Kristin Scott Thomas to play the Queen in The Audience

A new production of the critically-acclaimed play is coming to the West End

Kristin Scott Thomas attends the Olivier Awards at the Royal Opera House (Getty)

Kristin Scott Thomas has been confirmed to star as the Queen in a revival of Peter Morgan's hit play, The Audience.

The Oscar-nominated actress, 54, will tackle the role of our current monarch at London's Apollo Theatre next year.

Stephen Daldry, the man behind recent West End sell-out Skylight; Billy Elliot the Musical; and award-winning films Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, is directing the new production.

Tickets go on sale today ahead of the first night on 21 April 2015, priced from £22.50. Further casting is yet to be announced.

"For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace," the official synopsis reads.

"Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said, not even to their spouses. The Audience imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen.

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth I in Peter Morgan's The Audience (AP)

"From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister uses these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional – sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive.

"In turn, the Queen can't help but reveal her own self as she advises, consoles and, on occasion, teases. These private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age, from the beginning of Elizabeth II's reign to today.

"Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister."

It is believed that Morgan will be re-writing The Audience to include Tony Blair, who did not appear in the original. The team will also be watching the general election in case an extra scene needs to be added to reflect the outcome.

The Audience had its world premiere at the Gielgud Theatre in February 2013 with Helen Mirren in the lead.

The 69-year-old actress won an Oscar for the same role in Stephen Frears' 2006 film, The Queen, based on Morgan’s screenplay. She will reprise the famous part on Broadway next February.

Scott Thomas, meanwhile, can be seen on stage at the Old Vic in Electra, having previously starred in The Seagull, Betrayal, Old Times, As You Desire Me and Three Sisters.