The King’s Speech a winner at Newbury’s Watermill

The King’s Speech
at The Watermill, Bagnor
until November

Review by ROBIN STRAPP

THE Watermill’s revival of David Seidler’s play The King’s Speech is totally engaging.

It’s set in the 1930s when the country is on the brink of war with Germany and in political chaos.

Bretta Gerecke’s gorgeous design perfectly reflects the period, with dark wooden planks that fill the stage – every inch of the Watermill’s stage is used creatively.

The monarchy is in disarray. King George V has died, conveniently at a time for an announcement to appear in the morning edition of the Times.

Jim Kitson portrays the pompous king and also gives a commanding performance as Winston Churchill.

The King’s heir, Edward VIII (Stephen Rahman-Hughes) totally captures the playboy style of David as the family call him.

He causes a constitutional crises when he announces that he’s going to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson (Rosa Hesmondalgh) and is forced to abdicate.

Consequently, the throne passes to his younger brother, Prince Albert.

Peter Sandys-Clarke gives an impeccable performance as ‘Bertie’, who has suffered from a stammer since a boy and is horrified at the thought of giving public speeches, especially since they are now broadcast through the recent invention of radio.

As a last resort, Aamira Challenger as his wife Elizabeth (later to be The Queen Mother) seeks help from Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, outstandingly played by Arthur Hughes, to help Bertie overcome his impediment.

The nub of the play is the extraordinary developing relationship between these two men of very different classes – the chemistry between them is electric.

Lionel’s unconventional approach in convincing Bertie that he “has a voice that needs to be heard” painstakingly unfolds.

The therapist had wanted to be an actor on the new medium of radio, but had little success in achieving this. The Archbishop of Canterbury Cosmo Lang (Christopher Naylor) discovers that Lionel has no academic qualifications and accuses him of being a fraud.

However, Bertie dismisses this claim and continues with his huge personal challenge that will lead towards delivering his 1939 address to the nation on the outbreak of the Second World War, broadcast live on BBC radio.

Emma Butler’s impressive direction is pin-sharp and is complemented by Robin Colyer’s powerful sound design and Ryan Day’s emotive lighting.

This is a moving and astute production – simply unmissable.