DIE DIE DIANA! - A NEW MUSICAL

Die, Die, Diana, a musical comedy about the murder of Diana Spencer, premiered on October 23 at San Jose State University. Satirical and irreverent in tone, this new play examines the question of who killed Diana. It also satirizes the political power of the royal family, the mutually exploitive relationships between Diana and the press, and the public's idealization of celebrities.

The world premiere production was directed by Danny Scheie, a prominent Bay Area theatre director. Says Scheie: "I see the show as a kind of penny dreadful murder mystery with songs. It's very funny and very smart and oddly very touching."

The composer is Jef Labes, who was formerly an arranger/composer for the Saturday Night Live Band and who played keyboards and did arrangements for various rock and roll albums including Van Morrison's "Moondance" and Bonnie Raitt's "Sweet Forgiveness". "The score has a lot of influences, from English music hall to pop to bossa nova," says Labes.

Among the numbers are "If Only I Could Breed Them Like My Horses." In which Queen Elizabeth bewails the romantic indiscretions of her children; "I've Always Been Partial to Poisons," in which spies compare the advantages of various forms of assassination; and "Yes, Sometimes I Loved You," sung by Diana to Charles after he rejects her for the last time.

The book and lyrics are by Scott Sublett, a former screenwriter who teaches screenwriting in San Jose State's Department of Theatre Arts. "I love Diana," Sublett says, "and I want this play to shatter the sanctimonious cult of death that's grown up around her since her assassination. She wasn't an imaginary saint -- she was a real woman and mother, desperately, and not very successfully, seeking love and fun and happiness. To try to make her other than she was is to say she wasn't good enough. We must love people foibles and all. That's what comedy is about."

David Kahn, the Director of Theatre for San Jose State University's Department of Theatre Arts, oversaw the production. He admits the show was "risky", but says that the Department of Theatre Arts just had to do it: "This was a wonderfully crafted, wickedly funny new script around which we were able to create a great premier production. In the end, our department is about high-quality, well-crafted theatre that entertains and teaches. Great theatre and great cultures have always embraced even the most biting satire and if the subject matter is controversial well, that's why they invented academic freedom."