The Audience NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (59)
See it if You are intrigued by the longest serving monarch and a touch of history. Dame Mirren is worth it alone.
Don't see it if You have no interest in history or still don't care for the British.
See it if You love British royalty and politics.
Don't see it if You dislike drawing room plays, even if they involve a good dose of comedy.
See it if you love Mirren (of course you do). I saw the British version (on film) & preferred it. But Bway's still great. E2 is a fascinating figure.
Don't see it if you are Anglophobic. Still, great acting, interesting structure, fabulous costumes, inspiring bio, lots of humor and history. Worth seeing. Read more
See it if You want to see a masterful performance by Helen Mirren.
Don't see it if you have no interest in British politics or royalty.
See it if because Helen Mirren is wonderful and never disappoints.
Don't see it if If you're not a fan of British history.
See it if you have an interest in British politics (AND if you don't-- it's still a really engaging piece of theater without much prior knowledge).
Don't see it if you particularly DON'T like British politics.
See it if you love Helen Mirren, you are fascinated by dialogue-heavy scenes, and you're at least somewhat familiar with British politics.
Don't see it if you like more action-filled shows and you don't care about British or any politics.
See it if you love the thespian wonder that is Helen Mirren. This is all her, and she does not disappoint.
Don't see it if you can't, because its run has ended.
Critic Reviews (33)
"For all its dramaturgic thinness, the play is nonetheless continually stimulating...Stephen Daldry’s imaginative staging has fun with the pomp and circumstance...And then, of course, there’s the magnificent Helen Mirren, every inch the queen...Mirren’s natural authority and the subtlety with which she offers nuance upon nuance to her performance make seeing her a must."
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"A love letter in clipped vowels to the current good queen Bess, [playwright] Morgan’s efficient if somewhat workmanlike script dramatises her weekly audience with the 12 prime ministers of her reign...Mirren is, of course, excellent...[Morgan's] contention is that Elizabeth was someone who would have preferred not to have become queen, but who has embraced the role with dignity and grace. Rather like Mirren – although one supposes she did want the role. And it’s a very good thing for theatregoers that she’s got it."
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"If you’ve seen Mirren in 'The Queen,' there’s no reason to see 'The Audience.' Princess Diana provides the dramatic conflict that drives the movie, and her presence is sorely missed in the play, where’s there’s absolutely no dramatic conflict. The plot, what little there is, hinges on a series of prime ministers who hold weekly meetings with the queen."
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"Look to 'The Audience' for an audience with Helen Mirren, dressed and coiffed as Elizabeth II. An audience with Helen Mirren makes a fine night's entertainment, but not--in this case--a compelling dramatic event."
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"Morgan’s play is foremost a fascinating character study, brought to life by Mirren’s stunning performance as the Queen...Much of what makes 'The Audience' so compelling is feeling privy to the Queen’s inner life...Morgan’s play offers a backstage pass to the longest running show in the world."
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"It is Mirren’s magnificent performance as Elizabeth that makes 'The Audience' such a must-see show for anyone interested in modern British history or simply the woman upon the throne. Morgan’s sympathetic portrait of Elizabeth is fleshed out warmly by Mirren’s compelling acting...director Stephen Daldry has cultivated clear-cut performances from his 17-member company and marshals superb design elements in support."
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"Visually, the director Stephen Daldry’s production remains a marvel...But it’s Mirren’s shrewd yet affectionate portrayal of a monarch-made-flesh that looks poised to take the town, perhaps resulting in this actress’s first-ever Tony Award. 'One by one, your prime ministers will fall under your spell,' the play’s Winston Churchill tells Her Majesty. Expect Broadway playgoers to join the queue."
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"What could have been an acting stunt is instead a rich, deep portrait of a woman who, somehow, is deeply revealed without giving much of her mysterious self away...The production, expertly directed by Stephen Daldry, puts these unpredictable exchanges within the strict formality of the palace...Neither a Shakespearean tragedy nor a fairy-tale fantasy, the poignant power of this royal story comes from its extraordinary ordinariness."
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