Review - Nell Gwynn - People's Theatre

Nell Gwynn

People's Theatre

16th May 2023

Back in the main auditorium, People's Theatre this week are staging a production that takes full advantage of the space. The set for Nell Gwynn encompasses a theatre and the court of Charles II, complete with a balconies, a dressing room, the throne room and a minstrels gallery! As the play begins we meet rowdy members of the audience who enter from the back of the auditorium and make their way to the front jeering and heckling the poor soul on stage as he tries to deliver his lines...

And so the tone is set for what will be a boisterous and bawdy show. 

This is the tale of Nell Gwynn, who rose from orange hawker, to actress, to King's Mistress. She is a force to be reckoned with - whether on stage or at court she is a commanding presence. 

She stands up for what she sees as right - whether that be the better portrayal of women in the plays on the stage, or the right to live her life as she chooses, without interference from government or men. She may be the King's Mistress, but she is so on her terms, not his. 

Emma Jane Robson delightful as the feisty Nell, singing, dancing and hurling oranges! She is ably supported by the rest of the cast: from Jim Boylan as Thomas Killigrew, desperately trying to shape his mottley crew of thespians into some sort of order,  to Sean Burnside as John Dryden - the woefully inept and unprepared playwright, or Sam Burrell as the prima donnerish leading lady outshone by an actual female leading lady, and - my favourite, Anna Dobson as Nancy - cleaner, dresser, dogsbody, ascerbic observer of all things, and loyal supporter of Nell. 

Funny and rude, it is essentially a rags to riches love story. Nell Gwynn was a formidable actress, and a formidable woman in a world where it was not acceptable to be such a thing. She could sing, and she could dance, but she could also do the other thing.

Nell Gwynn will be singing and dancing at the People's Theatre until Saturday 20th May. Book your seat in advance to be sure not to be disappointed! 

(Images by Paul Hood)

Denise Sparrowhawk