Pretty Witty Nell

Friday 14th March 2008

8pm

£10 (£9 conc)

Lyme Regis is long associated with the Roundheads cause, so will people come and see this one-woman play about the life of Nell Gwyn, the most popular mistress of Charles II?  However, it was from these shores that Charles II made his escape to France. He stayed a night in the Queen’s Arms Inn in Charmouth and then escaped from Bridport down Lee Lane.  The play is at the Marine Theatre on Friday 14 March at 8pm £10  with £9 Concessions, all tickets available from Lyme TIC

 “The king may be your Charles II, but he’s Charles III to me - I had a couple of Charlies before him” says Nell of her famous lover. With the King on his death bed, and creditors knocking on her door, Nell recalls her radiant life.  Born in the gutters of Covent Garden, by sheer force of wit and charm, she became the most glittering actress, and best loved character, of her day.  Surviving the Plague and the Great Fire (but not quite the Pox), Pepys adored her, and Dryden wrote plays for her. The people were entranced by her.  Nell Gwyn’s life with Charles lasted for 18 turbulent years.  The king’s last words were of her.

Pretty Witty Nell is written and performed by Caroline Harding and directed by Chris Gascoyne  who has also directed Coronation Street,.The play is presented by TWO FRIENDS PRODUCTIONS which was  founded in 2000 by Caroline along with Candida Gubbins, actresses who met way back in the mists of time at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The company has been highly praised by the national press “Exquisite………..small but perfectly formed”  The Times - critic’s choice. “Delightful surprises like this is what the Edinburgh festival’s all about”  Daily Mail

Along side Caroline’s performances in The Plantagenets, Much Ado, Mary and Lizzie, King John, Some Americans Abroad at the Royal Shakespeare Company she has been on all the major stages in London, including the highly praised All God’s Chillun Got Wings at the Almeida She has also appeared on television in  the renowned Life on Mars, Emmerdale, Eastenders, Juliet in the series Fish, Doctors, Casualty, Dangerfield, Touch of Frost, Degrees of Error, Waiting for God, Old Boy Network, Strictly Confidential, The Royal, The Bad Mother‘s Handbook