Moira Buffini’s fly-on-the-wall comedy about Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, Handbagged, is on UK tour again next month - but in a radically reimagined version with a soundtrack of reworked 80s pop classics.
Handbagged's first northern date is at Lowry, Salford (March 18-22), then Theatre Royal, Wakefield (March 31-April 5); Blackpool Grand (April 7-12) and Newcastle's Northern Stage (May 12-17).
Following an imagined conversation between two of history’s most revered female leaders, Handbagged is an intimate look at what might have happened when Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher came face-to-face in the privacy of the palace. The play explores the intense relationship the women formed over a decade, and the legacy each left behind,. This fresh interpretation features new music composed for the show, acappella singing, and remixed pop classics from the era.
Appearing as their characters at different ages are Emma Ernest (The Other Place, National Theatre) and Morag Cross (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Margaret Thatcher, and Helen Reuben (Cabaret) and Sarah Moyle (Doctors) as Queen Elizabeth II.
Produced by the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch, in partnership with the National Theatre, the tour is part of the Theatre Nation Partnerships network led by the National Theatre.
Director Alex Thorpe said, “It's our most ambitious Theatre Nation Partnerships tour to date. As we re-examine these fierce and famed women, this truly extraordinary team is not to be missed.”
More info and tickets here