Helen Mirren Reigns Supreme; The Audience Recoups on Broadway

Long may she reign over the Great White Way! Broadway.com has confirmed that the Helen Mirren-led The Audience has recouped its $3.4 million production costs on the Main Stem. Directed by Stephen Daldry, Peter Morgan’s play began previews on February 17 and officially opened on March 8 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The show's limited engagement will run through June 28.

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.

The production will also star Geoffrey Beevers as the Queen’s equerry, with Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden, Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson and Rufus Wright as David Cameron. All are reprising their roles from the acclaimed London production.