British Actor David Payne, also famous for his CS Lewis one-man show, wrote a Churchill paly during the pandemic, and has been performing it in cities all over the USA since. This was the first I’d heard of it. So, I was delighted when a cohort of people from the Chicago chapter of the International Churchill Society wanted to get together and go as a group.

The play is being performed in the Broadway Playhouse, located at Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago (it used to be the Drury Lane Theatre, I believe). I’ve never been to this particular venue, so I was interested to check it out. I arrived early and was a bit disappointed to see that Water Tower Place was not what it used to be – half the stores appeared to be empty, most of the restaurants were gone, and it felt like a bit of a ghost town. Things were never the same after Macy’s (and previously Marshall Field’s) left.

The Chicago Churchillians met at the Harry Caray’s bar for quick drinks and nibbles before the show (food and drinks were lovely). Many of us were meeting for the first time, so that was fun to get to know everyone (waves hi to everyone if you’re reading this!).

The venue is a small intimate theatre, perfect for a one-man show. The stage was set with a chair and a few other items.

The plot is simple. Winston Churchill has just been awarded honorary US citizenship by President John F. Kennedy. In recognition of this unprecedented occasion, The American-Oxford Society has asked the former Prime Minister to address them and discuss what this honor means to him at Blenheim Palace. What follows is Churchill giving a talk to this audience, in which he shares some interesting anecdotes about his life and times. It’s very much an elder statesman reflecting on his life in the context of this award.

I must say, the play was very enjoyable. Payne has a commanding presence, and he portrays Churchill with perfection and vigor. He even managed to replicate Churchill’s speech impediment. The play was written by Payne himself, and the stories he told were a mix of well-worn tales of his youth and some stories I was not familiar with (and a few that perhaps are probably not true). As the ‘audience’ of his speech is Americans, the play itself is very much designed to appeal to Americans, and many of the anecdotes include American political and entertainment figures.

There is much to like here—even if you’re not that interested in Churchill as a person. There is a lot of interesting history that intersects with American history. He performed for about an hour, then there was a short intermission, and then he went on for almost another hour. When the play was over, he gave a quick talk about it and mentioned that he’s now 80 years old, so he doesn’t know how long he’ll keep doing these one-man shows.