****Due to the current health saving conditions, performance dates have been postponed. New dates will be posted soon. *****

An Exciting New Musical Opening in Northern Virginia and Rockville, Maryland!

“I started writing on the back of my ticket envelope!” says Angel Knight, of her conception of the new play, Queen of the People’s Hearts. Her inspiration came on  suddenly and  forcefully, “I was sitting in my seat at Kennedy Center to watch Hamilton. It was like a lightning bolt came through the right side of my brain,” she said,  “I was filled with incredible confidence, faith, and determination that I will write a musical. I am going to write a musical about Princess Diana. During the Hamilton intermission, I ran outside to the fountains on the terrace and called my creative partner, Randal Dewey. I asked him about my idea. He agreed!”

The play opens on April 4 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia. The next day, it will be performed in Maryland at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater in the Rockville Civic Center.

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Angela and Randal set out to tell Princess Diana’s story. Angela worked from her memories and impressions of reading and seeing articles and shows about Diana. Randal, conducted the research. They provided creative musical opportunities for interns, students at the Berkley School of Music in Boston, and artistic opportunities for graphic arts students of George Mason University.

The costuming came together when Angela met her costumer while picking grapes at a local winery. ”She is really good with fashion. Their ‘80’s fashion was more elegant than ours. It was classic and not gaudy. The costumes will be period for them,” said Angela.

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“The music will be modern. It has modern sensibilities,” says Angela, “This is not ‘Cabaret,’ it is crisp, brisk, and current. It is tracked and performed by the Berkley interns. We created music and lyrics then sent it to the interns to ‘zjoosh’ it up.  They were incredible to work with.”

Asked about competing with the Broadway play, Diana,  Angela said, “It is like ice cream flavors. Some want vanilla and some want chocolate ice cream. We want to entertain audiences who want something different from  the ‘Cabaret’ experience.”

All photos courtesy of Angela Knight, QOTPH

Selecting the leading cast was exciting. From a wonderful pool of incredible performers, Angela hired exceptional artists from the Washington National Opera and elsewhere to build the cast. While the artists have opera voice capabilities, the musical is not operatic but a contemporary musical.

Keeping in line with modern sensibilities, set design uses today’s technology. The George Mason interns designed the digital backdrops. The technological capabilities will make the show visually exciting and very modern.

The show promises to bring new life to the story of Princess Diana. Both Angela and Randal believe she would approve. Tickets are selling well. Order your tickets soon. There will be two performances at Hylton Theater on Saturday, April 4, at 2 and 7 PM.  There will be one performance in Rockville on April 5^th at 3 PM. Tickets can be purchased through the Play’s website. Following the Washington Metro debut, the play will move on the Cleveland, Ohio in May.