Jake Mace
It’s 1997, and the day of the final of the Alternative Miss Ireland contest. Gunning for the crown are best friends drag performer Conor (Conor Murray) and dutiful seamstress Hannah (Hannah Power). They have come up with what they believe is the winning formula to steal the crown from reigning champion Shirley Temple Bar – a Princess Diana revenge dress lip sync extravaganza. Their love of Diana goes beyond performance, however, she is their idol, para-social confidant, and the pair dream of her visiting Dublin one day.
In the sanctuary of Conor’s bedroom, the duo plan the performance. The walls are adorned in posters of Lady Di, all of which have to be covered and hidden from sight by football memorabilia when Conor’s Dad Mick enters the room. It soon becomes clear that both of the duo have a complicated home life – Conor hiding his queerness and love of Diana from his nationalist parents, Hannah looking to fly her grandmother’s nest to go to London and pursue her dream career in fashion.
As the day of the competition arrives, the pair embark on a Bonnie and Clyde-style series of escapades – orchestrating an accident in a fabric store to steal some embellishments for their revenge dress, Hannah flirting with an oddball local DJ who’s mixed a tape for them, and as they wind around the cobbled streets of Dublin city centre, the question emerges, will the performance be any good?
The piece has a deepfelt heart – exploring Conor’s queerness with tenderness and care. A moment where we discover Conor is being kept as a secret by another man is handled carefully, and then as Hannah mounts a plan to get her revenge we learn how far this duo are willing to go for one another, with hysterical consequences. Don’t Tell Dad About Diana is fundamentally a piece that explores the limits of friendship, delusion, dreams, and idolisation played with a great deal of fun and whimsy.
The content could be interpreted as an ode to Diana’s uniting power especially for the queer community, but all of this is handled with a light touch, and a focus shift onto how to navigate secrets, identity, and friendship as you transition from being a teenager to an adult. As it comes to light that one of the duo has not been entirely with the other, they reach a reckoning together in the pouring Dublin rain.
There’s a great deal of energy, ecstasy, and queer joy in the moment where Conor finally dons the revenge dress and takes the stage at the iconic Irish queer hotspot The George. While this show doesn’t break new ground, it is a delightfully personal and lively portrait of queer youth, friendship, and emerging into the world believing that your idols are watching over you.
Roaring, buoyant and equally careful and tender throughout.
Recommended Drink: Apparently Lady Di’s favourite drink was a Peach Bellini – fizzy and bright.
You can catch Don’t Tell Dad About Diana until August 24th (not the 12th) at Belly Dancer at Underbelly, Cowgate from 12:50 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
