Sunday, March 8, 2015

All Hail the Queen!



I have seen a few good plays on Broadway in my time, though I must admit that this one was special.



It was supposed to be sold out, but we sent our daughter to the box office whilst we sipped tea with our blog pals.  When we returned, we discovered she had scored the last three seats in the house, in the 3rd and 5th row, and at the student rate of $40 USD a ticket.  Really. 

I was, as they say around here, within spitting distance of Dame Mirren, and she did not disappoint.

The productions was mesmerizing (and yes, Fred, they give you a lovely cheat sheet about each Prime Minister when you go in!) and the acting, sublime. 

And any play with corgis in the cast is the play for me!

There were moments throughout the play of complete and utter gooseflesh.  She delivers warmth, humour, imperiousness, kindness, and joy, and she takes us along with her.

It is no wonder this play swept the awards in London - I suspect it will do the same come Tony time. 

If there was one place in the play that lagged somewhat, it was, ironically enough, the audience with Margaret Thatcher, which went on a bit too long.




My only picture from the show is from the intermission, when two guards stand on stage:





Also during intermission, I rubbed elbows with Martha Plimpton.  I didn't recognize her, though my daughter did, which is likely because the last time I saw Martha in a movie was this:




And now she looks more like this:



She was with her mother and they were both striking looking, though of course I could not think why until my daughter told me.

I have a similar story about me and Stacy London this trip.  But that is for another day....

But back to Dame Mirren.  This play was a gem and there is a reason she wows everyone.  She was a joy to behold and the play was amazing.  If you can snag tickets, by all means do so.  This is a performance for the ages.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo Wendy

23 comments:

  1. Well that worked out for the best, didn't it?! So glad you got to go and such great seats...hope no spit. When I have seen/met "stars" they are always sooooo tiny, height and weight. I'm afraid Tom Cruise may only come up to my knees.

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    1. Funny though - the actors - not Helen - were spitting up a storm on stage...

      Al Roker is my height! And my height is tiny....

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  2. Sounds lovely. Every time I've met a hollywood type, I feel like a giant and I'm not particularly tall. I remember that photo of Ms Helen in her bikini a few years ago and have had ridiculous respect for her ever since. Great acting chops and va va voom! Glad the trip was such a success.

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  3. Amazing - please allow us to borrow daughter for a few days in the spring to buy tickets.

    I've been dying to see this, but was worried that large gaps in knowledge of party factions, prime ministers and political debts, etc., would make large chunks of the play incomprehensible - glad to hear about the "cheat sheet."

    We live around the corner from an apartment building where Tony Blair (ahem) has been known to have spent a lot of time (ahem, ahem) but my friends who live in that building say there's nothing colorful to report, aside of course from the fact of his presence.

    Helen Mirren is wonderful.

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    1. Fred - when they handed us the playbill, there was a lovely cardboard bill stuck inside describing them all - we thought of you immediately! Oh Tony.... He doesn't get a lot of love in the play either...

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    2. There has to be something in the fact that start of Tony's run of audiences is inextricably connected with Diana's death and the whole prior "Annus horribilis" period for EIIR? I don't fancy The Queen would bond with anyone who tried to manipulate her or chat up the press.

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  4. That is a play and performer I'd love to see!

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  5. We also line up early to score discounted good seats. The downside is that you do get showered by spit and sweat. Hope we can see this. Glad to know the trip went well even if the weather did not cooperate. Your visit was too short, next time include a weekend.

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    1. I will have to add on, as I had two work meetings afterwards so did very little sightseeing or shopping!

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  6. That was such great luck to nab the last seats to the play. I will have to see if there are still tickets available since it seems as if it is a performance not to be missed. Not all actors are tiny though. Once I looked over and I was walking beside Pierce Brosnan on Fifth Ave. Tall and very very good looking, just like your Barry!

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  7. Wow - how lucky were you!! The best thing about Broadway and the West End are the calibre of Actors you can see in plays. Dame Judi Dench is another I've always wanted to see in theatre. The play sounds amazing! Sounds like such a fun trip Wendy, and a much needed break from all the snow x

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    1. Heidi, can attest Dame Judi is also worth queuing up to see live. This was in Saturday's paper, made me smile:
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11456109/Judi-Dench-Theres-nothing-good-about-being-80-bugger-the-wealth-of-knowledge.html

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  8. Hello Wendy,

    Helen Mirren can almost do no wrong in our eyes, so we can well imagine how wonderfully she played this role. She is a most talented actress and, over the years, has brought so many very different characters to life.

    We have not seen this production but should love to. She was brilliant in the film but, for choice, we would always plump for a live performance. So, we are certain that the evening must have been sensational.

    One of the things we miss in Budapest is live theatre. there are many performances and many theatres but the language is impenetrable. So, we are confined to seeing plays which are well known to us so that at least we can follow the action!

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    1. I hear you Lance and Jane! Good luck with the decampment!

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  9. WMM, this was on NPR yesterday, perfect timing with your post. You can catch the actual broadcast on their site. http://www.npr.org/2015/03/03/390465649/helen-mirren-extends-her-elizabethan-reign-in-the-audience

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  10. I have loved her since the PBS series Prime Suspect in which she played the brilliant Jane Tennison, crackerjack detective. ( Remember that withering line--"You don't wear moisturizer, do you?"). How lucky you are to have seen her in person! What a score for DD!

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  11. I am dying to read the Stacey London story. I adore her! Glad you had a good time in NYC.

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Kindness is a virtue...