Jessica Swale's
Nell Gwynn, which I put at number 4 in my Top Ten productions
of 2015, has made it to the West End for a deserved wider audience;
you can read myoriginal review of Christopher Luscombe's production here, from its run at
Shakespeare's Globe. With Hugh Durrant's design recreating a slightly smaller
version of the Globe's stage for the Apollo, much of my original review stands
(except for Sarah Woodward nicking someone in the audience's drink; harder to do on
a pros arch.) Of course, one major change is in the lead, Gugu Mbatha-Raw having had
filming commitments. But you couldn't have asked for a better replacement than Gemma
Arterton, who has just the right kind of charisma - much of it consisting of a
wicked sense of fun - to bring both the steely determination of the first-ever
female star actor, and her warmth to life. (And we already knew from her turn in
Made in Dagenham that Arterton could handle Nell's bawdy songs.)
