Carmel ThomasonBy Royal Appointment may be Daisy Goodwin’s debut play, but don’t let that confuse you as to the talent and experience that has gone into this new production about the late Queen and her dressers.
Although she is new to stage writing, Goodwin is a well-established screen writing talent, having scripted ITV’s Victoria, which ran for three seasons. It seems she has an instinct for shows with longevity, being the mastermind behind popular documentaries Grand Designs and Escape to the Country before moving into drama.
Goodwin has both an eye and an ear for the popular, as well as an ability to layer entertainment so it can be enjoyed at its most superficial at the same time as offering thought provoking moments for those who want to delve deeper.
And so it is, with her latest work, By Royal Appointment. At its most frivolous this gentle comedy is a whistle-stop tour of the last 50 years of UK history, taking the audience back in time using the Queen’s fashion as a prompt.
While some watching may remember the many outfits, you can easily follow the play without any recollection of them – although you may find your memory jogged during the projected images of the actual Queen wearing them during the final scenes.
Queen Elizabeth II, played here by Anne Reid, is the only member of the Royal family depicted in the play. The others, while taking inspiration from real people such as the Queen’s senior dresser of almost 30 years, Angela Kelly, are fictionalised courtiers – the Queen’s private dresser (Caroline Quentin), the designer (James Wilby) and the milliner (usually James Dreyfus, but played by Jeremy Drakes at this performance).
The play is structured as a series of interlinked sketches, punctuated by Curator, Graine Dromgoole’s entrances to tell us what was happening outside the Palace walls during this time, which range from Morecambe and Wise Christmas shows to Miner’s strikes.
The Queen, a constant through the change, is shown to be reflecting her thoughts through her wardrobe, in an expression of subtle power that will have you looking at her fashion choices in a whole new way. Who knew there could be so much meaning in one’s choice of coat and hat?
It is this subtlety which gives the comedy its strength, because it allows for layered characterisation, providing moments for all four main actors to shine. That the actors don’t change physically in 50 years seems an initial challenge, yet adds to the theme of constancy of the monarch in the face of social upheaval. Linking this comedy to significant true events, including the Queen’s death, adds a poignancy that left some audience members visibly moved by the end.
The strong cast is no doubt as much a draw as the play – Anne Reid and Caroline Quentin are considered by many to be acting royalty, and rightly so when you see them on stage. They take a script and make it zing, saying as much with a pause or look as with the lines themselves. Like the late Queen who worked up until the day before her death we look at the energy and wit of 90-year-old Anne Reid and want a bit of whatever is in her Weetabix.
This tour is now in its final week at Lowry. No doubt there are talks behind the scenes of what comes next. Given Goodwin’s track record and the stellar cast she’s attracted to A Royal Appointment’s premiere run, this comedy’s reign might not be over yet.
By Royal Appointment is at Lowry, Salford from 6 to 9 August 2025.
Steve Timms
Cathy Crabb
