David Seidler’s The King's Speech is more widely known as an Academy Award winning film than as a seven-hander play, but the current production at The Watermill proves that the story sits just as well on the stage as it does the screen.

King George VI was crowned on the eve of World War Two, not just a turbulent time in world history, but a particularly testing period for ‘Bertie’ as he was known to his family. His father having recently passed, and his brother due to inherit the throne, Bertie is pushed into more public speaking roles, publicly revealing the speech impediment which he has struggled with since he was four years old.

Peter Sandys-Clarke delivers an exceptional performance as Bertie, never overplaying the stammer, and expertly portraying the stress and frustration felt by a man who has no control over his own voice. Enlisting the help of self-styled speech therapist Lionel Logue (Arthur Hughes), Bertie undertakes a series of often bizarre exercises and techniques in order to master his stutter. Hughes’ characterisation of Logue is every bit as accomplished as Sandys-Clarke’s and the chemistry between the two is compelling, although sometimes does teeter on the edge of melodrama.

Jim Kitson brings humour to the stage as both King George V and Winston Churchill, and many of the script’s best lines are delivered by Kitson. He has fantastic presence as both characters, and often appears on stage as an antidote to the infuriatingly smug and pious Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Lang (Christopher Naylor). The cast is completed by Rosa Hesmondhalgh as Myrtle Logue and Wallis Simpson, and Stephen Rahman-Hughes as David and Stanley Baldwin. Aamira Challenger plays Bertie’s wife Elizabeth, but unfortunately the character feels a little two dimensional for a woman who is known to the world to be a fantastically loyal, supportive wife and mother, and a driving force in helping Bertie overcome his personal tribulations.

Bretta Gerecke’s set, comprised of artfully placed wooden blocks is a little abstract, but creates a blank canvas to portray a variety of locations and looks beautiful under Ryan Day’s lighting design. As sound designer, Robin Colyer has incorporated actual audio of Hitler’s speeches, which highlights the chilling reality of the political landscape against which the story is unfolding. Clever use of prop record players and gramophones are in keeping with the period and reinforce the central theme of broadcasting and public speaking.

With some exceptionally strong performances, a tried and tested script and some beautifully directed moments, The King’s Speech is a well rounded piece of theatre with a powerful message about the importance of self-belief.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Sarah Brown

The King’s Speech plays at the Watermill Theatre until 2 November, with further info here.