After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe and an Irish tour, Don’t Tell Dad About Diana garnered notable recognition, being named one of Rolling Stone’s 10 Standout Fringe Shows and Theatre Weekly’s Best LGBTQ+ Show of the Edinburgh Fringe. Additionally, it was nominated for the BBC Writers’ Popcorn Award.
Don’t Tell Dad About Diana is a queer coming-of-age story set in 1997 Dublin. The show explores the tension between leaving home and staying to build something new, grounded in Power and Murray’s unique creative partnership and shared experiences.
Don’t Tell Dad About Diana is a powerful piece of new writing created by talented performers and real-life best friends Hannah Power and Conor Murray. This celebrated and award-winning work draws inspiration from their personal experiences, friendship, and the questions of identity that have influenced their lives.
This high-energy comedy follows two Irish teenagers who are obsessed with Princess Diana, their patron saint of misfits. As they secretly prepare to compete for the title of Alternative Miss Ireland with their outrageous Princess Diana drag act, they do so while navigating the challenges posed by their hardline nationalist families in the lead-up to the Good Friday Agreement.
In a year that saw Ireland’s first gay kiss on Fair City, Eurovision taking place on home soil, and Boyzone dominating the music charts, this story delves into themes of friendship, identity, and grief at the crossroads of adolescence. It examines the impact of mourning a cultural icon. However, when the sudden death of Diana turns into a real-life tragedy, it starts to unravel their secrets, strain their friendship, and jeopardise their plans to leave Ireland.
The show reclaims nostalgic cultural memories of the 1990s through a working-class Irish and queer perspective, placing queer voices at the centre of a significant cultural moment. By blending elements of drag, melodrama, ceremonial flair, and cinematic narration, it captures a city on the verge of transformation, showcasing everything from chokers for every occasion to Spice Girls posters and the Now That’s What I Call Music 38 soundtrack.
After receiving widespread critical acclaim, the show has won the Fishamble New Writing Award 2025 at the Dublin Fringe Festival and the Bewley’s Little Gem Award 2025, and was also shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatre Award 2025.
“As actors, they’re both engaging and rebellious, a joy to be around, and I came away from this fabulous new work longing to see it again. On a stage, on the screen, wherever it takes them.” – The Irish Independent
“Drum tight and deadly.” ★★★★★ – Rolling Stone
“Absorbingly original.” ★★★★★ – Edinburgh Fringe Review
“A divine, captivating shrine to friendship. Giving audiences an hour of constant cackling, coming-of-age charm, and cheerful chaos.” ★★★★★ – Corr Blimey
“A witty, warm, and wonderfully performed love letter to friendship, love, and the messy joy of figuring out who you are.” ★ ★ ★ ★★ – Richard Theatre Reviews
“Delivers on the hype. Two exciting new artists with an embarrassment of talent, you’re sure to be hearing more of.” ★★★★ – Irish Arts Review
“Uplifting and unapologetically life-affirming, Don’t Tell Dad About Dianaradiates from start to finish.” ★ ★ ★ ★ – The Skinny
Don’t Tell Dad About Diana runs from 26 to 28 May 2026, 7pm, at Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 6 Walker’s Court, Soho, London W1F 0BT, United Kingdom.
