Theatre Review | Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale

'They've disgraced our trade. Ruined our art. They've put a woman on the stage!'

I'm here with a little something different today. I don't tend to review plays mainly because I don't tend to see them that often; when I go to the theatre, which isn't as often as I might like, it's usually to see a musical or a ballet, but very rarely a play. In fact before I went to see Nell Gwynn I couldn't even remember when I last saw a play - probably during the last year of my undergrad when I went to see The Winter's Tale, around two or three years ago.

It was my birthday on the 10th October, and myself and three of my friends spent the weekend in London so we could go and see this play. I've been fascinated by Nell Gwynn for years; a 17th century woman who started out life as an orange-seller, then became an actress, and then became probably the most famous of Charles II's many mistresses. She was boisterous and cheeky and vivacious, and I was so happy to see someone had finally written about her and given her a story, and that the person to have done so was a woman.

Jessica Swale previously wrote the play Blue Stockings, so I was pretty confident that she could bring Nell to life, and with Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the starring role, how could she not? Mbatha-Raw is probably most famous for playing Dido Elizabeth Belle in the 2013 period film Belle, directed by Amma Asante. What I really loved about this is that Swale and Mbatha-Raw have been friends for years, much like Nell Gwynn's own good friendship with the 17th century writer, and spy, Aphra Behn.

Nell Gwynn (left) and Aphra Behn (right) were good friends; Aphra even dedicated one of her plays to Nell.

The play follows Nell from her discovery by Charles Hart, an actor and eventually one of Nell's lovers who introduced her to the stage, through to her meeting Charles II and her life afterwards when she tries to juggle being an actress on the stage while also being an actress at court, not to mention her strong feelings for the king.

The thing I loved most about this play? It was funny. And I don't mean 'ah yes I see what you did there' funny, I mean 'ow my ribs hurt' funny. Swale's script is fantastic - it's full of dirty jokes, as Renaissance plays so often were - and the actors were brilliant; Amanda Lawrence, who recently appeared in Suffragette, played the part of Nell's friend and confidante, Nancy, and she was a comedic genius. Some actors have a real talent for comedy, and she has it in waves. I also loved David Sturzaker's portrayal of Charles II - he was so much fun and, despite the rather ridiculous wigs men wore back then, really quite sexy.

I also appreciated that Swale didn't fail to mention the fact that Charles was never a one woman at a time kind of man. In fact I was rather surprised that the two of them declared their love for one another in the play, as I'd always thought of the two of them as having a 'friends with benefits' kind of relationship. Charles had other mistresses alongside Nell, and though Nell often teased them there are also accounts of her playing chess with his other mistresses. Ultimately, the real Nell knew what she was there for, and it's believed that Charles favoured her so much because she knew how to have a laugh. I imagine there was a very deep connection there - on his deathbed Charles asked his successor, his brother James II, to 'let not poor Nelly starve'. James kept his promise and Nell received £150 a year for the rest of her life, which is about £150,000 in today's money - but I don't think they were 'in love' in the traditional sense.

I'll admit I was a little bit disappointed that Aphra Behn didn't appear in the play. She's briefly mentioned, but she doesn't make an appearance; I suppose if she had Swale might have had to try and fit too much into one play, but considering the two of them were such good friends it would have nice to catch just a glimpse of her.

Before Nell Gwynn I'd never been to The Globe before and I'm so glad to have seen this play there. It's such an interactive theatre, especially if you stand by the stage. (We booked seats for the balcony so we could see everything instead, which was just as good!)

I just really enjoyed this play. If I could go and see it again I would, and I'm hoping it goes on tour so people who couldn't get to London can see it elsewhere. It's so bizarre to think that there was a once a time in which people thought that letting women act would bring about the end of theatre; one of the characters, whose name I've completely forgotten, is rather put out because he always plays the female roles, and when Nell joins their troupe he has something of a tantrum: 'No woman can play a woman as well as I can play a woman!'

There was also a fantastic line, delivered by the wonderful Amanda Lawrence to a character who is a playwright, which was probably my favourite line in the entire play: 'If women play women, you won't have to write them so feminine anymore.'

I really hope this play is performed again, and when it is I hope you get the chance to see it. It's wonderful!

Top Ten Tuesday | They See Me Haulin'...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is the 'Last Ten Books That Came Into My Possession', and because I can't control myself I'm always acquiring new books.

I got back from Rome last night after an amazing holiday and I'm back at work tomorrow. I'm pretty tired, but it felt wrong to miss out on Top Ten Tuesday!

From my most recent backwards, here are the last ten books I've bought:

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee: I only read To Kill a Mockingbird for the very first time last month, but I loved it and not long after I finished it I pre-ordered a pretty hardback copy of Go Set a Watchman and it arrived today! I'm looking forward to seeing what adulthood made of Scout.

