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REVIEW: Nell Gwyn: Theatre Royal

Nell Gwyn

Jessica Swale

Theatre Royal

It is 1660. The Puritans revolution has ended. Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, French and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is selling oranges for sixpence.  Her wit catches the attention of the theatre director who teaches her acting, a brand new thing for a woman on the stage.  Nell then catches the attention of the theatre’s patron, Charles II and become his mistress.

Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in working class London to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king. But at a time when women are second-class citizens,  and status is all,  she has to use her charm and spirit to protect her from the dangers of the court, settling herself into a comfortable place and never stopping being frank and fighting for herself and her dignity.  Writer Jessica Swale wrote this for the Globe and her vibrant take on life in the theatre in the 17th century is superb. Warm, funny, honest and with a lot of celebration of the theatre itself.  It worked well in the confines of the Theatre Royal, the rococo accoutrements adding a touch of ancient theatrical atmosphere to this play.

The cast are superb, with not a bum note from them, their comic timing works well, there’s some delicious flights of crazy fantasy, the interactions between theatre and court, king and court and man and his women are handled with a subtle grace. There are some wonderful contemporary jokes which brought applause from the audience and plenty of laughter abounded.  Swale has stuck firmly to the accepted history of Gwyn but added in a modern honest female perspective to allow us to see Gwyn as a real woman, in context of her restoration times, without any shame for her experiences and lead by her wit and charm.

Laura Pitt Pulford as Nell brings us a tender feisty women, knowing her value, resistant of societies mores and exploring the new opportunities given to women following the Puritan revolution. The relationship between Nell and King is believable and engages us from the start, there’s some superb cameo parts done with historical gusto, the indignant Queen; Catherine of Braganza was wonderful and the whole is a much bigger piece of theatre than its parts.

Its complex, multi layered but honest and my companion and I enjoyed the play immensely, it seemed longer than it was, in a good way holding our attention to the end,   and the honest working lives of the actors on stage were as interesting as the machinations of the Stuart Court. Stuffed full of innuendo and political observations as accurate as they are funny it’s a lovely combination of the vulgar and the charming, a reflection of Gwyn’s character and the bawdy times she lived in.  There’s no great exploration of Charles failings as a king, this is all about the lives of Women and it’s refreshing to see such a slew of well written female characters filled with life on stage.

The costumes and design from  Hugh Durrant are sumptuous and give the right amount of royal swish to the evening and the music from Nigel Hess and the on stage musicians frames the action and changes of pace well, highlighting more emotional moments and giving a feeling of an earlier age at the Theatre.  The English Touring Theatre who are producing this have done a great job in bringing this down to the Theatre Royal stage.

This was a warm and funny evening’s entertainment and a superb production of this delightful play by this talented crew.  Certainty worth getting out and watching and being inspired and charmed by this reconstruction of restoration theatre and the ground breaking changes wrought by Nell Gwynn and her fellow players. The full house gave a huge roar of approval at the end and wandered out into the night humming Nell’s songs.

Theatre Royal

Brighton

Until Sat 11th March

For more info or to buy tickets see the Theatre Royal Website here

 

 

PREVIEW: A double bill for International Women’s Day

A Monkey With Cymbals & Orange Girl Productions present a double-bill of Restoration women to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The Masks of Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn – spy, writer and female libertine – a one-woman show.

It’s 1677 and an audience getting ready to watch Aphra Behn’s The Rover are in for a surprise. For the show has been cancelled and in its place Aphra herself recounts the extraordinary tale of her time as a spy for King Charles II in the Dutch Wars, and how she became the first professional female writer. Complete with excerpts from Behn’s letters, poetry and plays, this vivid and thought-provoking one-woman show brings one of theatre’s most brilliant raconteurs back to life.

Written and performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Pradeep Jey.

 

Nell Gwyn: An Epilogue

The darling strumpet of the crowd. Nineteen-year-old Nell is celebrated for her comic acting but Charles Hart, her manager and former lover, keeps casting her in tragic roles in order to embarrass her in front of her new amour, King Charles II. So, aided by the audience in the Pit, she concocts a plan to win Hart round and consolidate her roles as both comedienne and king’s courtesan. A play about a woman’s choices and power – but mainly just good old bawdy fun.

With Lucy Formby as Nell, written by Laura Ingram and directed by Andrew Corelli Jones.

 


Event: The Masks of Aphra Behn and Nell Gwyn: An Epilogue

Where: Sweet Dukebox, The Iron Duke, 3 Waterloo Street, BN3 1AQ

When: Wednesday, March 8

Time: 6.30pm

Raise funds for Rise, the charity for victims of domestic violence

Volunteer litter pickers clean up the city

Residents from across the city got stuck into a series of Great British Spring Clean events over the weekend.

Despite unpredictable weather, residents turned out in force to help rid their neighbourhoods of unsightly litter.

Working with support from Brighton & Hove City Council staff, and armed with litter pickers, dozens of volunteers got together to tackle litter hotspots across the city.

In Brunswick and Adelaide ward 25 residents gathered at Waterloo Street Community Gardens before setting out in groups collecting 20 bags of rubbish from the ward.

Blakers Park cleanup

In Blakers Park a group of 10 adults and 9 children collected 12 bags of rubbish in an event organised by the Friends Group.

Members of the Friends of Three Cornered Copse were delighted when 30 residents, including seven children turned out to support their event and collected 35 bags of litter.

And at Hodshrove Woods, volunteers collected 17 bags of cans, wrappers, plastic, glass, broken furniture, discarded toys, garden waste and two tyres!

The event planned for Bevendean was cancelled but has been rescheduled for Sunday April 9.

Cllr Gill Mitchell

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “It’s great to see communities coming together to join the Great British Spring Clean and help us tidy up their neighbourhoods.”

“Not only are they improving the appearance of their neighbourhoods they are also encouraging residents to take more care of their local environment too.”

The events marked the launch of the national Great British Spring Clean event, run by the Keep Britain Tidy Group.

There’s still plenty of time for residents, communities and businesses to volunteer to clean up their local area.

The council has plenty of special Great British Spring Clean sacks available for community clean up events.

Equipment, including gloves litter pickers, brooms and sacks will be provided for anyone wanting to run or take part in an event and help rid the city of unsightly rubbish.

The council can also provide posters for communities and businesses to promote their events.

Anyone wanting to organise, or take part in an event should contact the Projects team on 01273 294726 or 01273 292929. 

Or Email: contractscityservices@brighton-hove.gov.uk

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