Nell Gwynn
by Jessica Swale
15-22nd November 2025, 7.30pm
Fun, Funny and Joyous, with a cast of 20, a band, merry dances and naughty songs
London, 1660. King Charles II has ascended to the English throne and restores theatre and performance following the Puritanical reign of Oliver Cromwell. He lives a hedonistic lifestyle, with a love of all things flamboyant, extravagant and sexy.
At the playhouse in Drury Lane, orange-hawker, Nell Gwynn, is making waves of her own.
When she takes to the stage as one of the first female actors, she causes bawdy havoc in a male-dominated world, and soon comes to the attention of the King. Rising from her roots in the slums, she becomes the nation’s most celebrated actress and, infamously, the favourite mistress of the King.
However, her meteoric rise to fame comes with its own dangers. With her family and her friends at risk, Nell must decide where her future lies….on the stage or at the Palace.
Jessica Swale’s play about the orange-seller turned actor cannily mixes Carry On gags with an explicitly feminist message. Lots of music, comedy, bawdy laughs, great costumes and a great set.
Cast
Nell Gwynn
| Poppy Skinner |
Charles Hart | Glen Fawcett |
Thomas Killigrew | Vince Bowers |
Edward Kynaston | Mark Hobson |
John Dryden | Jake Scott |
Nancy | Samantha Wadsworth |
Ned Spiggott | James Riley |
Rose Gwynn | Natalie Slater |
Ma Gwynn | Lorraine Reynolds |
Charles II | Chesney Talbot |
Lord Arlington | Andrew Wilson |
Queen Catherine | Corinne Bailey |
Lady Castlemaine | Angela Walsh |
Louise de Kerouille | Kate Hanss |
William | Martin Wadsworth |
| Musicians | Ian F Ball & Martin Wadsworth |
| Ensemble | Issy Parks |
| Imogen Turner | |
| Amalie Popplewell |
|
Crew
Director | Carol Davies |
PA | Pauline Walsh |
Musical Directors | Martin Wadsworth & Ian F Ball |
Choreographer | Katie Illingworth |
Prompt | Anne Wright |
Sound | Patrick Warrington |
Lighting | Bob Critchley |
Props | Jo Taylor & Cath Bradbury |
Costume | Sue Lund & team |
Set Design | Sally McKee |
Set Building & painting | Sally McKee & David McKee, Richard Thackray, Mandy Thackray |
Stage Manager | Sue Borg |
Publicity | David Ebden, Richard Wallis, Martin & Val Kavanagh, Sam Al-Hamdani |
Photography | Alan Gorst |