A personal, authentic and amusing tale of queerdom in 1990s Dublin that proves surprisingly buoyant. Theatre magic at its most rudimentary yet impressive.Rating
Excellent!
“Feel‑good hit of the summer” is bandied about a lot, not always kindly. However, a romp through Dublin’s troubled 90s streets, the death of the People’s Princess and queer unearthing proves surprisingly buoyant in Don’t Tell Dad about Diana.
At the Underbelly Boulevard, real-life best friends Hannah Power and Conor Murray craft a show following in the line of great pairings before them: Will and Grace, Cher and Bob Mackie, Babe Paley and Truman Capote (before all that messiness). Drawing from their lived experience of growing up in Dublin, training at Trinity College and then moving to London for drama school, we get a personal, authentic and amusing tale of queerdom in the 1990s. A sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, an Irish tour and a scattering of awards put the proof well and truly in the pudding.
It’s 1997 Dublin, with all its butterfly hair clips, zip-up Adidas jackets, chip shop dinners, political churning and sneaking into The George for a taste of a gay life beyond. Best friends are drawn into the drag beauty contest of Miss Alternative Ireland: one emulating their shared hero, Lady Di (Murray), the other crafting the looks (revenge/wedding dress, cycling shorts) that imprinted the aristocrat on the public consciousness (Power). Trouble brews as the death of the Princess of Hearts exposes more than just international heartbreak, but rifts much closer to home.
Power and Murray have written and star in the piece, and do a great job with the racing, topical and side-splitting dialogue. Despite a rather odd Diana-based rap straight out of the gate, afterwards, not a stiletto is put wrong. More saying and little doing, the stage is small and bare, so this makes sense. Gabe Gilmour has devised a spinning chest of drawers that must be everything: bedroom shrine to Shy Di, the stage at The George, the street – and it does its best, whirling around and around. Emma Finegan’s direction keeps the pace and the feeling light and bright, which is exactly what we need in these sweat-soaked days.
Yes, it is a touch predictable, but what romcom isn’t? And why should queer = unhappy? Their glowing friendship and backstory crafted by both is equal, with dreams and hopes on the female side as much as the male. An era long past (29 years ago – vomit) is concocted with electric energy, fast-pattering Irish voices and the power of a good laugh. Theatre magic at its most rudimentary yet impressive.
Writer and Performer: Hannah Power
Writer and Performer: Conor Murray
Director: Emma Finegan
Producer: Rua Barron
Dramaturg/ AD: Austin Hughes
Set & Props Designer: Gabe Gilmour
Lighting Designer: Ferdy Emmet
Sound Designer: Theo Foley
Don’t Tell Dad About Diana returns to the Underbelly Boulevard on Thursday May 28.
