A nice lesson in later 20th century British history, Handbagged regards the relationship—or lack thereof—between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, the nation’s “Iron Lady” of a Prime Minister, who met weekly with the monarch from 1979 to 1990.
Opening on Wednesday in the annual “Brits Off Broadway” series presented by and at 59E59 Theaters, Handbagged may remind viewers somewhat of The Audience, Peter Morgan’s drama that appeared on Broadway in 2015. The Audience offered a fictionalized study of Queen Elizabeth’s weekly visits with a dozen Prime Ministers during her reign.
So, too, does Moira Buffini’s play present an inventive account of what might have passed between the Queen and Thatcher behind closed palace doors. In something of a mild running gag, the characters caution the audience every so often that what they are hearing and seeing is speculative.
[Read Steven Suskin’s ★★★★ review here.]
The quirky thing about Handbagged is how its dramatic structure suggests a doubles tennis match in that two actors depict the Queen as her younger (Beth Hylton) and older (Anita Carey) selves, while two others depict Thatcher in her younger (Susan Lynskey) and older (Kate Fahy) incarnations.
All four women usually are seen onstage simultaneously as the senior characters comment upon and annotate what their younger personas are saying to each other. Such nearly ceaseless lobbing of dialogue among the actors succeeds in leavening the play’s continual flow of history.
Two more actors, both male, namely Cody LeRoy Wilson and John Lescault, portray 17 other individuals between them, including the likes of Nancy Reagan, Rupert Murdoch, Prince Philip, and Thatcher’s husband Denis.
In addition to interacting with each other, all of these characters speak directly to the audience.
Unlike The Audience, which jumped around in chronology, the two-act Handbagged moves in a linear direction, covering major events such as the brief Falklands War and the ongoing strife with the IRA in Northern Ireland. A considerable amount of history is presented in the process; some of it humorously, as in Thatcher’s sweet and sour relationship with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and some it quite seriously, as in a stark sequence recounting the ugly miners’ strike of 1985. (Bits of information in the text sound as if they have been added lately to enlighten American viewers.)
Although Handbagged depicts the Queen and Thatcher dealing with each other cordially enough during their meetings, their various incarnations frequently drop ironic commentary that prompts chuckles among the audience. Thatcher’s resolute nature and uncompromising attitude are illuminated more in the play than the Queen’s enigmatic character. The most significant clash that arises here regards the Queen’s defense of the Commonwealth nations over Thatcher’s drastic economic policies.
As directed at a steady pace by Indhu Rubasingham, this Round House Theatre production is staged in a formal manner that matches the generally cool tone of Buffini’s text. Designer Richard Kent’s setting is a black and white box that accommodates a few pieces of white furniture. The acting is commendable: While Susan Lynskey and Beth Hylton respectively and crisply portray Thatcher and the Queen in the immediate cut and thrust of their face-to-face business, Kate Fahey and Anita Carey assume a detached quality that suggests the older women are reflecting upon the times they uneasily shared.
Handbagged opened June 12, 2019, at 59E59 and runs through June 30. Tickets and information: 59e59.org
