King Charles III
On Broadway at the Music Box Theatre
What would happen if after a 70 year reign, she whom we thought was an immortal Queen of England suddenly died? Here we are about to get one version of the future in just such a scenario as imagined by the imaginative Playwright Mike Bartlett.
The opening is chilling with a dimly lit stage where one by one the royal cast lines up on the stage holding candles suggesting a funeral. There is ghostly music being chanted “requiem aeternam” and the lights come up and we learn the Queen is dead.
Charles (Tim Pigott-Smith) has waited literally a lifetime for the moment he would be King. Perhaps he has waited so long that now that the moment has come, he can quite get a grasp on how to do it. The family gathers, and we see the stereotypical playing out in the reserved and perfectly mannered William (Oliver Chris) and fashion forward Kate (Lydia Wilson). Harry (Richard Goulding) is ever the handful, and Camilla (Margot Leicester) is ….well Camilla. The coronation is three months away, but in the meantime, there is work to be done. Charles has his first Audience with Prime Minister Evans (Adam James) who runs down the events of the week, and introduces a bill to be passed that the King must sign. Charles begins to inject his opinion, which is not consistent with tradition. In his next act of defiance has invited the opposition Stevens (Anthony Calf) for his take on the Bill. After some back and forth the King refuses to sign and tries to rewrite it, sending the parliament into a frenzy to the point that they try to pass a law to stop the King from interfering with the State. The King storms in in full uniform and usurps his power to dissolve parliament. The first act is painfully slow moving and I seriously questioned how this won and Olivier but it’s all confirmed in the second so don’t you dare consider walking at intermission.
In the second act we learn that the people are revolting. The labor party wants the king removed for his radical behavior, and being at odds with parliament creating and unstable government. Charles is getting paranoid and appears to be going mad. Harry is running off with a commoner and wants to be released of his Princely duties. William is being supportive of the King against the will of Kate who shows that shes not just another pretty face when she uses her cunning to convince William that he must intervene with his fathers insanity. So at a press conference it is the more popular and beloved William, and not the king that takes the stage and announces he will act as a mediator between the king and the state. Behind closed does we see the betrayed king who now realizes he has done wrong, but cannot change his position as it would be a sign of weakness. William and Sir Michael (Tom Robertson) advise the only solution is for Charles to abdicate and crown William and Kate King and Queen. After much protest the King is defeated and signs the abdication. To finish there is a spectacular coronation scene where William and Kate adorned in Royal garb come up the aisles onto the stage and as the crowing is about to begin Charles staggers onto the stage and grabs the crown, and in an emotional finale, crowns his son.
While I thought the set lacked interest, and was a bit medieval for such a modern story the actors soon made me forget. This cast was near flawless here with some added opulence in performances of Tim Pigott-Smith, Oliver Chris, Richard Goulding and Lydia Wilson who were carrying the scepter just a bit higher than the rest.
The are many attempts at humor in this production but it came across as much more of a serious story, and one that will keep you thinking long after you leave the theatre because, what if the Queen does not live forever? I’d say that the funniest thing was the audience exiting the theatre to the tune of Royals by Lorde. A nice touch. In a theatre world where we see so much looking back, it’s really refreshing to see some forward thinking. Get of your throne and see history in the making.
For tickets and more information visit http://www.kingcharlesiiibroadway.com/ and you can check for available discounts here