Helen Mirren in filmed play 'Audience' sets screen record MARK KENNEDY ASSOCIATED PRESS (DAYTONA BEACH NEWSJOURNAL)

NEW YORK — As a queen, Helen Mirren reigns on screen and stage.

National Theatre Live, which broadcasts stage shows from England to movie screens worldwide, said Monday that its June 13 live broadcast of Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in the play "The Audience" has captured its largest audience to date.

"We were expecting a big audience for it because there's been great buzz, but it's turned out even greater than expected," David Sabel, executive producer of NT Live, said in an interview from London. "It's very exciting."

Peter Morgan's play, performed at London's Gielgud Theatre, was seen by nearly 30,000 people in North America and nearly 80,000 people in the United Kingdom, a record for the four-year-old program which began with a screening of "Phedre" starring Mirren.

The response has prompted more encore screenings of the play. In North America, there are 700 screenings scheduled throughout the summer, with additional encores to be added. In the UK, nearly 800 screenings will take place.

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