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.
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
Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz
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