There’s a musical about Princess Diana set to hit the stage in London later this year, and the cast is rather unexpected.
As exclusively revealed by What’s On Stage yesterday, the cult-favourite DIANA will officially be making its way over to the UK for the first time ever this December after becoming a smash-hit on Broadway when it premiered back in autumn of 2021, and also going on to become a viral legend when it landed on Netflix that same year.
In case it’s the first you’re hearing of it, DIANA is the work of renowned American playwrite Joe DiPietro and Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan – who have previously collaborated on Memphis.
Although the People’s Princess may seem like a bizarre choice of stage show subject, with satirical musicals and productions about Prince Andrew, Tony Blair, and even the ‘Wagatha Chrisie’ trial all having already having come to fruition in recent months, perhaps Lady Di being the star of the show isn’t as bizarre as it initially seems.
The cast, however, is still best described as unexpected – or one particular cast member is, shall we say.
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A Princess Diana musical is heading to the UK later this year / Credit: DIANA
We’re not referring to the two musical theatre heavyweight actresses who have been announced to take on the coveted role of Princess Diana at two different stages of her life, Kerry Ellis – who has previously had starring roles in Wicked and Anything Goes – and Greater Manchester‘s very-own Maiya Quansah-Breed, who was born in Eccles and was an original cast member of Six.
Of course, when we say ‘unexpected’, we’re referring to the fact that TV actress and Loose Women panellist Denise Welch has also been announced to guest star in the show.
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And in the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II, no less.
After the cast for the London version of the musical was announced yesterday, the name Denise Welch started trending on Twitter pretty much straight away as fans were so shocked by it all and just couldn’t believe what they were reading.
Am I living on a different planet? Denise Welch will be playing The Queen in the Diana musical?!?!! pic.twitter.com/qylDdHDJaA
I’m convinced this is a social experiment. The fact Denise welch of Corrie Waterloo road loose women matty healy and COVID conspiracy fame. Is playing the queen of England https://t.co/xmQWdelxJD
— sharon mitchells stunning weave (@sharon_weave) June 14, 2023
Essentially, DIANA charts the rise of Diana Spencer as she becomes the princess of the people.
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The show is a tale split into two parts – with an older Diana both narrating and reflecting back on her life and that of her 19-year old self.
Described as being “a new concert version” of the hit original musical production, some of the show’s most well-known musical numbers that audience members can look forward to include ‘Secrets and Lies’, ‘Here Comes James Hewitt’, and ‘She Moves In the Most Modern Ways’.
Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Nathan Aspinall urges PDPA to improve mental health support within the sport
Danny Jones
Local sports personality Nathan Aspinall has urged the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) to provide better mental health support moving forward.
It’s not the first time ‘The Asp’ has called for more awareness and provision when it comes to player welfare and mental wellbeing, specifically, which remains a prevailing societal problem in general.
The Greater Manchester native has opened up about his own struggles many times in the past and has made a public plea for the PDPA to intervene and offer more help.
Speaking at the 2026 PDC World Darts Championships after his opening round victory, the 34-year-old instead chose to focus on more important issues than his strong start.
As you can see, Aspinall began by stating that “the PDPA now need to step in and help these guys because there’s a lot of guys suffering.”
Having long been an champion for male mental health, in particular – supporting the local Healthy Minds practices in his hometown of Stockport, for instance – he’s been one of the outspoken player on the subject for some time.
Noting that there are at least “two or three people” he refused to name, his message was simple: “There’s a lot of fantastic dart players in our sport, but it’ll be a shame to see so many of them go because of mental health”
The 2019 UK Open and 2023 World Matchplay winner has battled with multiple obstacles, including an ocular condition known as bilateral traumatic Brown’s syndrome, as well bursitis, which causes inflammation around key joints.
But it’s not necessarly injuries and the physical side of things that have been his biggest concern.
𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁
"I really do not care anymore.
"I do everything I can to be a good sportsman and you still get s**t. So you know what? I don't care. Say what you want." pic.twitter.com/mCBjQ6kvyj
One of the biggest and most recurring challenges for him has been ‘dartitis’, which many players within the discipline wrestle with the more their careers progress.
Aspinall has confessed to suffering almost chronic panic attacks due to the mental blocks (also commonly known as ‘the yips’) brought about by the intense pressure of playing on stage/live on TV.
With that in mind, it’s great to see him not only back on form and pulling impressive performance such as his ‘big fish’ finish on Friday night, but continuing to draw more attention to the underlying mental health crisis, especially among men. Well played, Nath.
You can watch his post-match interview in full down below.
Emily Sergeant -
15th June 2023 
