Nell Gwynn

“An actor-ess? It’ll never last...”

Jessica Swale’s Nell Gwynn is a joyous, bawdy and big-hearted comedy about one of England’s first actresses.

It’s 1660: the theatres have reopened after years of Puritan rule and, for the first time, women are taking to the professional stage. Enter Nell – an orange seller with a quick wit, a natural gift for comedy and an irrepressible determination to make the most of every opportunity that comes her way. A woman who learns to command a stage, without losing the warmth and charm that makes people fall in love with her.

As Nell’s world expands, so does the stage she’s performing on – from the playhouse, surrounded by its actors, audiences, gossips and hangers-on, to the grandest stage of all, the court of King Charles II. Funny and saucy, it’s a celebration of theatre and the people who make it.

Emma J Leaver says: “I love comedy with real heart, and Nell Gwynn has both in abundance. Nell is outrageous, quick-witted and gloriously unfiltered, but there’s a kindness and openness underneath all of that which I find incredibly appealing – she loves readily and genuinely, and you understand why people love her back.

“What also fascinates me is Nell’s constantly shifting sense of identity. She’s an orange seller, an actress, a sister, a lover and eventually part of the royal court, but she’s continually working out which of those roles define her and what she’s prepared to give up – or not give up – for the others. There’s something very modern in that tension, particularly for women: the expectation that we can somehow reconcile ambition, love, family and our own sense of self without compromising any of them.

“And I’m really excited by the play-within-a-play nature of the show. We move between performance, rehearsal and backstage, and I want to have fun letting the audience see some of the creativity, chaos and teamwork that goes into making theatre. That feels particularly lovely for a Sedos audience, because it’s a world so many of us know incredibly well.”

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Nell Gwynn pays at the Bridewell Theatre from 16-20 March 2027.

CONTENT WARNINGS: strong language; sexual references and innuendo; references to sex work/prostitution; misogynistic and discriminatory attitudes reflective of the period

Nell Gwynn
By Jessica Swale

An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books