The Audience – Theatre Review

“The un-lived lives within us all” – The Queen 

This weekend Little Miss went to the opening night of The Audience – the new West-end offering from Stephen Daldry (directing) and Peter Morgan (writing). Starring the lady of the moment, Helen Mirren, currently on the silver screen as Alma Hitchcock, this gem of a play sees her reprise her role of the ‘ma’am’ herself – the Queen.

Not knowing a huge amount about the play before my viewing, I was pleasantly surprised with the genuinely interesting subject matter. Set within the confines of her Majesty’s homes, whether it be Buckingham Palace or Balmoral Castle, it tells the story of the Queen’s weekly Tuesday night meetings with the Prime Ministers of the day.

[Helen Mirren and Nathaniel Parker (who plays Gordon Brown) in rehearsals]

Following the Queen’s reign from her initial inauguration to today, it covers the varied history of her role within parliament – and along the way we meet them all including Churchill, Wilson, Major, Brown and Cameron (with Blair pointedly omitted from the play).

If you’re a lover of ‘straight’ theatre, i.e the idea of a Complicite performance has you quaking in your loafers, then this is a play for you. Production-wise, it’s well thought out and despite the fact there is only really two people on stage in conversation at one time, it flows and manages to keep your attention. Scene and costume changes are done swiftly and with ease. The lustrous setting of The Gielgud Theatre, the show’s home for the next 4 months, is also fittingly in-keeping with the subject matter.

It’s also beautifully executed by Mirren and her role as the Queen (especially during her later years) is almost eerily uncanny at times. It’s a feat to cover a character across the years and she manages to perfect the change in the queen’s accent as she grows older, along with mimicking her gait. Haydn Gwynne’s performance as Thatcher, however, was over-egged and melodramatic, failing to portray the obvious (and fascinating) personality clash between the two women (very similar in age) and instead made for almost cringe-inducing viewing.

The Audience also touched upon the Queen herself and whether right or wrong, portrayed her in a positive light. Morgan and Daldry’s Queen is a woman of confidence, self-assurance, opinions and strength – she isn’t afraid to challenge her PM’s on issues of contention such as minors strikes or the Suez Canal issue…however, the overall feeling you are left with is that even though she may disagree, it’s not ‘proper’ to rock the boat. And so she concedes. Unflinchingly following her government’s final word on the matter.

One thing that pervades throughout the play is the feeling that this is just that – a work of researched fiction, dramatising events and conversations in history that no-one has ever been privy too and never will be. What is said within these rooms with the Queen and her PM, will never be told. But Peter Morgan does a good job of letting us into these imaginary walls, for a couple of hours of genuine entertainment.

If the above review doesn’t want to make you go, there is one more thing that might swing it – THE PLAY FEATURES ACTUAL CORGI’S. Enough said.

LMNH rating: 3.5*