Imagine yourself as a child terrified of your own parents, because every time you speak you disappoint them. Teased. Unable to share a joke with friends. Trapped in a body that refuses to obey your commands.
Imagine being faced with the biggest moment of your life, and you cannot find your voice. The weight of the nation sits on your shoulders as you assume a role bound by duty and your family is in crisis. Your only hope lies in someone from the opposite side of the world, in geography, stature and convention.
This new production of David Seidler’s play The King’s Speech takes an intimate view of one of life’s most unorthodox relationships between Bertie, the soon-to-be-crowned King George VI, and speech therapist Lionel Logue. As Hitler’s threat on Europe encroaches, Bertie fights his own battle to overcome his speech impediment at the time his country needs him most.
Directed by Emma Butler
Design by Bretta Gerecke
Lighting Design by Ryan Day
Sound Design and Composition by Robin Coyler
Cast Includes Peter Sandys-Clarke, Arthur Hughes, Aamira Challenger, Rosa Hesmondhalgh, Christopher Naylor, Stephen Rahman Hughes, Jim Kitson