For sixty years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a private weekly meeting. This meeting is known as The Audience. No one knows what they discuss, not even their spouses. Academy Award winner Helen Mirren returns to Broadway, and the throne, in a riveting new play by Peter Morgan, the writer of the Academy Award-nominated film, The Queen. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, An Inspector Calls), THE AUDIENCE takes theatregoers behind the walls of Buckingham Palace and into the private chambers of Queen Elizabeth II as she meets with each of her Prime Ministers, from when she was a young mother to now as a Great Grandmother. From the old warrior Winston Churchill, to the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, through the charm offensive of Tony Blair right up to today's meetings with the current incumbent David Cameron, the Queen advises her Prime Ministers on all matters both public and personal. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch. You cannot miss the performance that had London on its feet: Helen Mirren in THE AUDIENCE.
To the surprise of exactly no one, Helen Mirren is absolutely terrific as Queen Elizabeth II in 'The Audience'... The physical transformation itself is a lot of fun - how can you not see something that happens right in front of your eyes?! But it pales compared with the way Mirren switches roles from an established, aging ruler to a young woman - not yet crowned - who holds her own against a colossal statesman swinging his weight around. The voice is more girlish, the body language less confident, but the will and character are already there.
Polished visual images aside, we have less a personal sense of Queen Elizabeth than we do so many members of American political 'royalty.' How often do we ever even hear Elizabeth's voice? Through a variety of often workaday anecdotes over two-plus hours, Mirren fills in the blanks, crafting a portrait of a tough and empathetic woman who has survived thanks to personal warmth, good humor and a profound sense of duty.
2013 | West End |
West End |
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Play | Helen Mirren |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Helen Mirren |
2015 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Bob Crowley |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Richard McCabe |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Helen Mirren |
2015 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Peter Morgan |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Helen Mirren |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Bob Crowley |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Stephen Daldry |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Richard McCabe |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Rick Fisher |
2015 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | The Audience |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Bob Crowley |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Richard McCabe |
2015 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Helen Mirren |
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