Monday, 23 March 2026, 4:06 pm
Press Release: Elephant Publicity
Photo/Supplied.
Trusted
with raising two future princesses, Marion “Crawfie”
Crawford spent 16 years inside the royal household before a
memoir sparked a scandal that would exile her from the
palace forever.
Melanie Tait’s acclaimed play
The Queen’s Nanny makes its New
Zealand premiere from 14 – 24 May at The
PumpHouse Theatre in Takapuna, presented by Tadpole
Productions.
This blackly funny and deeply
affecting comedy-drama brings to life the extraordinary true
story of Marion Crawford, the governess who raised the young
princesses destined to become Queen Elizabeth II and
Princess Margaret, and the firestorm that followed when she
published her memoir.
Presenting the play now feels
uncannily timely. At a moment when the monarchy faces
intense public scrutiny, including the fallout from the
arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – one of the most
damaging royal scandals in modern history – The Queen’s
Nanny imagines Crawfie’s pivotal encounters with the
steely Queen Mother and shows how these shaped the course of
her life. In an age captivated by The Crown and
Prince Harry’s Spare, audiences are more fascinated
than ever by the untold stories of royal life, and Tait’s
play offers a witty, intimate, and historically grounded
glimpse into that hidden world.
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Louise
Wallace, MNZM, actor, journalist, director,
co-programmer of Tadpole Productions and British Royal
family enthusiast, says: “Queen Elizabeth II was one of
the most incredible women of the modern age. This is
a play for anyone intrigued by this extraordinary
institution and what really goes on behind the scenes –
power, loyalty, secrets, and all the drama you could ever
want.”
Melanie Tait is an
award-winning Australian playwright and former broadcaster,
known for her sharp wit and vivid storytelling. Her previous
plays include The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race and
A Broadcast Coup, and she has adapted work for film
and television, with multiple commissions in development for
stage and screen.
The production features a stellar
New Zealand cast led by Anna Jullienne as
Crawfie, Laura Hill as the Queen Mother and
Jack Buchanan in multiple roles. The play
is directed by theatre and screen veteran Simon
Prast, returning for his fifth collaboration with
Tadpole Productions.
Born in Scotland in 1909,
Crawford trained as a child psychologist before being hired
in 1933 as governess to Princess Elizabeth and Princess
Margaret. For over 16 years she guided, taught, and nurtured
the young royals. When her memoir The Little Princesses
was published in 1950, it caused outrage within the
royal household, despite its affectionate and gentle tone.
Crawford was swiftly ostracized and was never spoken to
again by the Royal Family.
Through humour, tension,
and poignant reflection, The Queen’s Nanny revisits
this remarkable story, exploring the personal and
institutional pressures of palace life. It contrasts
Crawfie’s hands-on care and devotion with the Queen
Mother’s distant, royal role and examines the fragile
loyalties and social hierarchies that shaped the family’s
responses. The play ultimately questions who is allowed to
tell the stories of the powerful – giving voice to the women
whose lives were devoted to raising them and the great
personal cost of telling the truth.
“tartly funny and inventive” –
Limelight
1/2 “superbly written” –
Musical Theatre AU
“Melanie Tait has
threaded the needle between sensationalist drama and cosy
character study with the skill of a master seamstress.”
– Cultural Binge
Founded in 2012, Tadpole Productions
brings high-quality professional theatre to Auckland’s
North Shore. With patron Sir Roger Hall, the company has
staged over 20 productions while nurturing emerging theatre
talent and providing professional opportunities for actors
and backstage crews.
The Queen’s
Nanny by Melanie Tait
14
– 24 May
The Pumphouse Theatre
Book at pumphouse.co.nz
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