Theatre Review: King Charles III

Without a doubt this was an intriguing play filled with a lot of "what if's" and 'what might be's". All (but one) of the actors were superb. While Tim Pigott-Smith (Charles) does not actually look or sound like Charles he got his mannerisms and angst down perfectly. Befuddled and easily distracted, unable to cry tears for his mother's passing, out of touch with his subjects. That is Charles, sadly, and that is certainly the reason for this play. The actors who played Harry, Willian and Kate  (Richard Goulding, Oliver Chris and Lydia Wilson) in particular were right on the money with their portrayals, not to mention that they looked like the royals they portrayed. There was never a dull moment. 3 hours went very fast. Beautifully staged and directed too. Very strong ending. On the negative: the actress who played "The Ghost" (i.e. Diana) was God-awful. She gave the absolute WORST impersonation of Diana ever. It was a terrible performance. I understand the concept of Diana's ghost as a metaphor for a dark cloud that will forever hang over Charles and William (they were the only two characters that could actually see the ghost) but it was a totally unnecessary character. And I did find the play a little bit too soap-opera like, especially when it poked fun at Camilla and her rivalry with Kate. That much did nothing to move the plot along. But you won't waste your money if you go see this play.

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