Photo Flash: HANDBAGGED Opens at Theatre by the Lake

Two icons, one destined to rule, the other to lead. But when the gloves came off, who had the upper hand? Moira Buffini's sensational comedy looks behind the closed doors of the palace to speculate what really happened when two of the most powerful women in the world clashed. Check out photos from the show below!

This funny, insightful and brilliantly sharp satire was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2015 and went on to be a West End smash hit.

Moira Buffini's plays include Women, Power & Politics for the Tricycle Theatre, wonder.land, Welcome To Thebes and Dinner for the National Theatre, Dying For It (adapted from Nicolai Erdman's The Suicide) and Marianne Dreams (adapted from Catherine Storr's book) for the Almeida Theatre, A Vampire Story for NT Connections, Loveplay for the RSC, Silence for Birmingham Rep (Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), Gabriel for Soho Theatre (LWT Plays On Stage Award and the Meyer Whitworth Award), Blavatsky's Tower for the Machine Room, and Jordan with Anna Reynolds for the Gate (Writers Guild Award for Best Fringe Play). For television, her work includes Harlots; and her screenplays include Viceroy's House, Tamara Drewe directed by Stephen Frears, Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukanaga, and Byzantium directed by Neil Jordan. She recently directed her first short film, Father.

Associate Director of Theatre by the Lake Liz Stevenson directs. As a director, her work includes How My Light is Spent (Royal Exchange, Sherman Theatre, Theatre by the Lake), Barbarians (Young Vic, Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre), The Gap and Talking Down (The Gap project, Halle St. Peter's), We are the Multitude (24:7 Theatre Festival), The Dumb Waiter (Lee Rosy's Nottingham), The Match (Liverpool Write Now Festival), Beef (Edinburgh Festival), The Country (Blackburn Empire), and Orphans, Rope, Road (Nottingham New Theatre & NSDF). She was the winner of the JMK Young Director Award 2015 and has worked as an assistant director at the Royal Exchange, Hampstead Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Menier Chocolate Factory and Gate Theatre.

Pre-show talk on Mon 19 June at 5.45pm. Free entry but booking essential.

Photo credit: Keith Pattison

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