'King Charles III' review: Wayward Windsors
6 / 10
One of the mourners at Queen Elizabeth's funeral says 'I never thought I would see her pass away,' to which an aging Prince Charles, finally preparing to ascend to the throne, answers 'I felt the same.' Are we meant to laugh at that line, as many did at the preview I saw of 'King Charles III'? Does playwright Mike Bartlett want the exchange to be a cheap joke, a camped-up wink at the tabloid-ready burdens of the royal family? ... This is just the first of many perplexing moments in the Olivier-winning London smash, times when I felt tossed around by the inconsistent tone and confusing intentions in what is cleverly subtitled 'a future history play.'

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