CALL the Call The Midwife star! Laura Main has stepped in to replace the originally announced Samantha Womack in the tour of Daisy Goodwin’s debut play By Royal Appointment, playing York Theatre Royal this week.
“I had only two weeks of rehearsals – shorter than it would otherwise have been, and even then there were some things that were non-negotiable as I have to do panto at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury this Christmas” says Laura, who has played Shelagh Turner (formerly Sister Bernadette) in the BBC medical drama since 2012.
In the role of The Dresser, Laura is starring opposite Jane Asher as The Queen in Goodwin’s exploration of their relationship and how the pair created the public image of the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion, expressing what she really thought only through her wardrobe. In Goodwin’s play, The Queen is uninterested in fashion, at her happiest instead in a head scarf; her look is managed by her Designer (played by David Robb), her Milliner (Matthew Cottle) and most powerful of all, her Dresser (Main).
In Goodwin’s chronological play, the Dresser 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.
“It’s such a wonderful play and such a wonderful subject, and so many things have slotted into place for me, like how I got a ticket to the exhibition of The Queen’s wardrobe at Buckingham Palace on a day off,” says Laura.
“This one ‘Return’ ticket appeared so I snapped it up, when they’re like gold dust, and so I had the chance to look at the dresses, the fabrics, the designs.
“On top of that, one of the things I’d been doing this year, after I’d bought the book for her, was reading Gyles Brandreth’s book [Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait) to my mum, who needs care and support these days. It was like I’d been studying for this role and now it’s about getting the character [of the Dresser] right and doing her justice.”
Gooodman’s Dresser, Gigi Gaunt, is a composite of various dressers to The Queen from 1969 to 2022, most notably Angela Kelly, her personal assistant, adviser and dresser from 1994 until the monarch’s death, says Laura: “We’re playing all these different ages and all these significant times in The Queen’s life.”
Part of the joy of taking on The Dresser’s role was the chance to perform with Jane Asher. “It’s the first I’ve worked with Jane, and I would say one of my favourite moments was looking into Jane’s eyes for the first time as The Queen. It was pretty spine-tingling. Jane is so talented and nice and generous, and such fun. She’s an amazing person.”
Laura Main as The Dresser with Jane Asher as The Queen in By Royal Appointment. Picture: Robert Day
How did Laura “find” her character? “I hear what you say about thinking about who she is dressing and how extraordinary that is, but you have to find your own way in. The Dresser really loves The Queen, cares for her and she absolutely has that sense of responsibility of serving The Queen. They had this chemistry and bond,” she says.
“I know how it feels when you have to do something scary, where you have to perform, and you have a make-up artist and wardrobe assistant making sure everything is OK, so I channel my friends from Call The Midwife into this role.”
Laura continues: “I know the Dresser is loosely based on Angela Kelly, and I’ve been listening to her audio-books, where she talks about those emotional moments, like before the State Opening of Parliament, where there’s just the two of them preparing in this small space; the silence of those moments.”
Laura not only draws on Angela Kelly’s recollections, but she also has been working with costumer designer and fashion stylist Laura Parkes. “Again it’s a tiny window into that world, which in a way the Dresser has, as she’s not from that world [as a working-class woman from Wigan] but she has access to it,” she says.
“This woman is completely different to anyone I’ve played before, though there are elements that, as Laura, share. I feel really excited to be playing Gigi.”
Scottish actress Laura, who has mastered a Wigan accent for the role, says By Royal Appointment gives a complete picture of The Queen in a play that starts and ends with her funeral and looks back at significant moments in her reign.
“I feel that Daisy has created The Queen behind closed doors when there are tender moments, comical moments, real moments,” she says. “I suspect, having met Daisy, that she is maybe closer to the world of The Queen, having written about Queen Victoria too, but I feel that Gigi is singing off the page too.”
The dresses speak volumes in the play, designed for this production by Jonathan Fensom. “Having been to the exhibition at Buckingham Palace, it’s wonderful to see The Queen in so many iconic outfits. What style, spanning so much time, so many fashions, and she was really bold. I think she had such fun with what she wore,” says Laura. “Jonathan has made us all look fantastic in this heightened, elevated world.
“I have just one dress throughout, whereas The Queen is changing all the time. It’s a simple and stylish dress that can span all the times the play covers, which is really clever. The moment when Gigi was ‘here’ for me was when I first first wore the black hat, that dress, and coat for the funeral.”
Daniel Schumann, Lee Dean and The Arts Theatre, Cambridge, present By Royal Appointment, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; post-show discussion after Thursday’s 7.30pm show. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Laura Main as the Dresser in By Royal Appointment. Picture: Robert Day
Laura Main on saying Yes to playing The Dresser on tour either side of Christmas at short notice
“THERE were some things that were non-negotiable as I have to do panto at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury this Christmas, where I’m Fairy Snowfall in Sleeping Beauty,” says Laura.
“I did it in Sunderland last year and had so much fun that when they asked me again, with my mum needing care and support these days. it was my sisters who said, ‘you loved it, go and do it again’.
“With that care and support, my mum has been so much better, but it’s a wrench to leave her.
“I love theatre, I absolutely love it, but I do have family time too, which has been good, and then this opportunity to do By Royal Appointment came up. I know the director, Anthony Banks, after playing M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother, in Steel Magnolias, so right at this moment in time, being offered a huge, huge tour for a long time…
“…you never know what will be right right for you personally and creatively, but I did really want to do some more theatre as I love all the magic of storytelling, the connection with the audience and the chance to play a new character.
“There’s a week off before the panto starts and a week off afterwards, and then we start again in Aberdeen, which is where I’m from and where my mum lives. I thought, when am I going to get the time to do both, acting and looking after my mum, and it felt like Anthony was giving me the chance to do both.
“These are less than perfect circumstances, but we can make it work. I’ve found freedom in doing this role because, in a way, there’s less to prove as you’re stepping in and helping out.”