The Compleate Female Stage Beauty

A beautiful set greeted me when I went into the theatre; perfectly carved wooden panels (which I later found out to be made from wall insulation) complimented with authentic looking decoration for the era; teamed with live music being performed by Mags Layton and her violin.  I knew I was in for a treat.

Corinne Woodgate opened the show as Nell Gywnn and went from strength to strength as the show progressed. She had natural stage presence and comedy, and was instantly likeable as a naïve young girl.  Mark Tree played the role of King Charles 2nd, suitably pompous as the king, commanding the attention of his subjects with his strong clear voice and physicality.

Philip John Hart was outstanding as Edward Kynaston. He took us on a journey from an actor adored by so many, into his self-destructive life, and back to greatness when he shows his worth as ‘an actor’.  His tumultuous relationship with Maria played by Caroline Dunsmuir was depicted brilliantly; Caroline displayed so many emotions as we discovered how Maria feels about Edward. Emily Barnes played the role of Margaret Hughes with ease, with great tension between Mrs Hughes and Ned clear throughout the piece, culminating in the dramatic lesson in acting he gives towards the end of the piece to save the bad acting.

A great contribution from Kevin Stemp as Betterton, who was able to lead the scenes as an actor and then portray a different person ‘off stage’; and the role of Villiers played by Colin Smith as the lover who leaves Edward and starts his downward spiral, and Chris Piper as Sir Charles Sedley the most pompous of all the upper class men.  The time line is cleverly pieced together by Samuel Pepys who is always making notes in his book, a great role delivered well by Jesse Powis.  Supported by Fabienne Hanley as Countess Du Frayne and Sally Ransom as Lady Meresvale - both giving confident performances as the upper class ladies; the rest of the company delivering the remainder of the supporting roles.

The production overall was wonderful. The costumes really worked for the piece, and there was lots of attention to detail. The lighting was complimentary with flickering candles and dim lighting and the sound effects worked well with the production.  There were places that lacked a little pace but I put this down to it being opening night.  Again, the scene changes were quite long but these were generally covered by the violinist.  This witty script, combined with the direction by Christine Davidson, led to a very successful show. 

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