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Crowning glory for Kristin Scott Thomas as she takes on the role of the Queen
Revered stage and screen actress Kristin Scott Thomas is set to play the Queen in a West End revival of Peter Morgan’s The Audience next year.
The role was originally played by Dame Helen Mirren, who is heading stateside to perform the part on Broadway in tandem with Scott Thomas. “We’ll have two Queens, on either side of the pond,” director Stephen Daldry told The Daily Mail.
Scott Thomas is currently performing the title role in Ian Rickson’s critically-acclaimed production of Electra at the Old Vic.
The British actress is well-known for her star turns in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gosford Park and The English Patient, but her rich acting career, which spans three decades, has also seen her take to the stage in productions such as The Seagull, Betrayal, Old Times and Three Sisters.
The Audience imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen. From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister uses these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional – sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive. In turn, the Queen can’t help but reveal her own self as she advises, consoles and, on occasion, teases.
These private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age, from the beginning of Elizabeth II’s reign to today. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.
Creating a politically-relevant play seems to be quite a tricky feat, as The Audience’s creator Peter Morgan demonstrated when he confirmed that he is updating the original script to include former Prime Minister Tony Blair with the potential to write in a brand new character if Labour’s Ed Miliband makes it into No.10 Downing Street in the next general election.
Don’t miss Kristin Scott Thomas in The Audience. Previews begin 21 April 2015. Get tickets here.
