Diana, The Untold and Untrue Story
The Pleasence • 8 - 19 November 2022
The one thing that can be said without fear of contradiction is that Linus Karp is an actor not afraid to create theatre that might be deemed ‘controversial’ in certain quarters. It can also be said that he does not shy away from plays with exceptionally long titles, whether they be written by other playwrights or of his own creation. My third and final observation about Karp’s performances is that just about anything can happen when he takes to the stage. Rather than try to predict how one of his shows might unfold, I’ve realised it’s better to just sit back and enjoy the ride… and enjoy the ride I have, right from the very first time I saw Karp in a production of Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked, by Rob Hayes. This blonde, slender Swedish actor cut a singularly unique figure on stage in that production, and chose to remain in the realms of the animal kingdom… (well, sort of), with his follow up, the 2019 self penned one-man show, ‘How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons From The 2019 Hit Movie Musical Cats’. (I told you he likes long titles). Whilst this was, on the face of it, his own idiosyncratic homage to the Ill advised, and even more disastrously executed Hollywood film, (he won’t thank me for that description), one couldn’t help but suspect that Linus was absolutely the super-fan he came across as being on stage, on a mission to convince the audience this was a masterpiece of cinema that demanded reappraising.
The longer he successfully toured that show for, the more I found myself wondering just what he would surprise us with next. I don’t think anyone could have predicted ’Diana, The Untold and Untrue Story’, yet once again, as left-field as this latest proposition is, and having now seen Karp in full Diana drag, (who is eerily convincing in his recreation of some of Diana’s more iconic looks), it now feels like Diana is a role Karp almost seemed destined to play, and a bizarre but logical next step in redefining what a theatrical experience can be… feeling just about as wrong as it can get, whilst being oh-so-right at the same time.
The question ’To soon?’, clearly hadn’t entered Karp’s head when writing this latest show, or if it had, it was a premise he chose to dismiss early-doors as, although Diana died in August 1997, this production does come just 2 months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and includes a scurrilous portrayal of the deceased monarch in some cleverly utilised video inserts, (Geri Allen being every bit as convincing in the role as Olivia Coleman). In this hilarious romp, based on the premise that Lady Diana Spencer had not died in a fatal car crash, Karp’s conclusion is that she would have long remained the People’s Princess, continuing to be an increasingly valuable ally to the queer community having been ‘put on this world to slay!’ Despite this life affirming queer spin being put on the story, he’s certainly not sparing any blushes along the way in this partially true / highly fictionalised account of her life. Unlike the 5th season of The Crown, coincidently released the same week on Netflix, Karp takes full ownership of the poetic licence he has taken with the truth, an omission the TV series got highly criticised for. (He’s even acknowledged this in the title of his show). Even so, ’to soon’ this production just might be for some, but if you are able to temporarily park your reverence outside the theatre, (and I suggest you do), what you are left with is a non-stop hilarious romp through fact and fiction.
Whilst Karp’s performance style remains uniquely his, this absurd, abstract and surreal comedy is a throwback to the genius of the great Spike Milligan from his groundbreaking ‘Q’ series years, (If you’re too young to get this reference, don’t worry… it was fairly under the radar even at the time), but whereas Milligan’s surrealist humour was only made digestible by the short sketch format of the show, Karp has reigned things in just enough to keep his own brand of larger-than-life comedy more than sustainable for the hour long show, never allowing things to descend into a chaotic mess. This is much more measured than that and is never allowed to feel completely out of control... just dangerously close. ‘Diana’ is also a masterclass in the ingenuity required to produce a show of this calibre on a shoestring budget, every short-cut required being used for maximum comedic effect. The cardboard cut-out of Prince Charles, (hilariously voiced by the shows Co-Director and Stage Manager, Joseph Martin), almost feels more animated than the real thing… “whatever real thing means!” (You had to have been there!). Martin is also the operator of ‘puppet’ Camilla, a nightmarish vision not unlike Gerald Scarfe’s ‘Teacher’ creation from Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’! (Apologies once again for this not being the most contemporary of references but, trust me… it’s praise indeed!).
To be able to generate such levels of uncontrollable laughter at the end of almost every line of this production, from start to finish, is a rare skill, but this felt effortless in Karp’s hands, whether it be part of the finely honed script, a clever visual gag or the occasional unscripted moment that comes with the territory of getting the audience involved, (there’s a lot of audience participation going on during the show, possibly another solution to producing a comedy on such a small budget), but this has an effortless charm, and adds a lot of unpredictable humour to the overall show.
Could Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story offend? In this increasingly castrated comedy climate, I certainly hope so! Linus brings the laughs fast and furious, with an assurance that only the experience of two Edinburgh shows and extensive touring can bring to a coming-of-age performance, his fine comedic eye bringing to the stage a deliciously skewed view of the world. You know you’ve had a good night out when the only criticism you can level against a show is that it was sometimes hard to hear the jokes over the volume of the audience laughing.
★★★★★
NB: Having cast his sardonic eye on one great British institution, I’d like to think 2023 might just be the year he challenges himself with yet another one… that being an Awkward Productions Panto! It’s a year away, but one suspects it would be well worth the wait!
review: Simon J. Webb
photographs: Dave Bird