BWW Exclusive: Diary of an Englishman in New York- Tearful British Actors Witness British General Election

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren returns to Broadway as Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's The Audience, which just opened at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Playing one of Her Majesty's twelve Prime Ministers is Rufus Wright, who takes his audience with the Queen nightly as the UK's current PM, David Cameron.

Follow along as Wright takes us behind the scenes of The Audience's Broadway journey with 'Diary of an Englishman in New York'. Be sure to check back later this week for his latest installment!

Follow Rufus on Twitter (@rufusgwright) for even more updates!

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15th May 2015
Tearful British actors witness British General Election

The four British actors in the Broadway production of The Audience were stepping on stage as the first results were declared in the British General Election last Thursday.

I play Tony Blair (Labour/ Democrat) in Act 1 and current Prime Minister David Cameron (Conservative - or Tory/Republican) in Act 2. A feat of breathtaking versatility, achieved solely with the use of a wig, blocks behind my ears, clip on teeth, lifts in my shoes and body padding.

NY audiences seem to know who Blair is and are surprised at the fairly negative way he's portrayed in the show. 'You guys really don't like him much, do you?'

Cameron raises the odd flicker of recognition. But then he's not the most memorable of politicians . The writer Caitlin Moran described him as 'C3P0 made of processed ham' and he has a face most would rather forget.

But last Thursday was the day, once every 5 years (rather than your 4), when Brits go to the polls to elect their leader.

There aren't many actors who are committed Conservatives. The theatre community and the Tory Party have an uneasy relationship: we put on plays mocking right wing politicians and their beliefs, they slash arts funding. We put on angrier plays in smaller venues with shabbier costumes, those plays transfer to bigger venues, play to thousands and make millions, the politicians take the credit for our thriving theatre community and use it as proof we don't need the funding.

It's odd playing a character whose personality and politics so oppose your own. Of course the actor's job is never to have an attitude towards the character they're playing. You work out what your character wants, and set out to get it, as truthfully as you can. Personally, I think Cameron is insufferably smug. But you can't play 'smugness'. You can only play 'I'm right and I know it.' I think he's sneery, but can only play 'These fools don't understand my brilliance.'

The four of us repaired to my apartment in Brooklyn to watch the results come in. Election results tend to come in from midnight-4am GMT with a definite result emerging around 5am- fortunately 7pm-1am for us.

Predicted results of a coalition between the Conservatives and one or more parties proved unfounded. The Scottish National party swept Labour out of Scotland and the Conservatives routed them across England. C3P0 won the election fair and square. Still. At least it means I still get to appear in the show. There was a good chance I'd have been let go if the result had gone the other way. I'll explain next week...

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Previous Entry
28th April 2015
Trendy New Yorkers Starting To Emulate 18th Century Brits?

While grocery shopping recently I came across this: a small butter sculpture of a lamb. As a sculpture, if I'm honest, I don't think it's going to stand the test of time. Even in mild weather it won't last long on a plinth.

I'm joking of course, I know people won't be queuing to see it. But I have heard a little about this passion for sculpting using butter and am curious about the cultural value placed on a fairly dull foodstuff made to resemble a farm animal. It reminded me of the elegant decadence of Regency England.

'My Lord Byron, come quickly! For Sheridan has the most exquisite fripperies on his luncheon table: Lark's tongues in aspic, a pig's head wearing a periwig, and a pat of butter sculpted lovingly into the image of a common Dorsetshire sheep! Coleridge says you can see inside its ears!'

Us Brits took one hell of a beating in 1776, but it looks increasingly like those Regency fops were on to something. Expect the next Williamsburg dinner party you go to to have wine served in pewter goblets and the champagne opened with a sword looted from The Battle of Trafalgar. You see, it all starts with little butter sculptures. And then you all start wearing wigs and think that red coats make good camouflage and we all know how that ends.

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Rufus trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He created the part of David Cameron in the West End production of The Audience and previously worked with Peter Morgan on the original Donmar Warehouse production of Frost/Nixon and in the filmThe Special Relationship. Other theatre credits include: The 39 Steps (Criterion), The One, The Backroom (Soho Theatre) The Empire (Royal Court), Serious Money, The Madness of George III (Birmingham Rep), Private Lives (Hampstead), Crown Matrimonial (Guildford and Tour), Mary Stuart (Donmar Warehouse and Apollo), Journey's End (Duke of York's), Trust Byron, Life With an Idiot and Franziska (The Gate), Single Spies (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Secret Garden (Salisbury Playhouse), and Richard II (London Pleasance)

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos