and wrote, 'Whoever decided to create “Diana the Musical” on Netflix made a HORRIBLE mistake Grimacing face #DianaTheMusical.' 

And a third added, 'We watched Diana the musical yesterday afternoon, I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so disrespectful and terribly written, it was just crass.'

But one fan tweeted, 'Those @DianaOnBroadway songs are stuck in my head and I don’t mind.'

And another has praised Diana's vocals. 'Can we talk about how amazing @thebigdewaal is in

@DianaOnBroadway!!!!! Her vocals are insane!'

Fans who haven't yet seen the musical can watch the official trailer below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEYVA0YqYV0

At one point Diana is attending a concert with Charles and she sings how she 'wishes Charles was Elton John' before adding, 'Alright, I'm no intellect/but maybe there's a discotheque/where the prince could hear Prince and we'd all get Funkadellic'.

The late royal is also the subject of a new biopic, directed by Jackie's Pablo Larraín and starring Kristen Stewart as Diana, expected to be released in theatres on the 5th of November.

Netflix's Diana The Musical is available to stream on Netflix now.

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)