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The title Di Lady Di refers of course to Lady Diana Spencer, the teenaged bride of the future monarch of the United Kingdom who would go on to become one of the most famous and admired women in the world. The narrative begins when Diana is still a girl. Her family is torn apart by divorce, and she is separated from her mother. Born into a noble family, she is accorded the title of Lady. Blonde, beautiful, and a virgin at nineteen, she attracts the attention of the Prince of Wales who, a decade her senior, is under pressure to marry and generate heirs to secure the royal line. He had been dating her older sister.
Diana marries the Prince, and does her duty by birthing two sons. The Prince rewards her love with betrayal. He has a mistress. His unfaithfulness sends her into a spiral of depression and she is ultimately granted a divorce. She refuses to remain a victim, however. She is prominent as an activist for a variety of humanitarian causes, notable among them advocacy for AIDS patients and a push for the abolition of land mines. She becomes the public’s favorite Royal and regains her own agency as The People’s Princess. Even death cannot erase her personal triumph.
Di Lady Di is a musical, with a song score of twenty-three selections, and the solo show is an official selection of the Sierra Madre Playhouse Solo Shows Festival for 2023.
Charlotte Munson is the show’s star, and also crafted the show’s book, music and lyrics. She is the recipient of a Master’s Degree from University of Tennessee. Her extensive credits include roles in New York (All Kinds of People, Hedge Fun, Princes in Cyberland) and regionally (Into the Woods, South Pacific, City of Angels, so many more). In October 2022, she won the Actors Circle Award from the Short & Sweet Hollywood Festival for her performance in her play A World Apart.
Her collaborator in composing the music for Di Lady Di is her father, Dr. Richard Munson. He has performed his music with his ensemble in New York at P.S. 122, Carnegie Hall and The Mudd Club.
Di Lady Di received the award for Best Musical from the Hollywood Fringe Festival and was designated Best of the Fringe by The Tvolution.
Di Lady Di runs February 24 – March 5 at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre , CA 91024. There is free parking available in lots behind the Playhouse and across the street, as well as street parking. There are several dining establishments just yards from the Playhouse. Tickets are $45, Seniors 65+ $40, Youth 21 & under $25. Discount TeenTix Pass program $5. For tickets and full information about all events, go to sierramadreplayhouse.org or call (626) 355-4318
Covid-19 safety protocols are being observed. As of this writing, this means that audience members will be required to wear masks inside the Playhouse auditorium.
