That’s a tall order, but the playwright and the cast, under the astute direction of Stephen Daldry, make the relationships come very much alive with color and wit. We see Elizabeth as a clever, interesting person who can feel keenly about various situations and see through political smokescreens, as in an excellent scene with Michael Elwyn as Anthony Eden concerning British intervention in the mid-East over the Suez Canal. But the queen knows her place, in that she must always defer to the system in which a prime minister has the last word as an elected representative.

Mirren is remarkably convincing as she shifts into portraying the queen at different ages. She also reveals her personality and feelings conversing with her younger self, well played by Elizabeth Teeter in the performance I saw. (Sadie Sink alternates in the role). The device comes across as somewhat contrived. But it does help to flesh out the character beyond the ritual of the queen’s weekly conversations with the prime ministers that are the heart of the play.

There is considerable humor in these conversations, as when Rufus Wright as current Prime Minister David Cameron drones on and the queen falls asleep in her chair. There is also caricature in the flamboyant portrayal of egotistical Margaret Thatcher as played by Judith Ivey.

I especially enjoyed Richard McCabe in his warm portrayal of former Labour Party Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who is disturbed at the illness overtaking him and is depicted as someone for whom the queen has special affection as well as appreciation for what he stands for. We also meet Dylan Baker as the stuffy John Major, Rod McLachlan as Gordon Brown and Rufus Wright again, doubling as Tony Blair.

Of course, there is Winston Churchill. When he appears, the entrance is striking as we see the former British leader in a look-alike posture, with Dakin Matthews then quickly materializing with reality in the role and rendering Churchill in all his importance.

The assemblage passing through the play underscores the length of the queen’s reign, extending from 1952 (her coronation was in 1953) through the present, with much that has happened in the intervening years. The playwright has provided sharp bits of dialogue that may mean more in England than for an American audience, such as the queen’s twitting of Cameron for his needy alliance with the Liberal Party.

I especially enjoyed the performance by George Beavers as the Equerry, providing introductions to stages of the production. He is the epitome of British sophistication in his delivery.