There was a time, not that long ago, when the Lord Chamberlain, who was in charge of the censorship of the stage, ruled no British sovereign could be portrayed on the stage until 100 years after his or her accession. How things have changed since stage censorship ended in 1968. In Mike Bartlett’s play the Queen has just died. The action is set in the days leading up to the coronation of Charles, who has no desire to be “a pretty plastic picture with no meaning.” The Labour government wants him to sign an act of parliament which restricts the freedom of the press. He refuses to do so.
The clever thing and what gives Bartlett’ s play its wit, its authority and its historical clout is that it is written in blank verse. Essential serious, emotionally and intellectually satisfying, King Charles III raises serious issues about the role of monarchy in the 21st century. It is the best and wittiest play about a constitutional crisis since Bernard Shaw’s The Applecart. Tim Piggott-Smith is very impressive as a heroic Charles becoming more and more tragic as the play goes on. Rupert Goold’s hugely entertaining production is recommended in the strongest terms.