• Springwood

6/27/26 (Sat), London

An historical drama by Richard Nelson reimagining the visit of newly crowned King George IV and his wife to FDR’s home in upstate New York in 1938. That, the first US visit ever by a British monarch, was intended as an extension of the king’s coronation tour to Canada, but as war loomed in Europe, he was tasked with winning FDR’s sympathy for England’s cause – a delicate task he was neither mentally nor diplomatically prepared for.

This was more a character study than a strong narrative but very enjoyable. The dialogue and characters were both natural rather than clever, which was refreshing. It contrasts the king’s nervousness and self-consciousness (especially over his stutter) with FDR’s laid-back attitude, especially when the king accidentally walks in on FDR and his mistress – the king is horrified, while the president essentially brushes it off. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is convinced that the Americans are trying to humiliate them, seeing the hot dog picnic as a way of making fools of them, while Eleanor feels conversely that the royals are looking down on them. Their tensions and suspicions gradually lessen. Each side learns unexpected things about the other, such as the king’s stutter and the president’s polio. (I thought it was funny that the previous George was the one who provoked American independence in 1776, while this one is begging for help to maintain the UK’s survival as a state. But that wasn’t a subject here.)

The show suggests that while the king did not succeed in getting an absolute guarantee of support, the president is on their side. The president notes the considerable forces for neutrality after the US experience in the Great War (“You already owe us a fortune from the last war”), but reminds the king, “You’re in my house, aren’t you?” Nelson has a way of not saying things that works beautifully here. In the end, we hear the king speaking to the crowd from offstage in what appears a triumphant visit.

The performances were expert all around, especially veteran Robert Lindsay as FDR and Andrew Havill (who resembles the current king) as George IV. The stage was surrounded on three sides, which at least is one side better than in the round, but Nelson, directing his own work, kept things simple and smooth. With the unusually large number of scene changes, that mainly involved the swift arrangement and rearrangement of chairs and tables, along with the occasional bed and wall panels.

A low-key show but informative and entertaining. Maybe only Nelson could get away with making hot dogs a symbol of the “special relationship”. I enjoy this type of theater.