31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES GB
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The Audience

The Audience Tickets

4.8/5 - based on 98 reviews
from 98 verified reviews
  • Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas
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The Audience in London

Starring:

Kristin Scott Thomas

The Audience – A revival starring Kristin Scott Thomas

The Audience - The story

Queen Elizabeth meets with her Prime Minister every week for a very private chat. She's done it week in, week out for more than sixty years, during which time she has seen many PMs come and go.

The meetings, held at Buckingham Palace, are shrouded in secrecy. There's an unspoken agreement that the Prime Ministers don't talk about what happens, even to their husbands and wives. This superb show breaks the silence to imagine what those conversations may have been like. The result is a series of fascinating vignettes where meetings between the Queen and her Downing Street incumbents are revealed in all their fascinating glory... and they're sometimes explosive.

The playwright Peter Morgan has imagined each Prime Minister using the private chats as a sounding board, giving us a rare and fascinating peek into their innermost thoughts and feelings. At the same time the Queen reveals her own personal feelings as she by turn advises her PMs, listens, consoles and suggests. But while politicians come and go, Elizabeth remains constant. Fascinating stuff.

The Audience – Giving a smash hit play a fresh face

Helen Mirren won an Olivier Award for the original 2013 production of the play, directed by the twice Tony award winning Stephen Daldry. Daldry is also due to direct the new London production, which previews on 21st April 2015 at the Apollo while Helen Mirren carries on with the role on Broadway.

In case you didn't know, Daldry is also the director behind Skylight, Billy Elliot the Musical and the movie, plus smash hits The Hours, The Reader plus Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Design is by Bob Crowley, lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound comes courtesy of Paul Arditti and the music is by Paul Englishby. The remainder of the cast, namely the roles of the PMs themselves, is still to be announced. There are also rumours that the playwright is thinking about updating the play to involve Tony Blair, which would certainly add extra spice to an already seriously spicy piece of work!

The Audience theatre tickets – Don't miss it this time around!

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The Audience Official Theatre Tickets

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The Audience Ticket Information

  • Booking until:

    Saturday,25 July 2015

  • Important Information

    Please note Kristin Scott Thomas will NOT perform on 23 May matinee and 27 June matinee. The role of Queen Elizabeth II will be played by her understudy during those performances. 

  • Cancellations & Refunds

    Once booked, tickets to The Audience are usually non exchangeable and non refundable as per our terms & conditions. In practice, however, we will do our best to accommodate your request as long as we are notified at least 48 hours before the performance. Please contact us for more information.

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The Audience reviews

4.8 out of 5 based on 98 reviews

What to expect:

Acting
Music
Costumes
Story
Lighting
  • Recommended for:
  • Couples (86%)
  • Theatregoers (95%)
Latest customer reviews

Please note the reviews below are from an old production of The Audience.

Kristin Scott Thomas and Helen Mirren Too Close to Call!!!!!!

Kristin Scott Thomas was elegant and her stage presence is something to behold, support actors brought humour and talent to their roles, forget the critics who panned this show.......... maybe we should retire a few critics and bring some freshness to their roles! If you want a good night of entertainment with courteous staff and great acting Don't read the critiques before you book a show, just take account of the actors who provide such great entertainment for reasonable money.

Reviewed on 26 July 2015 by , Chester, United Kingdom

Must see!

Reviewed on 14 July 2015 by , Ebmatingen, Switzerland

Interesting with a touch of humour

Reviewed on 14 July 2015 by , Largs Bay, Australia

A Treat!

Real, insightful and instructive humanity. Absolutely fascinating from start to finish. Superbly acted. Imaginative in conception and presentation. We felt enriched by the experience, and are grateful to have seen it.

Reviewed on 14 July 2015 by , Richmond, United States

Very good

Dunno if Queenie really is this astute and intelligent but it would be great to think so. Charles certainly isn't. Nice bit of satire and light hearted review of political history. Overseas visitors (eg Mercans) may struggle to recognise many of our PMs but at last there is a queen for them to look at during those blank moments. Excellent cast and well written.

Reviewed on 06 July 2015 by , Lytham St Annes, United Kingdom

Excellent show!

