Theatre review: The King's Speech

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John at The King's Speech performance at The Watermill Theatre, Newbury

John Russell from our volunteer review team shares his thoughts on a recent stage production of the smash-hit film.

The film The King's Speech, released in 2010, helped to lay bare to audiences of millions, King George VI's struggle with speaking — and his efforts to overcome these struggles — and resulted in stammering awareness rising to new, never-before-seen heights. I went to watch a new stage version of the script written by David Seidler at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury in October, just after International Stammering Awareness Day, one of several versions that I've seen over the years.

The first time we see George, aka Bertie (played by Peter Sandys-Clarke), he is being fitted for a new suit. Once this is completed everyone leaves the stage and a microphone is placed in the centre of it, on a stand. Bertie approaches the microphone in a similar way that someone approaching a beehive might. The background sound of a heart beating is heard, but getting faster on each step forward. Afterwards I thought, is Bertie being fitted to be a future King of England?

Bertie's less-than-successful speech at Wembley Stadium when opening the Empire Games in 1923 proves to be the catalyst for him seeking support for his speech, albeit reluctantly, from the unconventional Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. During one of their conversations, Bertie tells Logue that he was made to write with his right hand as child, even though he was naturally left-handed, something believed by many at the time to be the cause of their stammering. It was something I never cottoned onto when seeing previous productions of the play. 

Bertie shouts in risposte, "Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice!" Those words seem to hang in the air forever, during which time you could have heard a pin drop.

Another observation was that his brother David, who would become King Edward VIII, initially mimics his brother's speech: "Hello B-B-B-B-Bertie," but then seemed to adopt a more helpful and conciliatory tone when trying to convince his younger brother that he could become King. In the film it was the opposite.

What also pleased me was that the play addressed the issue of disability. Arthur Hughes, the actor who played Lionel Logue has radial dysplasia, which affects his right arm, and even from a distance it was very clear to see. I hope that the audience saw that having a disability doesn't impact someone's ability to act. Why would having a stammer be any different? Not that all people who stammer view themselves as disabled, of course.

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I felt that this particular Bertie didn't have the deep simmering feeling of resentment or bitterness towards his stammer that the film and other productions I've seen had. He appeared to talk about it in matter-of-fact terms only. The only time he became animated was when Logue's credentials as a therapist were questioned, and a belief that he could not/would not follow Logue's instructions. 

The scene in Westminster Abbey, which I'm sure is familiar to many, always gets me, when Logue sits in the chair reserved for the Monarch to the astonishment of Bertie. The two men argue as Logue continues to stay where he is, and when the therapist says, "Why should I waste my time listening?", Bertie shouts in risposte, "Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice!" Those words seem to hang in the air forever, during which time you could have heard a pin drop, before Logue replies with a smile, "You sure do!" Hairs-on the-back-of your-neck moment! We do have a voice. We all do. Voices which deserve to be heard — and listened to. I hope that was taken on board by the audience too. 

I congratulate the actors for staging an accurate representation of the play, and of stammering. The relationships between each of the characters came across well. The intervention of Logue may divide opinion on how he helped Bertie, but there is little doubt about the mutual respect and admiration that both men had for each other. Sadly the run has finished but I hope it tours again next year.

Thank you very much to John Russell for his review. If you would like to join the STAMMA volunteer review team, please email editor@stamma.org for details.