Nell Gwynn (play)

Last updated

Nell Gwynn is a play by the British playwright Jessica Swale, begun in 2013 [1] and premiering at Shakespeare's Globe from 19 September to 17 October 2015. [2] It deals with the life of Nell Gwynn, mistress of Charles II, and her part in the theatre of the 17th century. Gugu Mbatha-Raw played the title role in the production debut. [3]

Contents

Plot

Hearing Nell Gwynn heckle at the playhouse, Charles Hart decides to train her as an actress, just before women are first allowed on the London stage—the pair also become lovers. When Charles II grants permission for women to act, Nell joins Hart in the King's Company. Her admission to the Company is backed by its writer John Dryden, director Thomas Killigrew, and most of the actors except Edward Kynaston, who had previously played the company's female parts. Charles II continues his affair with Lady Castlemaine although his queen Catherine objects. Soon afterwards Charles sees Nell onstage and is greatly attracted to her. He visits her backstage and the pair begin an affair, which eventually leads to a rupture between her and Hart.

Nell also faces threats from Lady Castlemaine and from Charles's chief minister Arlington, who try to get her to give up Charles, or to choose between him and the theatre. These culminate in a violent attack on Nell's sister Rose, instigated by Arlington. Instead of giving up Charles, Nell moves into apartments provided by the king. She is visited by her sister Rose and their mother Ma Gwynn. Nell attends fewer rehearsals, leading to tensions with the Company. A French diplomatic party arrives and Arlington orchestrates Charles into taking Louise de Kéroualle as his mistress. When Charles and de Kéroualle attend the theatre, Nell publicly pokes fun at the French woman.

Rose visits Nell at court alone to announce Ma's death and berate Nell for not visiting them. On Nell's advice Charles dissolves the Exclusion Bill Parliament, including Arlington. Nell takes her revenge by having him appointed as the royal dog-walker. Nell and Charles live together happily, but Charles suffers an apoplectic fit (stroke) whilst they are playing croquet, dying soon afterwards. Nell is excluded from his deathbed. Soon afterwards, she decides to return to King's Company full-time, reconcile with Hart and appear in Dryden's Tyrannick Love . As she is out of practice, she gives the lead role to Kynaston, but insists on speaking an epilogue which she writes; it closes both Dryden's and Swale's plays.

Cast and characters

Shakespeare's Globe, 2015 [4] West End, 2016 [5] UK Tour, 2017 [6] US Premiere, 2018 [7] East Coast Premiere, 2019 [8]
Nell Gwynn Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gemma Arterton Laura Pitt-Pulford Scarlett Strallen Alison Luff
Thomas KilligrewRichard Katz Michael Garner Clive HaywardBrett TuomiNigel Gore
Lord Arlington David Rintoul Michael Cochrane Larry YandoJeff Keogh
NancyAmanda Lawrence Michele Dotrice Mossie Smith Natalie West Catherine Flye (and Ma Gwynn)
John DrydenGraham Butler Nicholas Shaw Nicholas BishopChristopher SheardMichael Glenn
Lady Castlemaine / Louise de KéroualleSasha Waddell Pandora Clifford Emily Gardner Xu HallRegina Aquino
Rose GwynnAnneika RosePepter LunkuseEmma LadjiCaitlin Cisco
Ned Spigget Angus Imrie Peter McGovernGeorge JenningsRichard DavidAlex Michell
Edward KynastonGreg HaisteEsh Alladi David Bedella Christopher Dinolfo
Queen Katherine / Old Ma Gwynn Sarah Woodward Joanne Howarth Hollis Resnik Zoe Speas (Queen Katherine only)
Charles HartJay TaylorSam MarksJohn TuftsQuinn Franzen
Charles II David Sturzaker Ben RightonTimothy Edward KaneR.J. Foster

Premiere production

Playwright Jessica Swale and star Gugu Mbatha-Raw were long-term friends before making the play. The play courted controversy because Mbatha-Raw, a mixed-race woman, was cast to play Nell Gwynn, a historical white figure. Playwright Swale defended the choice saying, "It's sort of frustrating that the question comes up, but I think it's really important to say that it's not a factor." [9] Mbatha-Raw expressed frustration with the issue of her race being raised, saying, "I've played Juliet and she's supposed to be Italian, and I'm not Italian, and I've played Ophelia and she was in theory Danish. I think with theatre hopefully if you have the essence of a person it doesn't matter so much what you look like." [10] Mbatha-Raw was nominated for Best Actress at the 2015 Evening Standard Theatre Awards for the role. [11]

