In the intimate setting of Orange Tree’s theatre-in-the-round, the 1660s came visiting. Charles II is on the throne, theatres have reopened, and there is a new creature on the stage – a female actor. The theatre, we are told, was once a bear pit and people came in to watch dancing bears. Now they come to see the women.
Directed by Michael Oakley, April De Angelis’ play about five actresses – who were among the very first women in the profession – brings to life real stories from the period. Some of the themes seem like lasting legacies of showbiz, like the way younger faces edge out the old, and pregnancy becoming a full-stop to vibrant careers.
Mrs Betterton and Mrs Marshall rule the roost, playing myriad roles from Amazon warriors to powerful queens, before thickly packed audiences often including the king. Mrs Farley joins them and is immediately a hit, soon finding herself in the royal palace, going up secret stairways. Doll Common plays minor rolls on stage, but also takes care of the theatre’s props and costumes, and above all, is its memory keeper. She was there when the bears were dancing, she will be there when the first actress retires from the stage. Into this comes Nell Gwyn, a sprightly young thing determined to be part of this glamorous world.
The women are friends and rivals, at once supporting each other and fighting the other for opportunities. Their shared experiences both on and off the stage tie them together, whether they want it or not.
When Mrs Marshall fashions a male figure out of a candle and sticks pins into it, it seems to represent to each woman something they resent. When they chant “toil and trouble” over the figurine, it is a moment of bonding like no other. Five women with different worldviews brought together by their life of being controlled and manipulated by men. Another intensely bonding scene is when Mrs Farley realises her pregnancy could put an end to her career and coaxes her colleagues into performing an abortion on her.
In this iteration of the play, it is impossible to pick one actor over the other – so dazzling were their performances. Anna Chancellor plays Mrs Betterton with poise and refinement, bringing out the character’s joy in her art and her heartbreak when she realises her time in the limelight is over. Katherine Kingsley infuses rebellious energy into her Mrs Marshall, who refuses to be defined by men. Nicole Sawyerr puts both the swagger of a fan favourite and the vulnerability of a young woman in trouble into Mrs Farley. Dona Croll as Doll Common and Zoe Brough as Nell Gwyn are equally standout, one older and world-weary and the other fresh-faced and eager.
Costumes by Fotini Dimou add richness to the narrative of each character. They go from plain and worn clothes to fineries as the young girls climb up the ladder of stardom, and from colourful and glittering to dull and grey when they leave the stage.
As the play ends, the scene returns to the dream sequence that the story had opened with. Nell and Doll look around at an empty theatre, where there are no hecklers, no voyeurs, no one telling them what to say or do, and Nell proclaims, “We can say anything we want!”
It was one of those performances where the audience stayed in its seats well after the actors left the stage, the lights came on, and the last bit of confetti settled on the floor, continuing to be immersed in that world they had just witnessed, chewing on that last line.
Playhouse Creatures is at Orange Tree Theatre until 12th April 2025. Tickets are on sale at https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/playhouse-creatures/
Reviewer: Savitha Venugopal
Reviewed: 21st March 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 5 out of 5.