Reviewed on 11 June 2015 by

A crash course in recent British history

Reviewed on 31 May 2015 by

EXCELLENT

Love kristin Scott thomas and she displays a wonderful, sobre performance. Delighted

Reviewed on 11 May 2015 by

One of the best plays I have seen in the last couple of years

I would recommend this play for people with an understanding of politics as well as a awareness of the differing prime ministers of England. If you do not have this base knowledge some of the jokes and impressions of the prime ministers will be lost on you.

Reviewed on 05 May 2015 by

Oustanding acting performances from ALL the cast

Music was quite loud during the coronation scene - painfully loud actually.

Reviewed on 30 April 2015 by

Beyond the Crown

Come away from this play with a new understanding of Queen Elizabeth. Mirren manages to make her character both regal & human at the same time. Also, some very imaginative stage craft for a "conversation" play. Great supporting performances as well. A great night of theatre, even for an American!

Reviewed on 17 May 2013 by

Helen at her best

Reviewed on 05 May 2013 by

The Audience - loved it!

Reviewed on 04 May 2013 by

Outstanding Professional Performance

Be prepared, to laugh, cry, be enthralled and applaud until your hands hurt.

Reviewed on 04 May 2013 by

Fantastic Show

Helen Mirren at her very very best

Reviewed on 04 May 2013 by

Surprise

I was disappointed, as nowhere in advance was it described as a "comedy", which it was clearly trying to be, but I thought trying to hard. I was disappointed with the experience.

Reviewed on 02 May 2013 by

Beautiful acting

We came all the way from Sweden to watch Dame Helen Mirren and her co-actors in this show. Everything was so perfect... timing, humour, and so many other small details. I do not regret a bit travelling so far for a two hours show.

Reviewed on 02 May 2013 by

Superb

Brilliant acting, captured the period of each prime minister very well, great mix of history and amusing parts. Brilliant.

Reviewed on 28 April 2013 by

good show

Reviewed on 28 April 2013 by

helen as the queen again!

I wanted to see Helen Mirren and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance

Reviewed on 26 April 2013 by

Dame Helen Mirren was wonderful!

Interesting, clever show. Theater was incredibly, uncomfortably hot though.

Reviewed on 23 April 2013 by

Brilliant in every aspect

Reviewed on 18 April 2013 by

Not to be missed

This was a play to remember. It was touching and funny and insightful all at once.There was no music as such but had to rate it.

Reviewed on 15 April 2013 by

Go see it...

...before they are pressured to change it to something more PC.

Reviewed on 14 April 2013 by

Fabulous Helen Mirren and friends

Loved this show...witty, and creative. Helpful to know British politics, but not required for enjoyment. A real treat to see Helen Mirren on stage.

Reviewed on 14 April 2013 by

The Audience is well worth being given an audience

This play would have to rate as one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen, which is a big call from a self-confessed theatre junkie. Helen Mirren's performance was spectacular ... the depth of meaning she can convey with just a tilt of the head or a slight smile is marvelous to behold. The play itself was humorous, engaging and insightful, bringing a true sense of the humanity which lies behind both the Throne and the Prime Ministership. A must-see play for every Briton, and for anyone who enjoys good theatre.

Reviewed on 11 April 2013 by

What an Audience

The Audience was beautifully acted with great humour and full of historical memories. Surely to be enjoyed by those that remember the times and those that don't

Reviewed on 10 April 2013 by

The Audience Excels

We loved the show from start to finish. There was so much content, but there were always clues along the way in case your memory had forgotten events, or perhaps you weren't yet born. We enjoyed the up to date jokes e.g. the Pope resigning. Highly recommend it and hope it runs for a longer time.

Reviewed on 08 April 2013 by

Mirren is brilliant AGAIN

Excellent acting from everyone and a perfect balance between humour and the serious role of being Queen.

Reviewed on 05 April 2013 by

Fantastic! Fantastic! Fantastic!

Helen Mirren and cast were absolutely spell binding with a story and characters that were larger than life. Never a lull or dull moment.

