Nell Gwynn

Bolton Little Theatre

Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale follows the story of Nell’s journey from a brothel to the bed chamber of King Charles II.

From orange seller at the Drury Lane theatre to main attraction on the stage, Nell’s rise to fame did not go unnoticed by the Monarch who soon wooed her into his affections, and bed resulting in her rising in the ranks and moving in circles that the younger Nell could only dream of.

In the title role of Nell, Anna Tomkinson is perfectly cast as she show an astute acting ability accompanied by a superb singing voice that is put to good use throughout the piece, often unaccompanied, which was the icing on the cake for this great all round performance, executed with effortless conviction.

In support, her maid was in the very capable hands of Frances Clemmit.

This was a comedic performance that showed great comedy ability as each line was delivered just right, resulting in many laugh out loud moments. Very well done and never over-played.

As Nell enters the world of theatre, she is taken under the wing of Charles Hart, played with conviction by Peter Scofield who is no stranger to a dramatic performance and this one was no different – well measured and understated which is the measure of this extremely fine actor.

Drew Swankie made the part of King Charles II his own providing a confident performance as he seemingly clicks his fingers with an arrogant air to all who attend to him ­— a strong performance that shows the true promise of this relative newcomer to the world of theatre in Bolton.

Carol Butler’s characterisation of Old Ma Gwynn was bang on and oozed experience as she strutted the stage. A brilliant performance that deserved the response, in terms of laughter that it attracted, thanks to Carol’s ability to play subtle comedy to a tee.

Aiming to keep her sister on the straight and narrow, Charlotte Ashworth was the perfect Rose, who did her best to make Nell see sense and reason, but all to no avail.

Supporting roles by Jennifer Lee, Queen Catherine, Jacqui Brian, Lady Castlemain, and Simon Mott, Thomas Killigrew, all added to the success of this production.

Additional supporting roles were all adequate and added to the overall success of the production. The star of the show had to be the King Charles Spaniel ­—Coco or Charlie­— who was obedient and cute at the same time.

The impressive set, designed by Sandra Simpson, was used with great versatility as we were transported from one scene to the next with ease as the tale unfolded of Nell’s rise to fame and royalty. I must also mention Sandra’s lighting design which was key to making the moods of the piece come to life.

Sandra Simpson’s direction is clear to see as every nuance of characterisation for each of the 18 strong cast has been thought through in her bid to bring this relatively new piece to the BLT stage.

Paul Cohen

BATS