Kristin Scott Thomas to play UK queen onstage

LONDON -- Kristin Scott Thomas is about to don Helen Mirren's tiara.

Kristin Scott Thomas is about to don Helen Mirren's tiara.

Producers announced Friday that Scott Thomas will star as Queen Elizabeth II in a new West End production of "The Audience."

Mirren won an Olivier Award for the original 2013 production of Peter Morgan's play, which explores the monarch's relationships with the dozen prime ministers who have served during her six-decade reign. The Mirren production, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry, is due to open on Broadway in February.

Daldry will also direct the new London production, which begins previews April 21 at the Apollo Theatre.

Scott Thomas, whose films include "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Only God Forgives," is currently starring in Sophocles' "Electra" at London's Old Vic Theatre.