'Diana: A True Musical Story' Is Headed to the Small Screen Before Broadway

Move over Hamilton, there's a new musical in town.

diana theater
(Image credit: Walter McBride)

In an unexpected but exciting turn of events for any royal fan, Diana: A True Musical Story will head to Netflix in early 2021. The musical, about the late-life of royal Diana Spencer, was only a week and a half into its Broadway previews—slated for a March 31 opening—when it was forced to shut its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. But on Wednesday, the show's producers announced the musical would now first premiere on the streaming giant before its new Broadway opening on May 25, 2021. The performance will join a lineup of other live shows already on Netflix, including Kerry Washington's American Son and Shrek the Musical.

"We speak for the entire company when we say that we couldn't be more excited to finally be able to share our show with theater lovers everywhere. Though there is no substitute for the live theater, we are honored to be a part of the quality entertainment that Netflix provides its subscribers worldwide," the show's producers said of the unprecedented move, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The musical event reportedly will be filmed soon, featuring the musical's original cast at the Longacre Theater in New York City. An audience won't be present, because—hello— COVID-19.

Jeanna de Waal, who stars as the late-People's Princess, previously discussed with PEOPLE the challenges of playing someone who is so adored worldwide. "People, within like two seconds of seeing you, are going to decide: they either buy it or they don't," said de Waal. "If they don't buy it, it's going to be hard for them to enjoy the story and get lost in it."

We can't say yet if the musical will be good or not, but we do know that we're already fans of making theater more accessible.

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Bianca Rodriguez
Audience Development Manager

Bianca Rodriguez is the Audience Development Manager at Future, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Marie Claire, Who What Wear US and Who What Wear UK. In addition to spearheading SEO content across brands—whether writing about wardrobe must-haves or strategizing how to make eye-catching content—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.