The King's Speech may have won a significant clutch of Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs when it opened in cinemas, but neither its vaunted reputation nor a collection of respecful notices have protected David Seidler's stage version from economic reality and, it would appear, a lack of public enthusiasm. It has been announced that the play which opened in Guildford on 10 February and moved to Wyndham's Theatre in the West End on 27 March is to close on 12 May. The producers issued the following statement.

“Two years ago, originating producer Michael Alden was ready to put the play on and the film came along and blocked its path. At the start of this year, we believed that enough time had passed between the film and our opening. This clearly was not the case. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished. It is a production of genuine quality that has been critically and publicly acclaimed across the board."

• David Seidler on writing the play
• The King's Speech theatre review
• The King's Speech film review