Seizing my first opportunity to watch the skills of this year’s Third Year Acting Students at Northampton University, I settled down for the matinee of Jessica Swale’s Nell Gwynn in the Royal on Thursday afternoon. A challenging choice indeed, with comedy at the forefront even before the show starts, with the Gwynn sisters offering their oranges in the bar and in the aisles, and rowdy theatregoers cat-calling from the stalls. I had to make my way past one of these reprobates to get to my seat and they certainly helped to create that lawless Restoration vibe on which the play thrives.

It’s the story of the one and only Nell Gwynn, plucked from the shadows of wayward fruitmongering by the renowned actor Charles Hart to break the unwritten rules of the theatre at the time and become an actor (or indeed, as the show puts it, an actor-ess). Outrageous to think that a female could possibly portray a woman on stage; how on earth would they know how to go about it? But Nell is a big success, and catches the wandering eye of the King. Abandoning her family she lives the highlife, much to the annoyance of her fellow actors, taking the notion of a rehearsal as merely a serving suggestion. She becomes an influential figure at Court, but, because she is still essentially the commonest of commoners, is instantly a nobody again when King Charles pops his clogs. Nevertheless, she still has the last word.

With plenty of lively characters and a witty, anarchic script to relish, there is a lot here into which the Acting Students can get their teeth. Heading the cast is Charlotte Biseker as Nell Gwynn, and what a terrific stage presence she has! A powerful voice, and an excellent feel for the comedy, she gives a performance full of commitment and versatility, leading the cast in several musical numbers. As her sister Rose Gwynn, Rose George makes a strong contrast by mining all the seriousness of the story and attempting to keep a check on Nell’s flighty attitudes. She commands the audience’s attention throughout.

The King is played by George Pavey with rumbustious confidence and excellent presence – there is a hint of the James Corden about his style and that can only be A Good Thing. With a much quieter approach, but equally successful, is Henry Rutter as Hart, giving an intelligent and sincere performance. A small point: Mr R does have a tendency to talk through the laughter of the previous line; experience will solve that!

With three parts to grapple with, Tobias Bradley does an excellent job of giving us three distinctly different characterisations. His Edward Kynaston, the actor whose nose Nell puts fully out of joint, is a crowd pleaser full of over-the-top outrage; I wonder if perhaps a little less hysteria and a more stylised foppishness might give the performance more light and shade. Nevertheless, it’s a total tour-de-force.

Among the smaller roles, there’s another superb comedy performance from Kitty Jackson as Nancy, who shows superb comic ability through the character’s cheekiness and effervescence – she brightens up the stage whenever she appears. Harry Unwin gives a superb supporting performance as the long suffering Lord Arlington, very believable as he treads the delicate balance of sucking up to the King but also looking after affairs of state.

Alex Hayes has good stage presence as the director Killigrew, his patience wearing nicely thin whenever his troupe is difficult with him; Kate Dillingham gives good support as Ned and Nell’s justifiably cantankerous Ma; and, last but not least,Ines Dias gives an amusing portrayal of the uncertain and out-of-place playwright John Dryden.

Nell Gwynn is a good choice of play for this cast, its rowdy eccentricity requiring strong comedic skills tempered with a few scenes of genuinely emotional drama. The students acquitted themselves extremely well and I could certainly see how – with the right role at the right time – any number of them could go on to have a successful career in the theatre. Great work!

Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!