An older lady enquired if she was, ‘in the right place for Diana’. This query occurred on the pavement, outside Park Theatre, where The Interview by Jonathan Maitland is currently enjoying its world premiere. It transpired that this woman had booked tickets for the show on the same night as her 36th wedding anniversary. Her husband had been dead many decades. She then told me that from beyond the grave, he had nudged her to choose this significant date, so that she wouldn’t be home alone and grieving. Instead, she would be, ‘on a night out with Diana. He knows how much I love her.’
In many ways, that little vignette sums up the power, legacy and impact that Diana, Princess of Wales continues to hold over the nation. She stirs up sentimentality, paranormal notions and passionate fanaticism. Maitland’s new play takes as its premise the circumstances which led to the legendary Panorama interview conducted by Martin Bashir. It dramatizes the journalist’s manipulation of Diana, some details of which were only revealed quite recently, when Lord John Dyson released a damning 127-page report on the tactics used to secure the 1995 TV coup. It was the occasion when Diana famously quipped, ‘There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,’ alluding to Camilla and Charles’s long-standing affair.
Yolanda Kettle plays Diana and certainly captures the voice, coy glances and the essence of the ‘People’s Princess’. The bouffant hair and slightly naff Sloan Ranger denim jeans were on point too. Martin Bashir is played by Tibu Fortes, who skilfully conveys the ambition, charm and duplicity of the now disgraced broadcaster. Though the audience might be there for a fix of Diana, the Bashir role is key to the narrative. Fortes nails the deceptive charisma which enamoured Diana and the selfish arrogance which hastened his downfall.
Ciarán Owens is excellent as both Mark Killick, the graphic designer roped into forging documents by Bashir, and Steve Hewlett, the Panorama editor. In both roles he emblemizes the moral compass that was utterly lacking in Bashir. The play is staged in the round with little in the way of props, aside from recording equipment. This selective minimalism highlights how this episode was entirely fuelled by the media and everyone’s relationship with that many-headed monster.
While the first half of the play is focussed on Bashir’s creepy courting of Diana, the second half looks at the fall out and asks questions about censorship, evolving sensitivities and the bendy nature of truth. If the princess was wilfully misled and her paranoia was exploited by Bashir, can the results be viewed as authentic? Why is society apparently squeamish about the immoral tactics used to secure the scoop today, when the revelation fell on deaf ears at the time? Is Bashir responsible for all the misfortune that Diana’s experienced, following the interview?
These are all valid and interesting questions, but for some reason, they didn’t quite land with the punch that they might have. Perhaps there’s too much history packed into the second half to truly let the philosophical quandaries ferment. While The Interview proved an engaging evening, it seemed to lack the urgency, drama and high stakes that were surely at play throughout this sordid episode. The audience should be outraged at the BBC’s cover up and feel anxious for Diana as she falls under Bashir’s spell, but somehow that tension was lacking.
Despite knowing the truth behind programme that was devoured by millions, our appetite for its revelations clouds our judgment. That fascination with Diana will no doubt make The Interview a hit, but this production lets them off too easy, when in fact The Audience have a lot to answer for too.
The Interview is at Park Theatre until 25 November. https://parktheatre.co.uk/home
Reviewer: Stewart Who?
Reviewed: 1st November 2023
North West End UK Rating: