Dragon Review: Handbagged – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Published on: 8 May, 2025
Updated on: 8 May, 2025

From left: Cassius Konneh, Emma Ernest, Dennis Herdman and Morag Cross. Photo Manuel Harlan

By Ferenc Hepp

Handbagged by Moira Buffini takes us back to a very interesting and often turbulent time of 1980s Britain, by exploring the relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II, along with other influential characters of the time.

It originated as a one-act play in 2010, before the extended version premiered in 2013 at London’s Tricycle Theatre.

You would be hard-pressed to find two stronger women in modern British history, and this play doesn’t shy away from the complexities, tensions, and occasional absurdities of their relationship.

With a sharp script and engaging direction by Alex Thorpe, this play delivers a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking evening of theatre. The incidental music, arranged by Kate Marlais and co-produced by Owen Crouch adds another dimension, which is unusual, but works well.

The old and young Queen and the young and old Mrs Thatcher. From left, Sarah Moyle, Helen Reuben, Morag Cross, Emma Ernest. Photo Manuel Harlan

A special mention has to go to Danièle Lydon as the accent coach; all characters were voiced in an exemplary way.

One of the production’s most striking aspects is its clever use of dual casting. Both the Queen and Thatcher are portrayed in younger and older incarnations, allowing for a unique narrative where each version can comment on the other’s actions, thoughts, or decisions.

Sarah Moyle as Q (the older Queen) even has an uncanny resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II. Helen Reuben as the younger Queen (Liz) matches her in spirit and voice, if not quite in looks, creating a seamless continuity between the two versions of the monarch.

It is obvious that these actors all worked very hard to achieve these realistic, brilliant and humorous characterisations.

From left, Cassius Konneh, Morag Cross, and Dennis Herdman. Photo Manuel Harlan

Cassius Konneh and Dennis Herdman complete the main cast with tremendous energy and versatility, portraying an array of supporting characters including Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Denis Thatcher, Geoffrey Howe and Michael Heseltine.

Herdman’s turns as Howe and Heseltine are comic highlights, capturing their quirks with subtle but pitch-perfect timing.

The play is unafraid to tackle heavy themes. The topics include apartheid, racism, homophobia, the Falklands conflict, corrupt journalism, the Brighton hotel bombing during the Conservative Conference, the poll tax riots and the miners’ strike among others.

These bring back memories to the majority of us in the audience, whereas it’s more of a history lesson to some of the younger members.

The characters often break the fourth wall, debating the merits of an interval or divvying up roles for Act Two, which adds to the show’s charm and cleverness.

From left, Emma Ernest, Sarah Moyle, Dennis Herdman, Morag Cross, Helen Reuben. Photo Manuel Harlan

Katie Lias’s set design is simple but imaginative. A small, round playing area resembling an oversized 50p coin sits under a giant silhouette of the Queen’s head, suggesting currency, monarchy, and national identity all at once.

Ultimately, Handbagged deserves the producers’ description as a clever and fiercely funny comedy. It blends history, speculation, and satire in a form that is both accessible and artistically inventive but with plenty of laugh out loud moments.

The cast work and bounce off each other very well, and it deserved every moment of the rousing reception from the audience on its opening night in Guildford.

Handbagged runs until Saturday 10 May and tickets are available via www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or 01483 440000