For four years Geri Allen has been the Queen on a screen in Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story. In January, Allen plays the part in person, as Awkward Prods marks the show's fifth birthday at the King's Head Theatre.
Anyone who has seen Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story knows Geri Allen's Queen Elizabeth II, but only as a pre-recorded cameo. That changes next year. Allen joins the company live on stage for the first time when the show returns to the King's Head Theatre in Islington from 19-31 January 2027.
The run celebrates five years of the show. Linus Karp wrote it and plays Diana, with Joseph Martin as puppeteer, and the two co-direct. The King's Head dates first surfaced in the venue's spring 2027 season announcement. The live Queen is the new part, and London gets it straight after the company's December dates at SoHo Playhouse in New York.
The premise stays the same. Diana tells her own story from heaven, and very little of it is true. Over 75 minutes the show mixes live drag, puppetry and video projection, and treats the princess with affection rather than reverence. The recorded guest spots stay in too: Rob Madge as Mother Teresa, plus Jeanna de Waal, Zina Badran and Martin.
Allen's West End credits include Oh, Mary! at the Trafalgar Theatre and Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre. On the move from screen to stage, Allen said: "After being a vision on screen for this show for four years, I felt it was about time to get stuck into the live action...plus I've had a lot of work done and it was easier than re-recording the footage."
Karp looked back to the start: "We opened Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story in a small shipping container disguised as a theatre in 2022. Little did we know how that show would change our lives, take us across the world and sell out Off-Broadway in New York City. I can't believe Diana is turning five, and there's no better way to mark the run than to get to bring the show back to London and the beautiful Kings Head Theatre and perform the show alongside my Queen - Geri Allen."
There is more for regulars. A gala performance is set for Wednesday 20 January at 7pm, and Allen takes part in a post-show Q&A on 21 January. Awkward Prods is also reviving its very first show, how to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical 'Cats', for two nights only on 28-29 January. When the season was announced those dates were still to come.
The creative team includes set and costume designer Amy Pitt, original lighting designer Ebbe Rodtberg, music and graphic designer Wez Maddocks, video designer Danny Boylett, choreographer Sam Carlyle and puppetry consultant Tara Boland.
Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story runs at the King's Head Theatre, 116p Upper Street, N1 1QP, from 19 January to 31 January 2027, with tickets from £15 to £32.50. It is recommended for ages 16+.
