The Audience NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (59)
See it if you ever get the chance!
Don't see it if you get bored easily.
See it if You want to see one of the great performances of our generation, Helen Mirren as QE2, in a thought-provoking new play about history/politics
Don't see it if You're an anti-monarchist, don't want to exert a lot of mental energy on the show, or have absolutely zero knowledge of modern history.
See it if Outstanding writing and acting. A tour de force!
Don't see it if Why would anyone not see this one?!
See it if a brilliant play and one of the best plays of the year.
Don't see it if You don't like the royal family, it is not your kind of play
See it if You want to see the mistress of her craft Dame Helen Mirren, set off like a jewel in a setting.
Don't see it if You have no knowledge of royal family or 20th century history.
See it if you want to see Helen Mirren own the stage in this masterful play! Beautiful transitions throughout time; brings the queen to life on stage
Don't see it if you do not enjoy British politics; this is (was) a must see!
See it if you're an Anglophile & want to see a master class in acting.
Don't see it if you're too easily bored by politics.
See it if you want the privilege of seeing Helen Mirren in first-class form. Witty, fascinating, and the rest of the cast is equally masterful.
Don't see it if you don't care for British political history.
Critic Reviews (33)
"'The Audience' allows the smashing Ms. Mirren to demonstrate her quick-change virtuosity in becoming the queen at different ages before our very eyes. Those transformations, accomplished with sleights of hand worthy of a master magician, are probably the most entertaining and satisfying aspects of 'The Audience'...You can also expect a lively and expansive tutorial on a number of subjects."
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"Whether you know your 20th-century Parliamentary history or simply get an Anglophile high from tea service and footmen in livery, Mirren rules in this engaging and humanizing retrospective. The Brits may sing about God saving their queen, but I think she takes care of herself just fine."
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"Those of you who like a bit of Royal Fantasy should hurry up and get your tickets to this delicious bit of sweets...Many of the scenes often feel contrived...Where this production does excel is in the person of Helen Mirren who manages to convey the essence of this Queen. We understand, we can literally feel that for her this is a Holy calling."
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"'The Audience' relies on too many clichés of biodrama to hold itself together...So it’s really the Helen Mirren show, with her chorus line of prime ministers in black and gray setting off her brilliance. It’s dazzling fun. But for Mirren no less than the rest of the cast the play appears to be little more than a series of meaty and not especially difficult exercises; they invest a great deal of expertise and passion into the best possible rendering of the simplest possible tunes. "
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"Working closely with Morgan’s long and essentially plotless script [Daldry] not only shows us how the scene is assembled but makes its construction part of his theatre magic, which is warmer than Brecht’s, but 'alienated,' too... There is nothing like watching a great director with a great star; the relationship can and often does transcend weak material. Morgan’s material is not lacklustre. There’s enough air in it for Mirren to interpret, and for Daldry to guide her interpretation and add an element that only the stage can contain: camp."
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"Mirren has this queen thing down quite nicely...The title refers to Liz’s weekly off-the-record meetings with her Prime Ministers...They’re a disparate, sometimes unruly lot, each of whom she handles with wit and aplomb in Stephen Daldry’s perfectly pitched production, gorgeously designed by his frequent collaborator Bob Crowley."
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"Effortlessly and consistently commanding and composed, Mirren can’t be upstaged... Still, her portrait never quite ascends to that elusive level of transcendence — or indelibility. Don’t blame Dame Helen... The concept is clever and entertaining, probably a lot more so if you’re English, but there’s not much of a takeaway."
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"Long live Queen Helen! Maybe she’ll add a Tony to her collection for her triumphant return to Buckingham Palace in 'The Audience'...The fundamental appeal for an audience is watching the various prime ministers display their goods for the Queen and observing Mirren’s subtle skills at adjusting her age, voice, physical presence and state of mind to reflect (or try to hide) her feelings about each of these politicians."
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