To See or Not to See: Nell Gwynn

Gentle theatre-goers, lend me your ears (well, eyes) and heed my words true: get thee to a playhouse and catch the delightful, charming, and grin-inducing Nell Gwynn.

First produced at the atmospheric Shakespeare’s Globe in 2015, Jessica Swale‘s Olivier-winning comedy follows the rise of Nell Gwynn, one of British history’s most entertaining figures. Pretty, witty Nell, as she was called, had a classic rags-to-riches story: she was an orange-seller-turned-actress-turned-mistress to King Charles II. Though Gwynn’s story has long been the inspiration for writers and filmmakers, she hasn’t had her own treatment in a film since – wait for it – 1934. It’s high time her story was told again. And what better way to tell it than as a play?

As one of the first women to tread the boards in England – no, really: women legally could not perform on London stages until the early 1660s – Gwynn was very much a trailblazing woman in a man’s world, a fact the play makes much of. Swale infuses her play with a feminist undertone that is wholly appropriate for a show about a woman who is most famous for being a royal sex object – it gives Gwynn a voice and helps her take ownership of her choices, as best as any woman could in the 17th century.

This play feels like a classic musical without actually being one – it has an innate optimism. One of the many charms of the play is the fact that it transfers some of the wit and style of Restoration comedy to this day and age: the jokes are bawdy, the lines are quippy, and sexual intrigue is part of the story. Moreover, light ditties and songs are incorporated into the play, much as they would have been in the 17th century.

Thanks to a pitch perfect cast, this production is every bit as charming, likable, and good-natured as we like to imagine Nell Gwynn once was. Laura Pitt-Pulford perfectly realizes Nell Gwynn, a role that has previously been played to acclaim by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Gemma Arterton. Pitt-Pulford makes this role her own. Her Nell is intelligent, sharp, highly extroverted, and totally in command of every scene she is in. She sparkles in the role with grace, spirit, and wit. Pitt-Pulford’s stage credits include a number of musicals, and she plays Nell with a brassy confidence that vaguely evokes the spirit of Eliza Doolittle. It was a joy to see Pitt-Pulford bring to life such a lively, unapologetic character.

Though this is an excellent cast across the board, another standout is Esh Alladi‘s Edward Kynaston, an actor who has made a career playing female roles and is threatened by the rise of actresses. Kynaston was a historical figure, and he has already gotten plenty of fictional treatment in the play Compleat Female Stage Beauty and its film adaptation Stage Beauty. Nell Gwynn smartly reimagines Kynaston as a kind of flamboyant policy nerd about theatre. He is obsessed with every nuance of text and performance. Alladi is fun to watch even in scenes where he lacks a line, as he pouts and lurks with comedic prowess.

The play is purposefully light: in many ways, it imitates Nell’s desire to stay away from politics by, well, staying away from politics. We get hints of a succession crisis. We get utterances that Nell is political – whether or not she wants to be – by virtue of the fact that she is a working-class woman in a powerful man’s world. But the play refuses to engage too deeply with these themes and contents itself with being more about bawdy laughs than high-brow drama. Still, that decision works in the context of the play and what it’s trying to accomplish: this is unabashedly a comedy that celebrates matters of heart over matters of state.

Jessica Swale is reportedly working on a film adaptation of her play. While this will certainly bring the story to a wider audience, it will not replicate the experience of seeing this play on stage and performed by such fine talent. This is a play about the magic, mystery, and transformative power of theatre – after all, thanks to her roles onstage, Nell literally rose from the gutters to live a life of comfort. This play may not transform you; but it is guaranteed to transport you, delight you, and leave you wanting more.

The English Touring Theatre production of Nell Gwynn will continue touring the U.K. until it returns to its original home at Shakespeare’s Globe on May 2. 

Photo Credit: Tristram Kenton