The premiere production transferred to the Apollo Theatre, where it played from 4 February to 30 April 2016, with the lead role taken over by Gemma Arterton. [11] [12] The play was revived as a touring production by English Touring Theatre in 2017 with Laura Pitt-Pulford as Nell, including a run at Shakespeare's Globe in May. [13] [14]

Subsequent productions

Original director Christopher Luscombe helmed the US premiere of the play at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from 20 September to 4 November 2018. The cast consisted of both local Chicago actors and veteran West End actors Scarlett Strallen as Nell Gwynn and David Bedella as Edward Kynaston. [15]

In 2019, Robert Richmond directed the East Coast premiere at Folger Theatre (January 29 - March 10) in a production that featured Broadway's Alison Luff as Nell Gwynn, Quinn Franzen as Charles Hart, and R. J. Foster as King Charles II. [16]

Adaptation

A film adaptation is currently in development [17] [18] [19] [20] ("sold to Hollywood for screen adaptation"), [21] [22]

Awards and nominations

Original West End Production

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2015 Evening Standard Awards Best Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw Nominated
2016 Laurence Olivier Awards Best New ComedyWon
Best Actress Gemma Arterton Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Michele Dotrice Nominated
Best Costume DesignHugh DurrantNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland</span> English royal mistress

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Countess of Castlemaine, was an English royal mistress of the Villiers family and perhaps the most notorious of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England, by whom she had five children, all of them acknowledged and subsequently ennobled. Barbara was the subject of many portraits, in particular by court painter Sir Peter Lely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Gwyn</span> English royal mistress and celebrity (1650–1687)

Eleanor Gwyn was an English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage, she became best known for being a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Kynaston (actor)</span> English actor

Edward Kynaston was an English actor, one of the last Restoration "boy players", young male actors who played women's roles.

<i>Stage Beauty</i> 2004 film by Richard Eyre

Stage Beauty is a 2004 romantic period drama directed by Richard Eyre. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play Compleat Female Stage Beauty, which was inspired by references to 17th-century actor Edward Kynaston made in the detailed private diary kept by Samuel Pepys.

Aureng-zebe is a Restoration drama by John Dryden, written in 1675. It is based loosely on the figures of Aurangzeb (Aureng-zebe), the then-reigning Mughal Emperor of India; his brother, Murad Baksh (Morat); and their father, Shah Jahan (Emperor). The piece is the last drama that Dryden wrote in rhymed verse. It is considered his best tragic work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Dromgoole</span> British theatre director and writer

Dominic Dromgoole is an English theatre director and writer about the theatre who has recently begun to work in film. He lives in Hackney with his three daughters and partner Sasha Hails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Hughes</span> British actress (1630–1719)

Margaret Hughes, also Peg Hughes or Margaret Hewes, was an English actress who is often credited as the first professional actress on the English stage, as a result of her appearance on 8 December 1660. Hughes was the mistress of the English Civil War general Prince Rupert of the Rhine.

Louise Anne Beris Fiona Robey is a Canadian former actress, singer and model. During much of her career, she used only her last name Robey as a stage name. She is best known for her role as Micki Foster in the television series Friday the 13th: The Series (1987–1990).

Michael Kahn CBE is an American theater director and drama educator. He was the artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. from 1986 until his retirement in 2019. He held the position of Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School from 1992 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gugu Mbatha-Raw</span> British actress (born 1983)

Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw is an English actress. She began acting at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and gained acclaim for her roles as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Octavia in Anthony and Cleopatra in 2005 at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. She made her West End and Broadway debut portraying Ophelia in Hamlet in 2009. For her role as the titular character in Jessica Swale's 2015 play Nell Gwynn, she received an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress nomination.

Angus William Jake Imrie is a British actor. He is known for playing the character Josh Archer in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial The Archers. In 2014, he won the casting agency Spotlight's Most Promising Actor Award at The Sunday Times's National Student Drama Festival. The son of the actors Celia Imrie and Benjamin Whitrow, he made his screen debut in the BBC film drama Station Jim, at the age of five.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemma Arterton</span> English actress (born 1986)

Gemma Christina Arterton is an English actress. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy St Trinian's (2007). She portrayed Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008), a performance which won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and spy Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad in the action war film The King's Man (2021).

