3 STARS, July 28. An interesting premise with some bright moments is somewhat bogged down by a self-defeating focus on historical minutia, says Lori Heiss
Runnymede Drama Group presents Moira Buffini’s Handbagged in their summer series at the Riverhouse Theatre in Walton-on-Thames. Performed in a lovely converted Tudor barn set on the river, this production of the extended version of the original one-act play is a satiric look at one of the defining eras in this country’s history.
A dramatic imagining of the reportedly rocky relationship between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher throughout her tenure as Prime Minister, the play is essentially an extended conversation between the two women, portrayed at two stages of their lives. With both the older and younger versions of these two formidable characters on stage for the entire show, this is a multi-faceted look at two of Britain’s most influential women.
With the elimination of the fourth wall, the play dispenses with one of the theatre’s more conventional conceits and has the characters breaking character to correct one another and debate points of fact – and opinion – on the events they are talking about, and even at times addressing the audience directly. This works well to comedic effect and allowed the characters to relax into their roles and bond with the audience.
Though there were seemingly missed opportunities to play upon more of the juxtaposition of the past and present for laughs and satirical fodder: with the Queen’s comment that she found with American presidents that it wasn’t the person who held the power, but the office, some clever staging or pregnant pause might have left more room for a comparison to the current resident of the Oval Office, as well as calls from the Iron Lady herself for Resistance. In today’s day and age, many of the political themes and issues touched upon are just as relevant today, if not more so than at the time the play was set.
At times tedious in its slavish dedication to getting every last bit of historical fact into the frame it sometimes felt more like an A-level history class than a night at the theatre. When the Queen wearily commented of Thatcher, “She sometimes descends into lecturing,” the audience knew exactly what she was talking about. Covering 11 years in just a few hours is an ambitious goal, and one that might have been better served with less attention to every minute detail of the history and more time spent examining the dynamic between the Queen and Maggie, which was a fascinating and alluring draw here.
But the cast was game, and they made the most of the quite voluminous dialogue they were given. With a supporting cast of three men who played various roles including (variously) Rupert Murdoch, Denis Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Michael Heseltine and even Nancy Reagan in drag, they made for a rollicking trip through the ups and downs, dramas and relationships of the Thatcher years. Paul Foster as Dennis Thatcher (and others) was a particularly bright spot in the production, and the energy and obvious enjoyment he brought to the stage shone through. His portrayal of both Dennis Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were broad and funny, and his scenes were among some of the best in the show. But the delivery, mannerisms and physical attributes of both the Queen and Maggie (both young and old), were excellently done and a pleasure to watch.
Tickets: rdg.org
- Check out Theatre/Arts Section for more great local artistic news, reviews and interviews
- You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on all our latest articles
- Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
- Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000 AB1 homes
