PERFORMANCE RUN: Tues 6 - Sat 10 Oct 2015

PERFORMANCE REVIEWED: Tues 6 Oct 2015 (Press Night)

“I did not say that. I never said that.”

You will hear different iterations of this admonishment regularly over the course of Moira Buffini’s deliciously cheeky and wonderfully post-modern Handbagged - sometimes a telling character slip as one of Britain’s most powerful and iconic women of the 20th Century attempts to cover over past foibles or unduly harsh statements of theirs that they’ve been reminded of by their younger selves, or simply in oh-so-meta fashion, the production itself giving its audience a wink and a nudge that much of what it is presenting is conjecture and ‘artistic licence’. As the late, great Joan Rivers (an ardent fan of Handbagged) so memorably quipped, “I’m going to add ‘allegedly’… so you can’t sue me.”

In truth though, whilst Handbagged generally plots a course through Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister, and her much-reputed frosty relationship with Queen Elizabeth II, it bandies between historical actuality and sheer fictional exchanges with such whimsy, invention and wit that it hardly needs to protect itself against any such accusations of falseness. It is inspiredly zany in places; quite literally acknowledging it’s breaking of the fourth wall from the offset, and throwing into the mix a cavalcade of self-referential gags - see, for instance, the supporting cast of two ‘actors’ repeatedly addressing their contracts, clarifying which historical figures they are supposed to be playing (including an uproarious nod to Nancy Reagan) and, in borderline Monty Python style, the very reason for them being up on stage. Handbagged plays as a quite barmy historical biopic, a fascinating character study between two of the Nation’s most influential woman, and a self-aware ensemble comedy piece all in one.

Front and centre, Her Majesty and The Iron Lady both are portrayed at all times by not one, but rather two actresses each - the younger incarnations of the characters mostly re-enacting slices of the pairs’ key moments during Thatcher’s time in office, whilst their older counterparts generally offer their amusing commentary and pithy insights (or objections!) from the sidelines. Crucially, whilst mining full comedy and pathos from these already iconic figureheads - and this is a show which is laugh-out-loud funny throughout - Handbagged presents neither caricatures nor diluted facsimiles of either woman. Thatcher’s detached coldness, the alienation of her peers and cabinet she eventually created, her unwillingness to assist in the fight against Apartheid and the enormously divisive and in places socially devastating nature of her reforms: it’s all present and accounted for, and introduced terrifically in character by having the on-stage Thatcher repeatedly attempting to gloss over and move past these periods of civil and social unrest even as her co-stars urge her to not be so dismissive. Similarly, the show is not too afraid to throw light on some of the Queen’s own hypocrisies and double standards - adamantly objecting against the poll tax and the like, when she herself did not at the time pay any tax at all, or lambasting egregious materialism and excess when she at the time was the ‘wealthiest woman in the world’.

It’s truly impressive that Moira Buffini was able to so masterfully make Handbagged so many potentially jarring things at once. There are moments, particularly during Act II, which offer real poignancy and empathy to Thatcher and her legacy, and then at the drop of the hat a quick rebuke from Susie Blake’s older Queen (or ‘Q’) can have the audiences in fits of laughter. For despite the billing of this being a ‘Liz Vs Maggie’ showdown of sorts, in truth that duke-out somewhat over-simplifies what is on offer here. Thatcher, mostly by dint of the chronology of the show generally following her rise and fall, ends up pulling much of the focus, particularly in the second half of the show, and both Kate Fahy as the older ’T’ and Sanchia McCormack as younger ‘Mags’ do utterly terrific character work here - each capturing a slightly different facet to the oft-imitated leader. McCormack offers more of the assured, vigorous and merciless Thatcher of Parliament and principle, whereas Fahy taps more audibly into emphatic and passionate conviction, particularly of her later years. McCormack’s lady is the ‘not for turning’, ‘no, no, no’ trailblazer, whereas Fahy’s is slightly more wizened, all about making Britain great again in all the right ways and for all the right reasons (as she saw them, naturally)… whilst detesting the wet back benchers and socialist fools, of course. Each offer a fantastic, and brilliantly complementary, interpretation of Thatcher and give quite resplendent performances.

Susie Blake, similarly, is fantastic as the older Queen Elizabeth, even if her role in Act II in particular becomes far more reactionary and slightly sidelined. Blake captures the mannerisms and idioms of the Queen wonderfully, and as mentioned her put downs and dry asides are regularly the play’s funniest beats. Emma Handy, who plays younger ‘Liz’, carries much of the earlier portion of the show, carefully the treading the balance between recalling a younger Elizabeth of yesteryear whilst also creating an engaging presence on stage which does not simply scream of imitation or emulation. Together, the four leads synergise wonderfully on stage, and it is again a testimony to their brilliantly judged performances, Buffini’s razor-sharp book and Indhu Rubasingham’s organic, buoyant direction that so many disparate and potentially discordant elements harmonise so brilliantly well.

Handbagged is by some measure one of the freshest, funniest and downright fun comedies of recent years, and one which brings real wit and intelligence to the table in how it handles it’s central characters, as well as some key political and historical moments involving them both. On paper, it sounds like a show which would either be executed too comedically for the more serious and meaningful moments to resonate, or conversely be too dependent on its historical and political ingredients to be spontaneous, characterful and genuinely funny to a mainstream audience. That it manages to find that sweet spot between the two is again testimony to the talent involved in bringing such an original piece of theatre to the stage. Even for those who may have extreme opinions or ambivalence towards both, either or neither of the iconic women it winningly presents to us on-stage, this is a show which is consummately entertaining and utterly irrepressible in it’s own quirky, frequently-hilarious and surprisingly affecting take on two titans of the 20th Century. How much of it is accurate, true or even remotely in keeping with actual events ultimately becomes irrelevant, for in the company of Mags, T, Liz and Q, you will go on a hilarious, inimitable and fascinating journey which, if nothing else, will make you appreciate at the very least the essence and spirit of what each of these fascinating women stood for, and give you one of the most ceaselessly entertaining evenings of theatre in the process.

 

RATING - ★★★★★

 

HANDBAGGED is running at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from Tuesday 6th to Saturday 10th October 2015.

CLICK HERE for more information on the show's run at the Grand and to book your own tickets!

Alternatively, telephone the theatre's Box Office direct on 024 7655 3055.

   

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Press tickets for this performance of HANDBAGGED were provided courtesy of the Belgrade Theatre directly. The author gratefully acknowledges their generous invitation.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here