''The King's Speech'' is a 2012

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

written by David Seidler and based on the 2010

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning film of the same name. The play was staged at the

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

on London's West End and opened on 27 March 2012 and closed on 12 May 2012.

Production history

The story of how King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

overcame his fear of public speaking through the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue was first researched by David Seidler in the 1970s. He had originally conceived the piece as a stage play, and contacted Valentine Logue, Lionel's son, and was able to gather information about the story. Valentine Logue asked Seidler to contact the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...

and ask her for approval of the story being publicized. The Queen responded she did not want the story told until after she died. The Queen Mother died in 2002, and it wasn't until 2005 that Seidler began working on the story again. It was instead conceived as film. The film version of ''The King's Speech'', that starred Colin Firth as King George and

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy Award, a Primetime Em ...

as Lionel Logue, was a critical success and won several Oscars including

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

for Seidler. The success of the film encouraged producers to bring the story to the stage as originally intended. The play made its World Premiere in February 2012 at the

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre ...

. It then went on a short tour in the UK and then premiered at the Wyndham's Theatre on the West End. In 2015, the play was staged at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

. In 2016, the play was staged in Germany at the Neuss RLT Theatre.Neuss King's Speech
accessed 11/6/2016

Principal roles and original cast

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King's Speech, The 2012 plays English plays West End plays Plays based on real people Plays based on films Cultural depictions of George VI Cultural depictions of Winston Churchill