Long May She Reign Over Us! First Prime Ministers Appointed for Broadway's The Audience, Starring Helen Mirren

The first Prime Ministers have been appointed for Peter Morgan’s The Audience, starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II. Reprising their roles from the acclaimed London production will be Geoffrey Beevers as the Queen’s equerry, with Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden, Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson and Rufus Wright as David Cameron. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the show will begin previews on February 17, 2015 and play a limited engagement through June 28. Opening night is set for March 8 at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

Beevers’ theater credits include A Servant to Two Masters, Henry VIII and The Comedy of Errors. On screen he has appeared in Clash of the Titans, The Curse of the Pink Panther, Victor/Victoria, Inspector Morse, Sherlock Holmes, Poirot and Doctor Who. Elwyn’s stage credits include Rope and Solid Gold Cadillac. TV credits include Foyle’s War, EastEnders and Walk with Destiny.  McCabe’s theater credits include A Tender Thing, Bingo and Yes, Prime Minister. On screen appearances include the The Constant Gardener, Notting Hill, Persuasion and Jane Eyre. Wright’s stage credits include The 39 Steps, Frost/Nixon and Mary. Screen credits include The Quantum of Solace, Spy Game, Foyle’s War and Extras.

For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said, not even to their spouses. 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.

Further casting will be announced later, including five more Prime Ministers.