Acclaimed play from the U.K. and Broadway returns to big screen at Mary D. Fisher Theatre
Sedona AZ (July 13, 2016) – The National Theatre of London returns to Sedona on Tuesday, July 26 when the Sedona International Film Festival hosts the big screen encore of the acclaimed British stage production “The Audience” — starring Academy Award, Golden Globe, Tony and Emmy-winner Helen Mirren. There will be two shows at 3 and 7 p.m. at the festival’s Mary D. Fisher Theatre.
Helen Mirren reprises her Academy Award-winning role as Queen Elizabeth II in the West End production of “The Audience”. These encore screenings of the original West End production of “The Audience” — captured live in London — feature an exclusive Q&A with Stephen Daldry and Helen Mirren.
The production played on Broadway where Mirren won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play and Richard McCabe won a Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role. “The Audience” was also nominated for a Tony for Best Costume Design.
For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace — a meeting like no other in British public life — it is private. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said. Not even to their spouses.
“The Audience” breaks this contract of silence – and imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen. From the old warrior Winston Churchill, to the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, 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.
From young mother to grandmother, these private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.
“The Audience” reunites writer Peter Morgan and Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren following their collaboration on the critically-acclaimed movie sensation “The Queen”. The play is directed by Academy Award-nominated director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours).
“The Audience” is garnering four- and five-star reviews from every major publication around the world. Critics and audiences are raving about the production and Helen Mirren’s performance as the Queen.
‘To the surprise of exactly no one, Helen Mirren is absolutely terrific.’ — New York Post
‘Funny and truthful, good-hearted, spiky, full of surprises. I loved every minute.’ — The Time
‘Helen Mirren rules in this engaging and humanizing retrospective.’ — Time Out New York
‘Royally entertaining.’ — Variety
“The Audience” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Tuesday, July 26 at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $12.50 for Film Festival members. Tickets are available in advance at the Sedona International Film Festival office or by calling 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.