A few times every year, the Ensemble Theatre commissions a new play as part of its season and Melanie Tait’s The Queen’s Nanny is the first of this season to hit the Kirribilli stage. Focussing on the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s nanny, Marion Crawford, the play does not necessarily cover any new ground and focuses primarily on a story that has been told many times, which in some ways would seem like a bit of a waste. 

However, this play takes a different approach to the often-traversed subject matter, with a greater focus on the nanny as a person rather than simply her ostracism, with a deeply critical and Australian lens underpinning the narrative. In her introductory note, Tait says, “Full of hope, I felt certain when the play got to the stage, we’d have lived through a successful Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum and, in an election year, movement would be ramping up about a new Republic Referendum. I wanted this play to be part of that conversation.” This is a sentiment that certainly comes across during the play. 

The play begins with a dialogue between an eager (yet increasing jaded) Australian journalist and Crawford, with the former attempting to deliver the scoop on the nanny to his editor that many had desired but few had achieved. After a brief establishment of the setting, the play dives straight into the sixteen years that Crawford spent with the Royal Family, with a particular focus on her time with Queen Elizabeth II. Memories are explored in great detail including a notable trip on the London Tube and the audience feels the strong bond that the future Queen and Crawford (known to the Queen and her family as “Crawfie”) share. 

However, as the play progresses, the impact of the sacrifices that Crawford makes become increasingly clear. From delaying her wedding to losing the opportunity to have children herself, the play explores the all-consuming and even coercive nature of her job, trapping her in a role she intended to remain in just for six months. The Family becomes increasingly distant as the play progresses, culminating with Queen Elizabeth not attending Crawford’s wedding. The way that the play positions the events, it is therefore understandable that Crawford chooses to sell her story to the press (notwithstanding the suggestion that the thought initially came from the Queen Mother herself). 

Even though the book was complimentary, bordering on flattering, the Royal Family were deeply displeased and shut out Crawford and the play explores her final days, staring out towards Balmoral waiting for the Queen to greet her, which she never did. 

The acting in the play is strong with Elizabeth Blackmore as Crawford being a particular highlight. Her characterisation is fierce and tragic, with the decline of her character over many years being conveyed extremely well. Emma Palmer is solid as the Queen Mother while Matthew Backer is entertaining, playing all the other characters in the play and doing so very well. 

The play is excellently paced, with the 90-minute runtime being the perfect balance between sufficient exposition and dramatic focus. Its construction is tight, with the Queen’s early years being well-condensed so that the play does not meander at all. The play is critical in its focus, holding back nothing when criticising the institution that discarded so easily someone who gave her life to them. Ultimately, the play provokes a profound feeling of sadness for a life lost to those who did not even care. 

As excellent as the play is, the Australian focus at the start and the end does not do enough to tie the work together and feels somewhat forced. The journalist’s monologue at the end of the production feels like an opportunity to preach, which is a shame, given that the journalist’s purpose is made largely redundant by the excellent story-telling that explores the themes covered in the monologue much more deftly throughout the play. The Australian angle also does not add anything of substance, given that the story is very much based around England and Scotland. There is also an argument that the play is blindly critical of the Royal Family, without having regard to alternative arguments and is perhaps too forgiving of a person who, in essence, sold secrets that were entrusted to her in the most personal way. Of course, the play is a work of fiction and should be viewed as such, but when considered even loosely as a historical work, audience members may believe that Tait’s perspective is one that, even if wholly justified, feels quite one-sided. 

By virtue of its subject matter, this play will always be polarising. At the curtain call, the play did not receive a huge ovation, and it will likely not do so frequently given it may offend some of those within Ensemble’s target demographic. However, there can be no doubt that this is a superbly-written play where every emotion is felt by the audience and it sheds a new light on a much-discussed character. This production could do very well around the world with some refinement (losing the Australian storyline would probably be beneficial) and with the ever-present interest in the Royal Family, it provides a fresh perspective on historical themes which pundits and royal commentators continue to discuss to this day.

Rating: ★★★★1/2

The Queen’s Nanny plays at the Ensemble Theatre until 12^th October. For more information, click here. 

Photo credits: Phil Erbacher