Review by Paul Towers, 25/3/25
Handbagged by Moira Buffini
Directed by Alex Thorpe
Produced by Queens Theatre & National Theatre
At Curve til Saturday 29th March
2025
Handbagged is the imagined story of the
meetings between Magaret Thatcher during her Prime Ministership and Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II. Traditionally these meetings are completely confidential
and are never recorded. So Moira Buffini has mischievously imagined how they
went. The result is an hilarious interaction between the two most powerful and
influential women of the time.
Cleverly each of the women is played by two
actresses, one the younger woman and the other the older and wiser one. This
allows for internal dialogue. The Queens are played by Sarah Moyle and Helen
Reuben while the Maggies are played by Morag Cross and Emma Ernest. Additionally
there are two male actors (Cassius Konneh and Dennis Herdman) who play a myriad
of characters, and not always male! There are also two ensemble actors, Tiajna
Amayo & Jane Quinn, performing various roles.
The set is a simple dais above which is a
large gold coin with a queen’s head embossed on it.
So, the stage is set for the historic confrontations
over 11 years and much national and international turmoil. While there is much
to bemoan in that era writer Buffini has found lots of laughs as well. All of
the characters break the fourth wall constantly, which makes for much hilarity.
How close to the truth this production comes,
we will never know, but I like to think that much of the gist of the various
characters is fairly accurate. It is known that Thatcher was unsure how to
interact with the Queen as she was used to Handbagging her male colleagues (hence
the title). Whereas HM, with decades of experience, probably just treated
Maggie the way she would treat any of her ministers.
With lots of laughs Handbagging is at Curve
until Saturday 29th March before it continues touring
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