NORTH AMERICAN
PREMIERE
The King's Speech
September 12
October 20, 2019
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
by David Seidler
directed by Michael Wilson
September 12
October 20, 2019
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
by David Seidler
directed by Michael Wilson
Harry Hadden-Paton offers a very lovely performance—vulnerable, likable and eminently believable.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Highly Recommended… This cast is dynamite!
AROUND THE TOWN
In this remarkable true story from Oscar Award-winning writer David Seidler, Great Britain’s reluctant monarch finds a surprising ally in an unexpected place. A generation before the royal family we know today, Queen Elizabeth’s father George VI would ascend the throne, a most unlikely king thrust into the spotlight after his brother David gives up the crown to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Struggling with a chronic stammer, Bertie (as his family knew him) must speak to his nation as it stands on the brink of World War II. Enter an unconventional speech therapist named Lionel Logue, whose methods are anything but common. With Logue’s help Bertie finds his voice, and forever changes the course of history. Portraying these two extraordinary men are Harry Hadden-Paton (Broadway’s My Fair Lady, Downton Abbey, The Crown) and James Frain (The Tudors, True Blood, The White Queen), who lead a stellar cast that brings Seidler’s drama to life on stage—as he first imagined it—in this not-to-be missed North American Premiere.
Video: “It’s so relatable”
Gallery: The King's Speech
Video: Preview the North American Premiere
"Full of heart and honesty, it has a little something for everyone…carries this historical tale immediately into today," says Picture This Post.
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A brief introduction to the story of The King’s Speech, including the historical origins, royal family ties, and the influence of new media.
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Michael Wilson shares his insight into this remarkable true story, and the unique point in history during which it is set.
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Creative Team
David Seidler Playwright
Michael Wilson Director
Kevin Depinet Scenic Designer
David C. Woolard Costume Designer
Howell Binkley Lighting Designer
Hana Kim Projection Designer
John Gromada Original Music & Sound Designer
Richard Jarvie Wig & Make-up Designer
Jane Lanier Choreographer
Kate DeVore Dialect Coach
Christopher Baker Dramaturg
Hannah Wolff Associate Director
Bob Mason Casting
Billy Hopkins & Ashley Ingram New York Casting
Jinni Pike Production Stage Manager
Amanda Landis Assistant Stage Manager
Cast
Harry Hadden-Paton Bertie (Prince Albert, Duke of York)
James Frain Lionel Logue
Jeff Diebold Royal Herald / Royal Footman
Kevin Gudahl Winston Churchill
John Judd George V
Elizabeth Ledo Myrtle Logue
David Lively Stanley Baldwin
Alan Mandell Cosmo Lang
Tim Monsion BBC News Reader / Royal Footman
Rebecca Night Elizabeth (Duchess of York)
Jeff Parker David (Prince of Wales)
Tiffany Scott Wallis Simpson
Chad Patterson Royal Footman
Trevor Strahan Royal Footman
Harry Belden Understudy
Tony Dobrowolski Understudy
Michelle Jasso Understudy