<i>Nell Gwyn</i> (1926 film) 1926 film by Herbert Wilcox

Nell Gwyn is a 1926 British silent romance film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Dorothy Gish, Randle Ayrton and Juliette Compton. It was based on the 1926 novel Mistress Nell Gwyn by Marjorie Bowen and follows the life of Nell Gwynne, the mistress of Charles II. Wilcox later made a second version of the film in 1934, Nell Gwynn which starred Anna Neagle.

<i>The Childrens Monologues</i> 2010 play, revived several times

The Children's Monologues is a theatrical performance featuring the adapted stories of children's first-hand experiences in South Africa. It was directed by Danny Boyle and first produced as a one-off charity performance in November 2010 at the Old Vic Theatre in London in aid of Danny Boyle's arts charity Dramatic Need. An anniversary performance was produced the Royal Court Theatre in London on 25 October 2015 as an anniversary gala, and it premiered in New York City at Carnegie Hall in 2017. The shows were also produced at theatres in South Africa around the same times.

Jessica Swale is a British playwright, theatre director and screenwriter. Her first play, Blue Stockings, premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013. It is widely performed by UK amateur companies and is also studied on the Drama GCSE syllabus. In 2016, her play Nell Gwynn won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, after it transferred from the Globe to the West End, starring Gemma Arterton as the eponymous heroine. She also wrote and directed the feature film Summerland (2020).

Flora Spencer-Longhurst is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the CBBC series Leonardo (2011), and the FX series The Bastard Executioner (2015).

<i>Beyond the Lights</i> 2014 film

Beyond the Lights is a 2014 American romantic drama film written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Machine Gun Kelly, and Danny Glover. The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2014, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 14, 2014. In 2015, the song "Grateful" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embankment Films</span> British film and television company

Embankment Films is a British film and television sales and production company based in London, England.

<i>Miss Sloane</i> 2016 film by John Madden

Miss Sloane is a 2016 political thriller film directed by John Madden and written by Jonathan Perera. The film stars Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, John Lithgow, and Sam Waterston. The film follows Elizabeth Sloane, a fierce lobbyist, who fights in an attempt to pass gun control legislation.

<i>Summerland</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Jessica Swale

Summerland is a 2020 British drama film written and directed by Jessica Swale, starring Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Dixie Egerickx, Siân Phillips, Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay.

References

  1. ↑ Morrison, Sarah (10 August 2013). "Jessica Swale Interview: Woman on Fire" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18.
  2. ↑ "Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale". Shakespeare's Globe.
  3. ↑ Rooney, David (3 July 2015). "Gugu Mbatha-Raw to Return to London Stage". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale / Shakespeare's Globe". www.shakespearesglobe.com. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  5. ↑ "Nell Gwynn / Shakespeare's Globe". www.shakespearesglobe.com. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  6. ↑ "English Touring Theatre". www.ett.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  7. ↑ "Chicago Shakespeare Theater Nell Gwynn" . Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  8. ↑ "Nell Gwynn (play)", Wikipedia, 2019-05-28, retrieved 2019-05-28
  9. ↑ Williams, Holly (11 September 2015). "Gugu Mbatha-Raw on swapping Hollywood for Shakespeare's Globe to play Nell Gwynn" . Independent.co.uk . Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Harvey, Chris (19 September 2015). "Gugu Mbatha-Raw: 'Is my very existence provocative?'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Gemma Arterton to play Nell Gwynn in West End". The Guardian. 27 November 2015.
  12. ↑ "Nell Gwynn: Best New Comedy – Olivier Awards 2016". Shakespeare's Globe.
  13. ↑ "Nell Gwynn: Wed 1 March - Sat 4 March". The Lowry Art and Entertainment.
  14. ↑ "Nell Gwynn: 2-13 May 2017". Shakespeare's Globe.
  15. ↑ "Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Nell Gwynn".
  16. ↑ dpolk (2018-03-08). "Nell Gwynn". Folger Shakespeare Library. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
  17. ↑ https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/nell_gwynn/
  18. ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/10/sex-educations-emma-mackey-working-titles-nell-gwynn-1234593064/
  19. ↑ https://womenandhollywood.com/working-title-acquires-film-rights-to-jessica-swales-hit-play-nell-gwynn-32639944289b/
  20. ↑ https://britishperioddramas.com/news/nell-gwynn-movie-jessica-swale-emma-mackey/
  21. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/theater-dance/jessica-swales-historical-comedy-aims-to-restore-nell-gwynns-luster/2019/01/23/0a934558-1d9e-11e9-8e21-59a09ff1e2a1_story.html
  22. ↑ https://deadline.com/2020/10/sex-educations-emma-mackey-working-titles-nell-gwynn-1234593064/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.