'The Audience' at the Gielgud Theatre

On the evening that Helen Mirren picks up another 'best actress' award at the Olivier Award ceremony I thought I'd tell you about seeing 'The Audience' a couple of weeks ago. Yes, Helen reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth II but this time night after night on the stage. She does it remarkably well.

The play is a sequence of vignettes into the regular meetings between the Queen and the Prime Minister of the day, we see the Queen have a chat with Winston Churchill, John Major, Harold Wilson and the current PM, David Cameron. Naturally, she also has a difficult meeting with Margaret Thatcher. I saw it just a few days before the funeral and it was good to see the script changed to reflect that when she's speaking with David Cameron.

Helen Mirren was superb as the Queen, moving at the drop of a hat between being in her 20s to her 80s and it's not just the costumes that changed (the set didn't), it's the voice and the posture as well as the padding.

Haydn Gwynne was excellent - and quite brave - as a hectoring Maggie Thatcher browbeating poor little Queenie over an article in The Sunday Times back in the 90s. Hers was a great performance but I'd single out Richard McCabe for special mention - who also won an Olivier Award tonight for best supporting actor - as Harold Wilson. He came on for three scenes, firstly as a burly new PM, then experienced and comfortable PM and finally as an exiting PM who tells the Queen he has alzheimers and needs to retire. He gives a really touching and enduring performance. Well done.

It's not playing for very long but if you have the chance I'd recommend you go and see it - it's not factually accurate history but it's a great performance and very entertaining.