London, 1660. King Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, extravagant and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is causing stirrings amongst the theatregoers.
Jessica Swale's exhilarating take on the heady world of Restoration theatre tells of the rise of Nell, from her humble beginnings as an orange peddler to her success as one of England's most celebrated actress, and mistress of a king.
She's gutsy, fearless and talented, but at a time when women are second-class citizens, can Nell's charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the Court?
Though sparkling with ribald humour, cheeky double-entendres, rollicking songs, and a cast of larger-than-life characters, this loving tribute to the world of the theatre has an explicitly feminist message at its heart, celebrating a woman far ahead of her time.
New Theatre is thrilled to be presenting the Sydney premiere of this award-winning play, with director Deborah Jones returning to New Theatre, following on from her hit production of The Women (2016).
A number of the cast are also returning to New Theatre, including Bishanyia Vincent (Harvest, Top Girls) as Nell Gwynn, Lloyd Allison-Young (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Stupid f-ing Bird) as Charles II, Eleanor Ryan (The Women), Debra Bryan (Into The Woods, The Venetian Twins), and Steve Corner (The Lieutenant of Inishmore). Others in the ensemble cast including Kate Bookallil (The Village Bike/Old Fitz) and Rupert Reid (Julius Caesar/Sport For Jove; The Village Bike/Old Fitz), are making their New Theatre debuts.CREATIVE TEAM
Cast Lloyd Allison-Young, Kate Bookallil, Debra Bryan, Steve Corner,
Aimee Crighton, Susan Jordan, Simon Lee, Naomi Livingstone,
Steven Ljubovic, Peter Mountford, Genevieve Muratore, Rupert Reid,
Eleanor Ryan, Shan-Ree Tan, Adam Van den bok, Bishanyia Vincent
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