Wytches, Vol.1 by Scott Snyder and Jock: I love Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's American Vampire series, and when I heard Snyder was writing another graphic novel series about witches I had to have it. This is another one I pre-ordered, and it arrived the day I left for Rome so I'm looking forward to reading it!

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: I was hardly going to come home from Rome without a new book. I tried desperately to find an Italian version of Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, purely because I really like the film and I liked the idea of owning a book set in Italy in Italian, but I couldn't find a copy. I found a little copy of this, however, in the gift shop at the Colosseum and fell in love with it. I've never owned a book of philosophy, but I started flicking through this and I couldn't resist it. Some of it's really funny and some of it's incredibly thoughtful. I'm going to enjoy dipping in and out of this.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: I found a brand new hardback edition of this for just £2 in The Works, so I snapped it up! I have yet to read any Yancey, but I've heard primarily good things.

The King's Mistress by Claudia Gold: I also found a hardback edition of this in The Works for just £4, and I picked it up for the simple reason that it's about a woman I'd never heard of. I like historical nonfiction and I love my historical ladies, but as much as I'm a history enthusiast I know very little about the whole Georgian and Regency periods so I thought this book might make for an interesting read!

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan: I'll be honest, the main reason I picked this up is because of the gorgeous cover. I have the hardback edition, and the cover is even more stunning beneath the dustjacket. I do also love the sound of plot and I've heard a lot of great reviews, plus it turns out one of the author's favourite children's books is Roald Dahl's The Magic Finger, which is also one of mine. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier: I already own this and I've already read it, but I decided to treat myself to the VMC edition to match my copy of Jamaica Inn.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: Same again here, I've read it and owned another copy but I wanted this pretty one!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik: So I've heard nothing but amazing things about this one, including a rave review from my lovely friend Natalie, and I so rarely come across standalone fantasies that I couldn't resist buying this stunning hardcover. I'm reading it right now, and enjoying it so far!

The Secret Life of Aphra Behn by Janet Todd: This is another piece of historical nonfiction all about Aphra Behn, a woman who wrote novels, plays and poetry during the 17th century. She was also employed as a spy in Antwerp by Charles II, and was good friends with his mistress, Nell Gwynn, an actress whom she dedicated one of her plays to. Basically she's one of my heroes and I can't wait to learn more about her.

Which books made your list?

Top Ten Tuesday | Authors I Wish I Could Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!

This week's theme is 'Ten Authors I REALLY Want to Meet'. I decided to change this week's just a little, because some of the authors I really wish I could meet are dead.

Daphne du Maurier: I finally started reading du Maurier last year and absolutely fell in love with her. I think she was a genius, and I'd love to meet her in Menabilly, the house that inspired Manderley, and go for a stroll around the gardens with her.

Shirley Jackson: Yet another modern classic genius. I don't read much horror because not only do I scare easily (seriously I can't even watch Shaun of the Dead on my own, that's how pathetic I am) but I never find many stories in the genre that interesting. Jackson is the exception. I've loved everything of hers I've read so far, and all of it has given me the creeps. Her power isn't in what she says, but in what she doesn't say.

Anne Brontë: To be honest I'd quite happily meet all of the Brontës, but I'd love to meet Anne in particular. I love her writing, and as I've so often said she's been the forgotten Brontë too long. I'd love to tell her there are plenty of people, myself included, who think she was fantastic.

Mary Shelley: I mean the woman was only 18 when she basically created sci-fi as we now know it. Frankenstein is one of my favourite books of all time, and I'd love to meet this lady. I imagine she'd have a lot of fascinating stories to tell.

Aphra Behn: I haven't actually read any of Behn's work yet, but as well as being a 17th century woman writer, who wrote everything from plays to poetry to fiction, she was also employed as a spy in Antwerp by Charles II. She's just cool.

J. K. Rowling: Yeah, I know this is probably a really unoriginal answer, but this woman was a huge part of my childhood, and I'd love the chance to thank her for that.

Seanan McGuire: Will I ever stop talking about this lady? Probably not. I love her, and I'd love to meet her, even though I'd probably just gush like a huge idiot.

Marissa Meyer: I adore The Lunar Chronicles, and I'd love to meet this lady to tell her just that. Her retellings are so original, and I can't wait to get my hands on Winter later this year! Feel free to check out my reviews of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Fairest!

G. Willow Wilson: I love what she's done with the Ms. Marvel comics (I've reviewed the first two volumes here and here!), and I'd love the chance to thank her for writing Kamala Khan so beautifully. She's one of the best characters to come out of Marvel in years, in my opinion, and I'm looking forward to reading Volume 3.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia: This lady wrote Signal to Noise (reviewed here!), which is probably my favourite book of the year so far, so I'd absolutely love to meet her. I just want to hug her, really, and thank her for writing such a brilliant book.

Who made your list this week?