The production will open at the Queen’s Theatre in Hornchurch in February 2025, before touring to a further 12 venues.
It has been announced that a new tour of Moira Buffini’s satirical political comedy will launch with a run at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from the 6th to the 22nd February before heading to: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (26 February to 1 March), Cast in Doncaster (4 to 8 March), New Theatre in Peterborough (10 to 15 March), the Lowry in Salford (17 to 22 March), Curve in Leicester (24 to 29 March), Theatre Royal Wakefield (31 March to 5 April), Blackpool Grand Theatre (7 to 12 April), Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds (21 to 26 April), Belgrade Theatre in Coventry (28 April to 3 May), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford (5 to 10 May), Northern Stage in Newcastle (12 to 17 May), and Oxford Playhouse (19 to 24 May).
The show is being staged as part of the Theatre Nation Partnerships (TNP) initiative,
convened by the National Theatre. The Theatre Nation Partnership is s a collaboration between theatres and creative organisations across 14 areas in England, supported by a £1.25 million grant from Arts Council England, funded by National Lottery players.
11 years of weekly, behind-closed-doors meetings, where the destiny of a nation is shaped.
Moira Buffini’s clever, funny and charming political comedy unlocks the palace door, imagining the untold conversations of two of history’s most powerful women, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II.
Ronald Reagan, Denis Thatcher and an ensemble of familiar faces add to the biting satire and sharp humour as the gloves come off and personalities clash.
Talking about the news, Alex Thorpe, Co-Creative Director of Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Director of Handbagged said: “We are delighted to be working with our brilliant TNP partners and the National Theatre, to share this outstanding play across the country. At a time when female leadership is at the forefront of western global politics, it felt a perfect time to re-examine the titanic personal and political struggle of the two most powerful women of the modern era, in a defining moment in
our country’s history. This tour marks the largest collaboration across the country in the three years of TNP and we can’t wait to share this story with the nation.”
Further details about the production have yet to be announced.