An histocumentary, with comedy at its heart. Handbagged tells the story of two remarkable (in the literal sense) women, born in the same year, who went on to change the shape of Britain and in many ways the world.
The play follows the weekly meetings of Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth which occurred throughout the former Prime Minister’s reign. At this point I feel the need to express (again) that my political allegiances led me to be very sceptical prior to seeing the play, however Buffini weaves into this chronological tribute a liberal cymicism which is never overwhelming but is vitally present.
There are and will undoubtedly be many more dramas told about these two characters, depicting relationships they may have cultivated, decisions they may have made or lives they may have directly or indirectly affected. But I don’t remember any of them being told as a year by year chronological analysis of the decisions both made. The play is a 120 minute highlight reel starting in the late 70′s and culminating in the early 90′s. Almost a satirical essay on British politics and the role of the head of state in that twenty year period, yet without the tedium which that description suggests.
The Queen and Magggie are depicted by four wonderful actors.
Marion Bailey and Stella Gonet, play the pair as they were when the meetings came to an end, older, though not always wiser, indeed Bailey’s joyful belligerence is so captivating it offers the entire play a sense of fun and distraction. Fenella Woolgar and Lucy Robinson play the duo as they were at the beginning of Thatcher’s reign, Woolgar a dead ringer for Thatcher and Robinson captivating as the monarch determined to weigh in where necessary.
Though this sounds like a fairly typical dramatic technique, it isn’t, the women do not exist exclusively in their time, they often wander out of their story into another characters, offering comments or embellishments on the year or event that is being discussed, the Queens and PMs are all on stage together all of the time and they offer their opinions, whether in hindsight or in the moment.
They are assisted in a joyously anti-Bechdel manner by Neet Mohan and Jeff Rawle, who help when the stories become too big for the two characters and need third parties for better dramatic effect. They flip from character to character helping to navigate through the political landscape and then they disappear as if they were irrelevant to the story being told, of two women, who between them changed things. For better or worse.
I was surprised by how much sympathy I garnered for the Queen, though Thatcher is undoubtedly interesting I do not believe any stage or film version of her will ever force me to understand or forgive her plight. However, the queen often, in this depiction, seemed to be on the “right” side of the argument in my opinion, and that is something, I missed at the time and one which really did make me think.
Buffini has taken two icons, and one of the most controversial periods of recent history and has created a witty and charming piece of theatre filled with paradoxes. Thatcher was born in a working class family and protected the rich, the Queen was born in luxury and throughout this period of social change always seemed to be concerned with the people.
The startling thing for me was the rhetoric, if you follow David Cameron’s speeches and question time responses, you can hear an all too familiar echo back to the politics and opinion of Thatcher.
I really enjoyed Handbagged, despite my initial fears.