Stage Dragon Review: Handbagged – Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

Published on: 22 Sep, 2015
Updated on: 22 Sep, 2015

The cast of Handbagged by Moira Buffini – photo Tristram Kenton

By Ferenc Hepp

Two very powerful women grace the stage this week at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. On one hand, the longest serving British monarch of all time, and on the other hand, British politics’ most influential woman.

If you are curious to know what really happened behind closed doors when Margaret Thatcher and the Queen met on a regular basis at various royal residences Handbagged this week tries to uncover this story.

We are faced with a purely white set which, if you look closely, resembles a Union flag both in the background and the floor, and that remains on stage unchanged throughout, apart from a tea trolley and a couple of chairs, but it does not matter as this play is all about the characters and the words, and a bit of a history lesson too.

Two versions of the Queen… – photo Tristram Kenton

We meet two versions of the Queen and Margaret Thatcher, younger and older, but on the stage at the same time, commenting on each other’s conversations, regularly ‘breaking the fourth wall’, involving the audience, and talking about their roles and characters within the production, as actors.

Other characters all have their roles to play in order to enhance the storyline and they portray all the major figures and influences during Mrs Thatcher’s reign, such as her husband Denis, Neil Kinnock, Ronald Reagan (Mrs T’s “gorgeous”), his wife Nancy, Enoch Powell, Michael Heseltine, Rupert Murdoch, Geoffrey Howe and Michael Shea (the Queen’s press secretary) amongst others.

Their characters are often the source of the humour in this production, as they argue who should play which part and the battle of the accents follows. One wonders if the other characters played by Asif Khan (who initially plays the Queen’s footman proud of his “City & Guilds in butlering”) represents people who were more loyal to the Queen than the other characters played by Richard Teverson, who portrays Denis Thatcher initially?

There is an abundance of mischievous humour…

The characters are instantly recognisable and very skilfully acted. I was particularly drawn to the older Queen character, expertly played by Susie Blake, as she never lost those characteristics and very familiar features that we all know so well, even down to what she was doing with her mouth when merely standing silently in the background.

…and two of Margaret Thatcher – photo Tristram Kenton

We are taken on a full journey from when Mrs Thatcher becomes Prime Minister and her first meeting with the Queen, to the day she leaves Downing Street.

Major events that get an airing and discussed in various ways include the Commonwealth, the birth of Zimbabwe, the IRA, Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination, the wedding of Charles & Diana, the Falklands, the Miners’ Strike, the Brighton Grand Hotel Bombing and the Poll Tax Riots amongst others.

However, this is not purely a history lesson: it is a very entertaining piece of theatre, which should appeal to all ages whether or not you remember those events. All the characters are portrayed in very different but effective ways, under the skilful direction of Indhu Rubasingham and the clever writing of Moira Buffini.

There is an abundance of mischievous humour which has the audience laughing throughout.

Who ends up being more powerful? Who ends up being ‘Handbagged’? That is for the audience to decide and I am certain that everyone will have a different opinion.

The one line I do not agree with as far as this production, uttered by Her Majesty herself, is: “I enjoy the interval… sometimes it’s the best part of the play.” No they should have just kept going, I was loving it.

This clever, slick and funny production is playing at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre until Saturday September 26 and tickets can be booked online: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01483 440000.

One highly recommends it!

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