Princess Diana is set to be brought to life onstage for a new musical, titled Diana.
A longtime gay icon, Diana is remembered by members of the LGBTIQ+ community for opening the United Kingdom’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London's Middlesex Hospital, as well as shaking the hand of a man suffering from AIDS, back when many still believed that AIDS could be transmitted by touch.
The production will debut next month at San Diego’s and run until April.
While little information is known about the show's creative vision, it comes from the Tony Award-winning writers of Memphis, Joe PiDietro and David Bryan. It will be directed by Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley.
"One of the best things about La Jolla Playhouse is the way it serves as an artistic home to which amazing artists return again and again to develop their work," Ashley previously told .
"Among my favorite long-time collaborators are Joe DiPietro and David Bryan - their new musical brings to the stage one of the greatest cultural icons in modern history, and I can't wait to share it with Playhouse audiences next season."
Playing Diana will be Jeanna de Waal, a British actress who has previously appeared on Broadway as Lauren in Kinky Boots and Heather in American Idiot.
“To bring Diana to life onstage is obviously a huge privilege,” de Waal said in an on-camera interview promoting the musical.
She continued: “I feel very daunted by the prospect, but I hope people who didn’t know about her and weren’t aware of her journey leave the theater with an idea of what she did for the world. She made everyone feel special, from the highest person to the lowest-ranking person, and I think we want to celebrate her.”