Reviewed on 04 April 2013 by

Peter Morgan Strikes Again

Fantastic - loved the show, delighted we were able to get tickets as it was truly a joy to watch. All the cast were supreme as was the staging. Helen Mirren was born to play the Queen - she brings wit and charm to the role - Peter's muse? Thank you all for a wonderful lingering show. x

Reviewed on 02 April 2013 by

terrific show

the acting and story were superb.

Reviewed on 28 March 2013 by

Could not be better..!

Reviewed on 28 March 2013 by

Personal and political

Fascinating look at the possible way the Queen has interacted with her Prime MInisters, good for anyone who has taken any interest in politics over the last 60 years. Well acted, amazing costume changes, a different and illuminating way of looking at people we all think we know.

Reviewed on 25 March 2013 by

Fantastic!

Reviewed on 24 March 2013 by

Mirren triumphs as Elizabeth yet again

Reviewed on 20 March 2013 by

The Queen and her Prime Ministers

Reviewed on 19 March 2013 by

The Audience

The Audience is both funny and moving. A stunning performance by all the cast. If you're not a monarchist when you go in, you will be when you leave.

Reviewed on 17 March 2013 by

Where was tony Blair? Otherwise, a brilliant performance

Reviewed on 16 March 2013 by

Great Night Out But Is It Drama?

You could hardly NOT enjoy an evening of quite superlative acting, staging and humour- especially if you have any interest at all in political gossip and the Quenn's personality. Highly recommended, though I doubt the content and tone of the dialogues are particularly accurate and as drama it lacks plot development, tension or surprise. Enjoy the sweries of tableaux but don't expect to have your view of the world chalenged

Reviewed on 15 March 2013 by

A Brilliant Production

Reviewed on 15 March 2013 by

From the Audience

From start to finish the pace was good and very slick scene changes especially costume changes. All the characters were easily recognized. We loved the show.

Reviewed on 14 March 2013 by

From the Audience

From start to finish the pace was good and very slick scene changes especially costume changes. All the characters were easily recognized. We loved the show.

Reviewed on 14 March 2013 by

The Audience- great!

Went with my husband and two children(in their twenties!). We all loved it- the acting was amazing and it was interesting, having humour which was unexpected. Brilliant!!

Reviewed on 11 March 2013 by

One-woman Audience

Mmmm - was a bit disappointed - I think the script laboured without the cleverness that I had hoped for.

Reviewed on 10 March 2013 by

helen mirren

helen mirren was brilliant- inspirational!!! clever costume changes. witty and poignant.

Reviewed on 10 March 2013 by

beyond excellent

Helen Mirren is outstanding and is admirably supported by all the cast

Reviewed on 08 March 2013 by

Best show I've seen in a while

When my husband pitched the idea of seeing the audience to me, I was skeptical, but I enjoy Hellen Mirren's work, so I though, 'why not'. But this show was simply marvelous. Great acting, amazing costuming and truly enjoyable.

Reviewed on 04 March 2013 by

Go See

Intelligent and witty drama

Reviewed on 04 March 2013 by

Fantastic!

If you can get a ticket, go. Fantastic acting, sharp wit, very entertaining.

Reviewed on 01 March 2013 by

best thing I've seen in five years

genuinely funny, surprisingly moving and very well acted, I would recommend this to anyone

Reviewed on 24 February 2013 by

I thought the show seemed under-rehearsed. With the potential of the subject matter I found the script lacking in the intellectual stimulus that I would have expected. I feel there was a certain cynical reliance on Helen Mirren's name. It was not an unenjoyalble experience but I suspect that those of us of my generation (70-plus) have sufficient knowledge of the politics of the period to be rather demanding!

Reviewed on 24 February 2013 by

sound wasnt good

my mother who is only 76 could not hear properly she has seen many shows and this is the only one she couldnt hear i bought her ticket for xmas and was really disapointed that the sound spoilt her night

Reviewed on 23 February 2013 by

London theatre at its best.

Reviewed on 22 February 2013 by

Star-studded in all ways

The private perspective,sriptwriting,poignancy,humour,all made for excellent theatre. acting,all made fot excellent

Reviewed on 17 February 2013 by