Stage Door News
Stage Door News
David Mirvish in co-production with the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is delighted to present Peter Morgan’s THE AUDIENCE from January 17 – February 26, 2017 at the newly restored Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Peter Morgan, who wrote the Oscar-winning film The Queen and the current hit series on Netflix The Crown, wrote THE AUDIENCE between these two projects about Queen Elizabeth II. THE AUDIENCE premiered in London in 2013 and transferred to Broadway in 2015; both engagements were sold-out successes.
THE AUDIENCE takes theatregoers behind the walls of Buckingham Palace and into the private chambers of Queen Elizabeth II as she meets with each of her Prime Ministers through her 60 year reign, from when she was a young mother to now as a Great Grandmother. From the old warrior Winston Churchill, to the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, through the charm offensive of Tony Blair right up to today's meetings with the current incumbent David Cameron, the Queen advises her Prime Ministers on all matters both public and personal. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch.
THE AUDIENCE gives theatregoers a remarkable look inside the upper echelons of British politics and the unspoken sacrifices it takes to be the Queen. Few dynasties have stood the test of time like the House of Windsor.
FIONA REID (Calendar Girls, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) stars as Queen Elizabeth II.
THE AUDIENCE also stars ANTHONY BEKENN as Equerry, NIGEL BENNETT as Harold Wilson, EVAN BULIUNG as John Major, BENEDICT CAMPBELL as Gordon Brown, BEN CARLSON as David Cameron, NAOMI CRONK as Young Elizabeth, PAUL ESSIEMBRE as Anthony Eden, KATE HENNIG as Margaret Thatcher, DAVID JANSEN as John Major, KEVIN KLASSEN as Tony Blair, JOHN B. LOWE as Winston Churchill, ROB MCLAUGHLIN as Private Secretary/Archbishop/Detective, RAY STRACHAN as Footman, MELANIE WHYTE as Mistress of Robes/Lady-in-Waiting and STEFANIE WIENS as Bobo MacDonald. In addition ELLEN DENNEY, VICTOR ERTMANIS, GABRIELLE JONES and MARK McGRINDER understudy roles.
THE AUDIENCE creative team includes Director Christopher Newton, Set & Costume Designer Christina Poddubiuk, Lighting Designer Scott Henderson, Sound Designer John Lott, Dialect Coach Shannon Vickers, Stage Manager Dianne Woodrow, Assistant Stage Manager Linsey Callaghan and Apprentice Stage Manager Katherine Dermott.
ABOUT THE CAST
FIONA REID - Queen Elizabeth II
Fiona has appeared in theatres across Canada and in the U.S. and U.K. She was in Calendar Girls at the Royal Alex in 2010 and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Panasonic in 2015. She has appeared in London Road (Canadian Stage), The Norman Conquests (Soulpepper) and at the Shaw Festival for the past three seasons: Lady Hunstanton in A Woman of No Importance, Alice in The Dance of Death; and in ’13 and ’14: Mrs. Rafi in The Sea, Clio in IHO, Lady Dennyson in The Charity That Began At Home, and as Sarah Bernhardt in The Divine. Other favourite roles include Violet Weston in August: Osage County — Sterling Award (Citadel); Judith Bliss in Hay Fever (Shaw, Canadian Stage, Grand Theatre); Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation — Dora Award (Royal Manitoba Theatre Company/Canadian Stage); Claire in A Delicate Balance (Stratford, Canadian Stage, Citadel); Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Neptune); and four seasons at the Stratford Festival. Film: The Time Traveler’s Wife, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1 & 2. TV: King of Kensington. Fiona is President of the Actors’ Fund of Canada, is a Member of the Order of Canada and has an honorary doctorate from Bishop’s University. In 2010 she received the ACTRA Award of Excellence.
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
PETER MORGAN - Playwright
Peter Morgan’s first stage play was Frost/Nixon, developed with producer Matthew Byam Shaw for the Donmar Warehouse. His film credits include screenplays for The Queen, starring Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen (Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Winner); The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker (BAFTA Award Winner), and the screen adaptation of Frost/Nixon, directed by Ron Howard and starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. His TV credits include HBO’s multi-Golden Globe-winning Longford, The Deal (BAFTA Award for Best Single Drama) and Henry VIII (International Emmy for Best Drama, 2004). The Crown, which he created and wrote, had its first season launch on Netflix in November 2016.
CHRISTOPHER NEWTON - Director
Christopher Newton is the Artistic Director Emeritus of the Shaw Festival where he served as Artistic Director from 1980 until 2002. He is an actor: Stratford, Shaw and New York, where he played the lead in The Knack directed by Mike Nichols. Christopher founded Theatre Calgary in 1968 and in 1973 took over the Vancouver Playhouse where, with the late Powys Thomas, he launched the Playhouse Acting School. As a writer he is best remembered as the author of several plays dealing with the history of Calgary and British Columbia. His directing credits include operas for the COC, Pacific Opera, etc., and several iconic productions for companies across this country and in Australia including Shaw’s Heartbreak House and Misalliance, Coward’s Cavalcade and Easy Virtue, Strindberg’s The Father and Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Christopher was instrumental in reviving the reputations of several half-forgotten playwrights including Granville Barker, J.B. Priestley and St. John Hankin. At the Royal Alex he directed Heath Lamberts in One for the Pot and Michael Healey’s The Innocent Eye Test. He has been honoured with the Governor General’s Award, the Molson Prize, seven honorary degrees and the Order of Canada.
THE AUDIENCE
January 17 – February 26, 2017
The Royal Alexandra Theatre - 260 King St. West, Toronto
Tickets $35 - $119
416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333
Groups (15 or more) 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420
Illustration: Fiona Reid as Queen Elizabeth II.
2017-01-04
Toronto: "The Audience" by Peter Morgan, creator of "The Crown", begins performances January 17