Haydn Gwynne, Robert Hardy and Paul Ritter Join Helen Mirren in THE AUDIENCE at Gielgud Theatre, Spring 2013

According to the Daily Mail, Haydn Gwynne has been cast as Margaret Thatcher opposite Helen Mirren as the Queen in Peter Morgan's play The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre. Preview performances begin Feb. 15, with the show's opening slated for March 5, and the run ending June 15, 2013.

"It's both a tempestuous and a surprising relationship," producer Matthew Byam Shaw told the Mail's Baz Bamigboye about the women's characters. "There was surprising empathy between them.

Read the original report here.

Joining Mirren and Gwynne will be Robert Hardy as Winston Churchill and Paul Ritter as John Major. This means Ritter will no longer join The National Theatre's The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the Apollo in March. Casting for the roles of Anthony Eden, David Cameron and Gordon Brown have yet to be finalized.

Mirren won an Academy Award for her portrayal in the 2006 film The Queen, written by Peter Morgan. The Audience is also written by Morgan and will be directed by Stephen Daldry, with designer Bob Crowley. Byam Shaw, Robert Fox and Andy Harries produce.

Gwynne appeared alongside Mirren in the West End's Billy Elliot, as well as in the same show on Broadway. Her portrayal earned her a Tony nomination in 2009. She has also taken the stage in the 1993 West End production of City of Angels, as well as Ziegfeld and many productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company.