I speak of legendary actresses Anne Reid and Caroline Quentin portraying the late Queen Elizabeth II and her confidant and dresser (and personal assistant) Angela Kelly, affectionately nicknamed 'Gigi' by Her late Majesty. Her origins from Wigan mean she wouldn't be out of place in Dinner Ladies (if you know, you know.. ok, Anne was in that). Supported by The Queen's Designer and Milliner (whom one would guess are a mix of Hardy Amies, Normal Hartnell and Stewart Parvin and Australian Frederick Fox) played by James Wilby and James Deyfus respectively, both of whom also have a wealth of experience in the acting worlds.
Opening with simple set comprised of gold gilded wooden chairs with cream upholstery, a desk, stand and mustard yellow drapes towards the back - a depiction of a room in the late Queen's residence in Balmoral perhaps - the play begins as we meet the Dresser post-state funeral as The Last Post sounds. She is preparing to leave her role to be replaced for the new team supporting and advising The Firm. She meets the curator of a new 'immersive' exhibition of The Queen's fashion items, showcasing dresses, hats, brooches and other components to her iconic outfits which "communicated what she was saying without her speaking" or "spoke for her" to put it simply. The problem is that none of the team putting the exhibition together have records of what what worn when.. which, of course, Gigi did - whilst she may not be able to access the jewels anymore, she can remain a key member of the team, after all they "always knew their roles were important", not least in history. Gráinne Dromgoole also acts as narrator for the sequence of scenes, as we are guided through standout moments and outfits from the majority of her 70-year reign (52 years or so of it, although there was no distinct youthfulness or change of age shown in the performance) and wider society from 1969 to 2021 (and a cheeky prediction for 2026). Her desire to not be too modern but stand out in a crowd "so they known it's me", her patience whilst standing still and partaking at various engagements is evident, with her audience with her close (or not so close) team of designers may be seen as light relief to be more human (in the walls of the palace).
Although the whole play takes place in one room, it touches on a variety of topics, adding to this insightful, poignant and heart-warming tribute to the monarch and those who made her look so tidy yet timeless. With the male fashion advisors being gay (well we do dress the best!), and the piece scanning the 70s and 80s to 2021, we inevitably have reference to the AIDS and the impact, as well as old age, greed, the Thatcher Government and music, the latter of which provides a nice addition to the scene 'changes'.
Technically, the show is simple with minimal set changes, with black outs between each scene. The projection of the year and imagery of some of the outfits reference by the narrator, are not clear to see from all sightlines and these were a few issues with levelling the microphones in the first act, but we were ok once we got going, if not with the odd overlap of lines. Th actors all played their parts naturally, with a dynamic of emotions, and footman and understudies Jeremy Drakes and Fiona Tong should not be overlooked.
Well-written by Daisy Goodwin (even the monologue at the end which seemed out of place from the rest of the show, although no less poignant), directed by Dominic Dromgoole, with Jonathan Fensome as designer of the show, the show is a lovely whistle-stop of how her outfits were meticulously put together and how dedicated (albeit a few wobbles) her advisors were to her service (and ultimately rewarded as so).
Also, a reference point.. the interval was at 8.40pm and the show finished around 10pm (or just before).
The show remains at the stunning ornate Grand Theatre in Leeds for the rest of the week before heading to the south, returning to the north west in August. If you have any interest in or affection for fashion, iconism of Queen Elizabeth !!, you'll love this!
Reviewer - Christopher Oatway
On - 24.06.2025
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