History repeats itself. Moira Buffini’s smart, sharp play about the Queen’s supposedly antagonistic relationship with Margaret Thatcher premiered at this theatre in 2013, months after Thatcher’s death. This long-planned revival finds itself carrying even more posthumous weight. Too soon? Actually, no.
Handbagged features not one but two charming, affectionate portraits of the monarch - the first responding to the Iron Lady’s character and policies from 1979 to 1990, the second commenting from later age - that emphasise her compassion and tact. There’s nothing to upset royalists or even conflicted republicans here. Ardent Thatcherites may be less pleased with the parallel portrayals of their idol, though.
