Tony Blair Talks Iraq in Broadway's THE AUDIENCE; Character Added to West End Production

Tony Blair is the newest Prime Minister to appear in The Audience, now playing on Broadway starring Helen Mirren. According to the Daily Mail, The Queen "is shown making an impassioned plea to Tony Blair not to rush into war with Iraq."

Playwright Peter Morgan told the Mail that including Blair (played by Rufus Wright, who also appears as David Cameron) in the play shines a spotlight on the fact that the Queen has "seen historical mistakes being made again and again."

As far as Iraq goes, Morgan said: "I think there's a great deal of regret, and loss of national dignity, as a result." He added that Blair's actions are "acts of hubris and headstrong individualism" but that "sometimes, dynamic leadership of that kind is to be applauded."

Blair was not included in The Audience's original London run two years ago, but the character has now been added to the West End production. When the show opens next month starring Kristin Scott Thomas, the Mail notes that Blair will "not mirror the Broadway version because the General Election and the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war would both be taking centre stage during the London run."

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren returns to Broadway this spring as Elizabeth II in The Audience, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry. Currently in previews, the show is slated to open on Sunday, March 8, 2015 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said, not even to their spouses.

The Audience imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen. From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister uses these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional - sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive. In turn, the Queen can't help but reveal her own self as she advises, consoles and, on occasion, teases. These private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age, from the beginning of Elizabeth II's reign to today. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.

Photo Credit: The cast of THE AUDIENCE on Broadway. Photo by Joan Marcus.

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