Palace vs PM - who will get Handbagged as satire comes to The Place in Bedford

Take a peek behind palace doors in this fabulous and funny production from Swan Theatre Company. Handbagged, the hit comedy from Moira Buffini, will make you look at the monarch and the Prime Minister in a whole new light…

Two women – Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher – meet every week for eleven years. One believes there is no such thing as society. The other has vowed to serve it.

Sweeping through the key events of the late 1970s, 80s and into the 90s, this fast-paced and frequently hilarious satirical comedy imagines what the world’s most powerful women talked about behind closed doors.

Taking on the dual role of Queen Elizabeth II are Annalisa Robinson and Jacquie Waterfield, while Margaret Thatcher will be played by Emily Alleyne and Anne Dunigan. Matt Baker and Gary Day round out the cast, playing a vast array of male characters.

Winner of the 2014 Olivier Award or Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, Handbagged was first performed in September 2013 and returned to the Kiln Theatre, London in September 2022.

From dogs to diplomats, royal weddings to riots, picnics at Balmoral to the poll tax, join us on a gallop through the ups and downs of palace and political life. Handbagged will be performed at The Place Theatre, Bedford, from Tuesday, March 14 to Saturday, March 18 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12 (£10 concessions), with £7.50 tickets on Tuesday. Find out more or book online.