Culture writer Harshi Modi praises Moira Buffini’s Handbagged as a comedic and touching reflection on British history, while lacking in nuance
Handbagged, written by Moira Buffini, delves into the relationship between two of the most prominent women of the 80s – the late Queen Elizabeth II and the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. It imagines the conversations that might have taken place behind closed doors at their weekly meetings at Buckingham Palace. The play explores a supposed clash of viewpoints between the two women, who had opposing views on approach and temperament.
As a theatrical device, the play employs two versions of each character: a young Queen (Liz) and Thatcher (Mags) as well as older counterparts (Q and T). The older women comment on the thoughts and motives behind the actions of their younger selves. This worked well, highlighting how both women had grown in character having aged. We see the older Q, who is jollier and has let her hair down, juxtaposed with the younger Liz, who is stoic and less secure. Similarly, we see a somewhat wiser T compared to a stubborn and single-minded younger Mags.
all the actors did an incredible job […] effortlessly switching accents and personas
We follow these two characters through the duration of Thatcher’s tenure from 1979 to 1990, starting with their very first meeting once Thatcher was prime minister. We follow them through the political turbulence and major events that shaped 1980s Britain including mass unemployment, the miners’ strike, IRA bombings, and the Falkland’s war. We see a supposedly ‘not-racist’ Thatcher hold out on applying sanctions on an apartheid-era South Africa while a more kind-hearted queen and cabinet advocate for sanctions.
Although a fair use of artistic license, I did feel that the play had a black-and-white approach at times, showing us an endlessly compassionate Queen and a stubborn and arrogant Thatcher. I wish their portrayals’ had more depth to them.
[the] meta-theatrical framework […] frequently had the whole theatre laughing
I thought all the actors did an incredible job. Sarah Moyle, Morag Cross, Helen Reuben, and Emma Ernest are all amazing as Q, T, Liz and Mags. They manage to perfectly replicate the accents and mannerisms and truly captured the essence of the two leaders. We also have two male actors who play about a dozen minor characters as and when needed. Cassius Konneh and Dennis Herdman were brilliant, effortlessly switching accents and personas. One of them sheds some light, however brief, on how we choose to omit some parts of history and aggrandise others.
The play very often breaks the fourth wall, which is the source of much of its humour. We get quips from Q and T about misunderstandings and which conversations are completely fictional. Cassius Konneh, as Actor 1, often pauses the scene to explain the context behind an event to the “younger folk in the audience” (which I found incredibly helpful). We see the male actors complaining about the roles assigned to them and fighting over a part. I think this meta-theatrical framework really works in favour of the show; it frequently had the whole theatre laughing.
the play had a black-and-white approach at times
I must confess I am not well-versed in British history and often felt lost as to the significance of the events. But the play seemed to resonate with the audience, who could be found chuckling at funny twists of phrase, guffawing at the introduction of notorious celebrities and nodding along to proclamations. Act 1, in my opinion, was a lot stronger than Act 2. I found it to be more engaging and appreciated being given context for the occurrences within the play. I found it to be surprisingly delightful. Act 2 takes a darker tone, as we see Thatcher losing popularity and getting vehement and unyielding. The play loses much of its humour and the events seem to pass by in a flurry.
As the play comes to an end, with Thatcher being forced to resign, I surprisingly found myself feeling a tug of emotion at seeing the two women part ways. It was a relationship that had great potential for friendship given their shared age, gender, and predicament as women in power, but this was never realised. As the show comes to a close, it touches on the transience of prime ministers and the permanence of the monarch. Queen Elizabeth II was a constant for seven decades, overseeing 15 prime ministers during her time on the throne.
Overall, I found the play to be witty, novel, and fairly well-crafted. I would recommend it, just brush up on your contemporary British history before the show!
Rating: 3.5/5
Handbagged plays at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, running time TBC, and on tour. Book your tickets here.
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