Daniel Schumann and Lee Dean today announce the world première of By Royal Appointment – the debut play of Daisy Goodwin, creator of hit ITV historical drama Victoria – directed by Dominic Dromgoole.
Starring Anne Reid and Caroline Quentin this new play explores the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II (Reid) and her Dresser (Quentin) and how the pair created the public image of the world’s longest reigning monarch.
By Royal Appointment opens at Theatre Royal Bath on 5 June and runs until 14 June before touring to Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, Malvern Festival Theatre, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
Further casting and venues to be announced shortly.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion. She never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe.
By Royal Appointment is a funny, poignant and celebratory new play about the kind of power that only a Queen can wield – she charms the world through coats and admonishes her family through a carefully chosen hat. But the Queen herself is uninterested in fashion, her look is managed by her Designer, her Milliner and most powerful of all, her Dresser who was a working-class girl who goes from advising the Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. But the Dresser, like all royal favourites is living on borrowed time.
By Royal Appointment is a behind the scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world.
Starring national treasure Anne Reid as The Queen and star of stage and screen Caroline Quentin as The Dresser. The play is written by Daisy Goodwin who created the hit ITV series Victoria, and directed by former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, Dominic Dromgoole.
By Royal Appointment is Daisy Goodwin’s debut play. For television, her writing credits include ITV historical drama series Victoria. Her novels include The Last Duchess, The Fortune Hunter, The American Heiress, Victoria and Diva, she has curated eight poetry anthologies. Also, as a producer, her many credits include Grand Designs and Escape to the Country.
