Kensington Palace: Theatre of Dreams (and Nightmares?)
Written by Joanne Leyland
Friday, 01 February 2008
Kensington
Palace has hosted some of the most dramatic real life human dramas,
the likes of which would elude the imagination of event the greatest writer.
Now the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales is to become the temporary base
for a very different kind of theatre.
The palace into which the late princess secretly invited the TV cameras to
stick a metaphoric knife into the House of Windsor for her Panorama interview
of 1995 will tonight stage the first of a series of performances of
Dido Queen of Carthage in the State Apartments.
Those fortunate enough to own one of only 100 tickets for tonight’s
premiere of this unique form of theatre will follow a cast of performers through the State Apartments
which were home to generations of royalty, including the young Victoria.
It was here that the princess was informed of the death of
her uncle, King William IV, and her accession to the throne.
The Duke and Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent, as well as Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, continue to reside at the Palace.
Explaining the imminent opening of the royal home to theatregoers, Nigel Arch,
Director of Kensington Palace says: "The nice thing about this production is
the play is about love, power and human emotions and how they are changed and
warped by experience."
Royal watchers might argue that these very elements played a
factor in producing some of the most explosive and headline-making stories of
the most recent history of the House of Windsor.
