The Queen of England (A Staged Reading)

I got last minute tickets to the show and was blown away at the ability of the writer and actors to make me forget that it wasn’t a full show and only a staged reading. I laughed so hard that my husband thought I was going to snort-laugh. The humor had a way of sneaking in, quick references to something previously said that were woven into the story flawlessly.

The writer is young, and if this is just a glimpse of what she can do, I’m all in for the future. The actors were perfect for their roles and did an amazing job with just 4 chairs in a dark room. I would be first in line for a full stage show of this.

The Queen of England is a staged reading that fully maximizes the format. The acting is excellent. The convention used for the stage directions is funny and clever. As I told the cast after the show, I could visualize the fully realized, stage version of the story based on the reading. The staged reading is only one small step down from a fully staged version of the play.

There were a few moments of selfishness on the part of the protagonist, but I was fully engaged in the story, and, while I will not give anything away, the story weaves its way to a very satisfactory conclusion. I will write that by the end of the story is not "wrapped up in a bow", because that would not serve these characters, but where the audience leaves the characters by the end of the play works well.

This is not an ageist statement: the author of this play is a younger adult and the play is very much a product of today. During the performance I saw, the audience was composed of people of all ages, and the audience responded because, while not at all pandering, there really is something here for audience members of all ages. The cast mentioned that there is a fully staged version in the works, and I would really like to see that. However, I thoroughly enjoyed The Queen of England as a staged reading. Congratulations to all involved.