Helen Mirren News

Olney Theatre Center announces the DC-area premiere of Tim Firth's Neville's Island. This "comedy in thick fog" will play on the Mainstage April 4 - 28, 2013.

Lizzy the corgi, the dog in West End's THE AUDIENCE, was replaced just days before opening night at London's Gielgud Theatre because she would not obey stage directions.

Fridays at BWW mean one thing: a recap at-a-glance of this week's most-read stories in our regional markets! Take a stroll around the Broadway World to see what made news for the week of March 3!

According to the Daily Mail, The Audience, starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II, has drawn an advance total ticket sales of nearly £5 million. The Mail is also reporting that there is 'chatter about it going to Broadway next spring for a limited run.'

Much of the furore surrounding Peter Morgan's The Audience concerns Helen Mirren's triumphant return to the role for which she won the Academy Award, in the movie The Queen (also scripted by Morgan), and rightly so; her performance is a tour de force, a master class of both voice and physicality

The Audience began previewing at the Gielgud Theatre on 15 February 2013, with press night on 5 March 2013 and is booking to 15 June 2013. Designs are by Bob Crowley with lighting by Rick Fisher, sound by Paul Arditti, music by Paul Englishby and video by Ian William Galloway.

Helen Mirren returns to the stage as The Queen in the world premiere of Peter Morgan's The Audience, with Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden, Haydn Gwynne as Margaret Thatcher, Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson, Nathaniel Parker as Gordon Brown, Paul Ritter as John Major, Rufus Wright as David Cameron and Edward Fox as Winston Churchill. Mirren recently chatted with BBC News about returning to the role in the new piece and you can watch the full interview HERE.

Lakeshore Records will release the EMPEROR – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally today, March 5, 2013. Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) composed the original score.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company is presenting the newly revised version of A.R. Gurney's 1991 play, The Old Boy, through March 24th only. Opening Night is set for tonight, March 5th. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Joining Helen Mirren who plays The Queen in the world premiere of Peter Morgan's The Audience are Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden, Haydn Gwynne as Margaret Thatcher, Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson, Nathaniel Parker as Gordon Brown, Paul Ritter as John Major, Rufus Wright as David Cameron and Edward Fox as Winston Churchill. The Equerry is Geoffrey Beevers and the role of Young Elizabeth is played by Bebe Cave, Maya Gerber and Nell Williams. David Peart plays James Callaghan who is joined by ensemble members Jonathan Coote, Ian Houghton and Charlotte Moore. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.

Lakeshore Records will release the EMPEROR – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on March 5, 2013. Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) composed the original score.

Lakeshore Records will release the Emperor – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on March 5, 2013. Alex Heffes (The Last King of Scotland, State of Play) composed the original score.

Due to overwhelming demand, the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company will extend the newly revised version of A.R. Gurney's 1991 play, The Old Boy, through March 30th. Opening Night is set for Tuesday, March 5th.

The producers of The Audience today announced Robert Hardy's decision to withdraw from the production. Hardy, 87, recently suffered a fall and cracked some ribs, yet continued to perform at all of the preview performances last week. Over the weekend he has decided that a schedule of eight performances a week over a long run is not sustainable and he has therefore reluctantly decided to stand down. The Producers would like to thank Robert Hardy for his extraordinary contribution to the production and they wish him a speedy recovery.

Internationally acclaimed actress Helen Mirren's performance as The Queen in the world premiere of Peter Morgan's THE AUDIENCE, directed by Stephen Daldry, will be seen by cinema audiences worldwide when National Theatre Live broadcasts the play live from London's Gielgud Theatre on June 13, 2013, with varying dates internationally and encore screenings throughout the summer. THE AUDIENCE reunites Mirren and Morgan after collaborating on the 2006 film The Queen, in which Mirren also portrayed Elizabeth II, winning the Academy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and BAFTA Awards for Best Actress for her performance.

According to the Daily Mail, The Audience, which just began performances in the West End starring Helen Mirren, will be filmed and broadcast live from the Gielgud Theatre for National Theatre Live on June 13, 2013. The production has already brought in nearly £4 million in ticket sales before its opening on March 5. The play is running through June 15.

Brimming with magic and romance, William Shakespeare's The Tempest, plays in the intimate Severson Theatre tonight, February 21 through March 20, 2013. The play sweeps us through stormy seas to an island where airy and earthly spirits captivate or free us. Come, be swept ashore and feel the fluttering of every winged word in this lyrical romance.

On Thursday, March 21, National Theatre Live will broadcast a live performance of PEOPLE, the acclaimed new comedy by Alan Bennett featuring Frances de la Tour and directed by Nicholas Hytner. The broadcast will be shown at cinemas throughout North America with many encore dates available.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company is presenting the newly revised version of A.R. Gurney's 1991 play, The Old Boy, through March 24th only. Opening Night is set for Tuesday, March 5th. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Joining Helen Mirren as The Queen in the world premiere of THE AUDIENCE are Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden, Haydn Gwynne as Margaret Thatcher, Robert Hardy as Winston Churchill, Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson, Nathaniel Parker as Gordon Brown, Paul Ritter as John Major and Rufus Wright as David Cameron. The Equerry is Geoffrey Beevers and the role of Young Elizabeth will be played by Bebe Cave, Maya Gerber and Nell Williams.