Diana Star Jeanna de Waal Is Teaching Online Classes, Drinking Guinness and Longing for Her Costumes

Diana, the new musical about the life of the People’s Princess, was supposed to have its opening night on March 31, but it did not because of the Broadway shutdown. Nevertheless, the company of Diana still had an opening night party, albeit virtually. “We did a big group thing,” said the show’s lead Jeanna de Waal on #LiveAtFive: Home Edition to Broadway.com’s Paul Wontorek. “The producers said ‘when we open,’ not ‘if we open.’ That was a relief to hear.” De Waal then added, with a laugh, “It was kind of a cacophony of mess because there were, like, 80 people, and no one knew how to mute.”

De Waal, who plays Princess Diana, said the show had just started finding its stride before the shut down. “I had some friends who had already checked it out and they said nice things,” she said. “And the people at stage door were all saying nice things, and we'd already had people who'd come a few times. I was feeling really great about it all.” 

The pause is “annoying” but de Waal is still staying productive. She’s currently staying with her family in New Jersey. Her boyfriend tested positive for COVID-19, but he’s doing well (so is Diana composer David Bryan, who also tested positive). “Everyone's ticking along just fine,” de Waal said. While at home, De Waal the business, Broadway Weekends, she has with her sister, Dani, has exploded. They’ve been running theater classes for adults, and it’s been at capacity for the past two weeks. “The Mamma Mia! workshop was completely sold out,” said de Waal. “We have four classes today. Broadway Weekends at Home is the Facebook group, if you want to join.” The classes are free.

De Waal didn’t take her Princess Diana wig home, but she is missing wearing William Ivey Long’s fabulous recreations of Diana’s looks. “He builds clothes that make you look so much better than you are,” she said. “That starts with the undergarments. I’m literally in a crazy amounts of undergarments to shape me in the most perfect way.” She also revealed that has numerous quick changes, the fastest of which is 12 seconds and takes five people to make happen. “Someone whips the wig off my head and sticks a bottle of water in my mouth and pulls my bra off, pulls my pants up...It's crazy!” de Waal exclaimed. One of de Waal’s goals for the break is to still be able to fit into her costumes when Broadway reopens: “We’re hoping I'm still going to fit into all those costumes after all this. After I've drunk a Guinness every night."

Watch the rest of de Waal's #LiveAtFive: Home Edition interview below.