LONDON — Lights, drama and costume.

Enter “Diva,” a recent exhibition opening in June from the Victoria & Albert Museum celebrating the performers who defined, subverted and embraced the phrase.

From the nineteenth century to today, “Diva” will exhibit the colourful world of the lads and ladies who used their platforms to entertain, educate and inform, from the world of pop, including Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross, to opera’s high esteemed singers Maria Callas and Adelina Patti.

“Today the word diva holds a myriad of meanings. At the center of this exhibition is a story of iconic performers who with creativity, courage and ambition have challenged the established order and used their voice and their art to redefine and reclaim the diva,” said Kate Bailey, curator of the exhibition.

The showcase will feature greater than 60 looks with many rare pieces, equivalent to Marilyn Monroe’s fringed black dress worn in “Some Like It Hot”; a red Christian Dior gown made for Vivien Leigh in “Duel of Angels”; Tina Turner’s Bob Mackie flame dress from 1977; Sandy Powell’s Louis XIV costume with a towering powdered wig and train for John’s fiftieth birthday celebration; and Shirley Bassey’s couture pink gown designed by Julien MacDonald for Glastonbury in 2007.

“I’m delighted that the V&A can be displaying my Glastonbury look in DIVA, complete with diamanté wellington boots! It’s wonderful to see the diva celebrated on this exhibition, and to see the V&A reclaiming the title. To me, ‘diva’ is all concerning the power of the voice and the power to entertain, to succeed against odds, to fight, and break through barrier after barrier: to have your voice heard,” said Bassey in an announcement.

The exhibition has been divided into two acts.

Act one will trace the history of divas with a deal with the primary opera divas Patti and Jenny Lind, in addition to the primary wave of feminism and silent-screen sirens.

Act two will explore the divas of today and the ladies who’ve reclaimed the title, equivalent to Aretha Franklin, including how her hit song “Respect” became an anthem for empowerment. In the identical section, there can be nods to Rihanna, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald.