Shows in London are absolutely delighted to announce that Helen Mirren will be starring in the new play called The Audience which is coming to the Gielgud Theatre in London from Friday 15 February 2013, with the opening night scheduled for the 5th March 2013. Helen Mirren will be reprising her role as The Queen so expect a fight for tickets and for this play to become the hot show in 2013, in a year that promises a feast of treats in London’s West End, including Rowan Atkinson in Quartermain’s Terms at the Wyndham’s theatre.
The Audience is a new play by Peter Morgan, not to be confused with The Audience the channel 4 reality show. Writer Peter Morgan also wrote the screenplay for the 2006 film The Queen which starred Helen Mirren. Helen Mirren will again play the role of Queen Elizabeth II. Helen Mirren, 67, who won an Oscar for her screen portrayal of the Queen, will star as the Queen from her accession to the Throne aged 25 right through until her 80s.
The Audience is an historical drama and explores her relationships with a selection of the twelve Prime Ministers who have served the country from Winston Churchill to David Cameron.
The play in London will be directed by Stephen Daldry, the director of Billy Elliot the musical at the Victoria Palace theatre in London and designed by Bob Crowley, who previously designed the West End show Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward theatre.
Initially tickets will be on sale only for a limited period as the show in London is only scheduled to run until 15th June 2013.
Helen Mirren is expected in London this week to liaise with the production team during a break from shooting the thriller Red 2 with Bruce Willis in Montreal. They will discuss how best to deal with the age range of The Queen during the drama, which represents a challenge for the actress.
The play is about the history of Britain as much as it is about the relationships between Her Majesty and her Prime Ministers. In the beginning, the Queen is the young, nervous, unknowledgeable one. But as time moves on it is the Prime Ministers who become the nervous ones as The Queen achieves the wisdom and knowledge gained with age and experience.
No-one knows exactly which Prime Ministers will feature, Tony Blair didn’t appear in the first draft of the play but as Peter Morgan re-writes the script it may well be that Blair does appear, we shall wait and see.
