''Handbagged'' is a play by the British playwright Moira Buffini, examining the relationship between Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

, the British prime minister from 1979 to 1990.

Background

''Handbagged'' originated in 2010 as a

one act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in wri ...

, with the younger Thatcher played by

Claire Cox Claire Cox is a British actress. Her television appearances include acclaimed series '' The Last Salute'', '' Fresh Meat'', '' Spooks'', '' Wallander'' and '' Jamestown'' for Sky. Career Cox graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama wit ...

, and the elder by Stella Gonet, as part of the Tricycle Theatre's ''Women, Power and Politics'' festival. The title derives from the verb coined early in

's term to evoke the effects emanating from her personal handbag, as it became an emphatic political prop and visible symbol of her power. The extended version premiered in October 2013 at the Tricycle.

West End production

In April 2014, the play transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End, due to run until August 2014. The cast of this production was: * Marion Bailey - Q, Older Queen Elizabeth II * Stella Gonet - T, Older Thatcher *

Neet Mohan Neet Mohan (born 11 November 1985) is an English actor, known for his role as PC Taz Ahmed on the Channel 4 series ''No Offence'' (2017) and Dr. Rash Masum on the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' (2017–present). Career In 2012, Mohan joined th ...

- Actor 1 (various parts, including Neil Kinnock and Nancy Reagan) * Jeff Rawle - Actor 2 (various parts, including Denis Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington) * Lucy Robinson - Liz, Younger Queen * Fenella Woolgar - Mags, Younger Thatcher *Katy Brittain - Understudy Q and Liz *Neil Chinneck - Understudy Actor 1 and Actor 2 *Genevieve Swallow - Understudy T and Mags The play toured the UK from September to December 2015 starring Susie Blake and

Kate Fahy Katherine Fahy, Lady Pryce is a stage and film actress from Dublin. She studied drama at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and then joined its Young Vic Theatre Company. Later on she joined the Everyman Theatre Liverpool Company, where she met ...

, with the younger queen portrayed by Emma Handy. It visited

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

, Salford, Guildford,

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, Cheltenham,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

and

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

2022 revival

The play was revived at the same theatre where it first opened, now renamed the Kiln, running from 11 to 29 October. The cast of this production was: * Marion Bailey - Q, Older Queen Elizabeth II *

- T, Older Thatcher * Romayne Andrews - Actor 1 * Richard Cant - Actor 2 *

Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. Cruttenden played opposite Sean Bean as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series '' Sharpe.'' In 2007, Cruttenden joined the cast from the ...

- Liz, Younger Queen *

Naomi Frederick Naomi Frederick is an English actress and graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is notable for stage work and has also appeared on radio, appearing in 2012 adaptations of ''Twelfth Night'' and '' Sparkling Cyanide''. Her television ...

- Mags, Younger Thatcher The director was

Indhu Rubasingham Indhu Rubasingham, , is a British theatre director and the current artistic director of the Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) in Kilburn, London. Early life Born in Sheffield to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka in 1970, Rubasingham was ...

, who also directed the 2014 premiere.

References

{{Margaret Thatcher, state=collapsed 2010 plays 2013 plays English plays Cultural depictions of Margaret Thatcher Cultural depictions of Elizabeth II Cultural depictions of Ronald Reagan Works about prime ministers of the United Kingdom Works about royalty Plays based on real people