Nell Gwynn (New Theatre) – theatre review

Nell Gwynn, by Jessica Swale, won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2016.

In a large number of short scenes – it’s in two acts and almost three hours long – the play brings to life the career of Nell Gwynn (Bishanyia Vincent). She’s a young woman who grew up in Cheapside experiencing the rough side of life with her ‘old Ma Gwynn’ (Susan Jordan) and sister, Rose (Eleanor Ryan). The sisters became orange sellers (!) in the Kings Playhouse. Nell attracts the amorous attention of the leading actor, Charles Hart (Rupert Reid), who besides ‘bedding’ her, encourages and trains her in the arts of acting. With the Restoration, Charles II permitted women onto the stage, which he had become enamoured of in his French exile.

The real Nell first appeared in John Dryden’s (who appears here played by Steve Corner) Indian Emperor at the age of 15, and over time became a leading comic actress: “pretty witty Nell” as Samuel Pepys recorded in his famous diary of the times. At the age of 17 she became the mistress of the King, and grew a loyal place in the heat and heart of the King, who ensured that even after his death (1685) she would be kept. “Let not poor Nelly starve” were his last words, it seems. The heir to the throne, James II, in brotherly respect, paid off her debts, which she had accrued through a very generous lifestyle, and gave her a pension. She died at the age of 37 – well loved by the public.

This comic invention by Jessica Swale, creates a feisty young woman of wit and charm. She gives the episodic development a modern-day ‘spin’ of a ‘feminist’ at work in a patriarchal world. The writing style is briskly modern and, relatively, lightly sophisticated – straight to its contemporary ‘political’ points. It has the repartee of amusing banter ‘down flat’, able to be grasped by all. It’s similar to that of the cheeky pertness of Richard Curtis and Ben Elton’s television series Blackadder starring Rowan Atkinson.

Ms Swale’s play does not at all reflect the language of the period. It doesn’t employ the complicated comic circumlocutions of the actual Restoration play e.g. Wycherly’s The Country Wife (1675),  nor the contemporary brilliance that Stephen Jeffreys demonstrated in his play of the Restoration Theatre, The Libertine (1994). Generally, in this modern world, these seem to be literary and comprehension challenges for most contemporary actors and contemporary audiences, with their technical skills dictated by the iPhone twittering in their back pockets.

The director of this production, Deborah Jones, has taken on the challenge of the episodic structure and many set changes (set design by John Cervenka). These require a cast of 16 actors in Restoration ‘drag’ to be verbally witty, and occasionally to sing and dance (choreography by Virginia Ferris). Ms Jones copes within the limits of budget and available talent, and for the most part delivers a very pleasant winter’s night in the theatre. The clothing however defeats her and her costume designer, Deborah Mulhall. It’s, collectively, a visual ‘nightmare’; individually, though, some good work. I also felt that the last hour or so of the play needed more rehearsal as it began to lag in contrast to its earlier energy and crispness.

Bishanyia Vincent has the intelligence and attractive light witty comic style to sustain the journey of Nell throughout the play and handles her surrounding supporting actors with generosity. She has especially, good theatrical ‘chemistry’ with Rupert Reid, who warmly creates a man of patience and gentle wit. That’s not so obvious with her other major partner, Lloyd Allison-Young, as Charles II. Steven Ljubovic, as the displaced actor  who has impersonated the women in the company’s plays – Edward Kynaston – is amusing. Shan-Ree Tan, in a fairly thankless role as theatre company manager Thomas Killigrew, creates an impression; as does Eleanor Ryan in a non-comic role in a comic play. All the company seem to be having a good time and that’s infectious for the audience.

Nell Gwynn is a lightweight comedy, easy to digest. One wishes that Ms Swales’ character had some of the verbal grit that Elizabeth Barry, another actress of the Restoration period, had in The Libertine. We have seen other female characters of the stage of the Restoration period in Playhouse Creatures by April De Angelis (1993). That gave us Mrs Betterton and another version of Nell Gwynn. There’s still another woman who made her mark in what once was an exclusive realm of the man, Anne Bracegirdle – and, with such a nomenclature could be an interesting exploration.

Nell Gwynn is playing at the New Theatre, King St, Newtown until 8 September 2018.

Kevin Jackson
For more of Kevin Jackson’s theatre reviews, check out his blog at Kevin Jackson’s Theatre Diary

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