King Charles III - Wyndham's Theatre

King Charles III  promotional material

Vivat Rex. This 2014 play by Mike Bartlett depicts the lives of key members of the British royal family in the period between the death of the present Queen up to and including the coronation of the next monarch. Charles takes over after the Queen's death, but is soon faced with a dilemma - should he sign into law a bill restricting the freedom of the press, even though he disagrees with it? Debate ensues between the King and politicians as to the limits of royal power, and what the consequences will be for the monarchy if he adheres to his principles. The play was written in blank verse, which gave it a poetic, Shakespearean quality. 

I enjoyed the actors' portrayals of the royals. Their voices and mannerisms were done extremely well and the costumes were recognisable. Tim Pigott-Smith was sympathetic as a principled and naive Charles III. 

Apart from the face, Kate (Lydia Wilson) looked exactly as she does in real life - glossy chestnut hair slightly waved at the ends, severe black dress showing off her very slim figure, stiletto heels...Her voice was perfect, too. 

Harry (Richard Goulding) was convincing, with characteristically rumpled hair and a desire to spend most of his time away from the palace. He forms a relationship with a stereotypical art student, Jessica. My favourite usage of blank verse in the play occurred when Jessica described her past indiscretion of sexting a boyfriend to a member of palace personnel, in the hope that he would stop the papers from hounding her. She described it as 'sending a token of my love' or something.

At the beginning of the play, William (Oliver Chris) and Kate came across as benign, benevolent and slightly condescending. But as the play progressed it became clear that Kate was more invested in the future of the monarchy than one might suspect and that she was playing the long game. Hilary Mantel was correct when she described the way in which Kate is depicted in the media: 'In those days she was a shop-window mannequin, with no personality of her own, entirely defined by what she wore. These days she is a mother-to-be, and draped in another set of threadbare attributions. Once she gets over being sick, the press will find that she is radiant. They will find that this young woman’s life until now was nothing, her only point and purpose being to give birth.' 

It was refreshing to see Kate depicted as a cunning strategist. I like the idea of her being like that in real life. She was a more interesting character than William, who was more conventional in his approach to the situation. Towards the end of the play the actions of the dapper duo - masterminded by Kate - took a turn for the sinister. I felt a little chill down my spine when Harry informed Jessica that he must break up with her...having been ordered to do so by William and Kate!

Set: concave brick wall with doorways through which people (including the ghost of Diana) entered and exited, a frieze near the top of the wall showing indistinguishable faces, a rectangular plum tiered stage not covering the stage proper, which had parquet flooring...Candles. Good set, helped evoke atmosphere.

Music: chorus at outset, reminiscent of Philip Glass. Also helped evoke atmosphere. 

I enjoyed this, but didn't love it. I was amused by the funny parts but not deeply affected by the more serious elements. 3.5 stars out of 5.

Next: Sunny Afternoon