''Handbagged'' is a play by the British playwright

Moira Buffini Moira Buffini (born 29 May 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor. Early life Buffini was born in Cheshire to Irish parents, and attended St Mary's College at Rhos-on-Sea in Wales as a day girl. She studied English and Drama at Go ...

, examining the relationship between

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

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 The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

from 1979 to 1990.

Background

''Handbagged'' originated in 2010 as a one act play, with the younger Thatcher played by Claire Cox, and the elder by

Stella Gonet Stella Gonet (born 8 May 1960) is a Scottish theatre, film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC dramas '' The House of Eliott'' (1991–94) and ''Holby City'' (2007–09). Her stage credits include playing Ophelia in th ...

, as part of the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as n ...

'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 A handbag, commonly known as a purse or pocketbook in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. Purse, handbag or pouch The term "purse" originally referred to a small bag for holding coins. In many ...

, 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 The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government bui ...

, due to run until August 2014. The cast of this production was: * Marion Bailey - Q, Older Queen Elizabeth II *

- T, Older Thatcher * Neet Mohan - Actor 1 (various parts, including

Neil Kinnock Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock (born 28 March 1942) is a British former politician. As a member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995, first for Bedwellty and then for Islwyn. He was the Leader ...

and

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in Ne ...

) *

Jeff Rawle Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is an English actor. He is known for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom '' Drop the Dead Donkey''. He also portrayed Silas Blissett in '' Hollyoaks'' from December 2010 until 2012. Rawle r ...

- Actor 2 (various parts, including Denis Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and

Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, Baron Carington of Upton, (6 June 1919 – 9July 2018), was a British Conservative Party politician and hereditary peer who served as Defence Secretary from 1970 to 1974, Foreign Secretar ...

) * 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 me ...

, 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 ...

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

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 Un ...

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 ...

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 beca ...

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 (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the la ...

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,

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 A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

, 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, 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