'I can’t believe I get to say I’m playing Princess Diana': Manchester drag star shares excitement for big new role
'It's wild!'
A popular drag star who has appeared on TV and made a name for themselves in Manchester’s nightclubs said they ‘can’t believe’ they get to play Princess Diana each night as part of a new theatre show.
Diana The Mixtape features the story of the People’s Princess told through modern-day songstress anthems from the likes of Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, as well as majestic choreography, and iconic looks - with different inceptions of Diana told through five drag artists.
If that wasn’t wild enough, Queen Elizabeth II just so happens to be played by The Greatest Showman legend Keala Settle, whilst former Hear’Say member Noel Sullivan plays King Charles III. Yes, it’s a lot to take in.
The show will head to the Lowry Theatre, in Salford, from August 19 to 21 as part of a limited run following its world premiere in London in July. In the production, Diana is played by RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Courtney Act, Divina de Campo, Priyanka, Kitty Scott-Claus and Rosé.
“I can’t believe I get to say I am playing Princess Diana,” Divina tells the Manchester Evening News. “When the opportunity to take part in this show came up, I just thought it’s something I’m never going to ever get the chance to do again, is it?
“I never thought that when I saw Diana and Charlie driving up the road past my junior school, I’d be able to say ‘I did you on stage’. It’s a wild thing to happen!”
Divina, who appeared on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, is originally from Brighouse but became familiar within Manchester’s Gay Village scene for their time hosting club nights and performing across its many venues over the years. Divina also famously has their own mural in the Manchester district too.
Whilst ‘definitely not a royalist’, Divina says there is a lot to love about Diana and believes there are a number of reasons why so many people still continue to idolise her today. "Her message was always about kindness,” Divina explains.
“She came from a very privileged background, but it didn’t stop her from being able to see things from other people’s perspectives. Even though she wasn’t brought up on 3p noodles and 10p loaves of bread to exist on, she was able to empathise with people who were very different to her.
“Like with the HIV/AIDS patients, she could show them humanity and kindness at a time when nobody else with that level of power would. She was able to say ‘these are just people like you and me’, and we can be kinder ebause life hasn’t been. In her advocacy, she was able to humanise people. It was quite a radical thing really. She was punk.”
In Diana The Mixtape, which has been created by Tuck Shop and directed and produced by Christopher D. Clegg, each of the five queens will interweave with each other to recount iconic Diana moments - including marriages, divorces, scandals, and her untimely death.
“The way I describe it is it’s as if you’ve had an argument with someone and then three hours later, you’re re-running through it all in your head,” Divina tries to explain of the premise. “We’re like that internal monologue. We’re on stage with each other, and we’re also having the dialogue with the audience, whilst singing, dancing and having a real camp old time.
“I also love the fact that it’s five different portrayals of Diana - it’s different types of singers, it’s different body shapes, it’s different personas. They could have very easily had just one queen playing Diana but, actually, our differences really add to things and allow us to explore the different aspects of her personality onstage.”
And for Divina, who has toured the country in productions like Spongebob Squarepants the Musical and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it’s a chance to catch up with some of her fellow RuGirls as well as meet some new queens who she has yet to have graced the stage with before. She also gets to work alongside superstar Keala.
“They’ve all been so lovely and so supportive,” Divina says of their cast. “When I go wrong in the choreography, nobody shouts at me. By the end of this, If I’m still getting it wrong, they might start to become a bit gnarly with me, but they’ve just been brilliant.
“Noel is just phenomenal, he’s absolutely brilliant in what he does. It’s just fantastic, he’s a really brilliant singer and such a great actor as well. Lucinda, who plays Camilla, is also amazing - she has a real physical transformation with her character.
“Keala is just, wow. She is an absolute powerhouse. There’s no diva attitude there, she is just part of the gang. We’ve just all been having a brilliant time together, it’s a great show and I think people will have a lot of fun with it.”
Diana The Mixtape plays at The Lowry theatre from August 19 to 21. Tickets and more information here.