Opening tonight, Thursday 20 April, at Ilkley Playhouse is Jessica Swale’s exhilarating play Nell Gwynn.
King Charles ll has ascended to the English throne and restores theatre and performance following the Puritanical reign of Oliver Cromwell. He lives a hedonistic lifestyle, with a love of all things flamboyant, extravagant and sexy. At the playhouse in Drury Lane, orange-hawker Nell Gwynn is making waves of her own. When she takes to the stage as one of the first female actors, she causes bawdy havoc in a male dominated world and soon comes to the attention of the King. Rising from her roots in the slums, she becomes the nation's most celebrated actress and infamously, the favourite mistress of the King. However her rise to fame comes with its dangers. With her family and friends at risk, Nell must decide where her future lies....on the stage or at the Palace.
The play premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in 2015, before transferring to the West End in 2016, winning the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for that year.
Nell Gwynn runs until Saturday 29th April. Performances are at 7:30pm, except Saturday 22nd which is 14:30pm and there is no performance on Sunday 23rd April.
To book tickets visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or contact Ilkley Playhouse box office on 01943 609539.