Historians have cast doubt on whether Nell Gwynne actually stayed at Lauderdale House, but for one night only the Restoration celebrity will be in residence at the Highgate landmark.
Nelly: A Folk Musical starts its nationwide tour at the Highgate arts centre where Charles II's mistress is said to have dangled their baby from a window in 1670 to extract promises from him.
Graham Hopkins' play promises laughter, tears, and 19 "belting original songs", as it explores the rags to riches story of a woman, who was born into poverty and worked as a fish hawker and orange seller, before becoming the leading comedy actress of her day.
The author of 2002 biography Nell Gwynne - A Passionate Life said: "History marks her down as the mistress of King Charles II, but I believe the real reason we still know her name today is because she was funny."
Samuel Pepys called her "pretty witty Nell", a contemporary poem noted that no portrait "could show her wit", and the sharpest minds courted her and were part of her "merry gang".
Staged by Hopkins' Do The Write Thing, the piece "holds up a mirror to contemporary times" and features songs by the likes of Jo Freya, Lucy Ward, Robb Johnson and Dave Wilson.
Emily Jane Brooks, who plays Nelly, said: “I loved the script with its mix of history, humour and heart. It has a fabulous original score rooted in folk music, there's a lot of laughs, and witty popular culture references! Nelly was clearly someone as at home in Coal Yard Alley as she was in Whitehall Palace. She had a knack of rubbing along, and charmed most people who crossed her path, yet pursued the human connection rather than an elevated status. Quite a woman.”
Hopkins adds: "She sold fruit, sweetmeats and knick-knacks at one of the two newly opened theatres in London but she became one of the finest comedy actresses of the age – which is how she caught the king’s eye. What’s lovely about her is that she never changed. She was a commoner and the people loved her because she kept that common touch. The king’s other mistresses saw the crown, Nelly saw the man. And Charles loved that. They were together for 17 years, until Charles’s death in 1685.”
Hopkins started out wanting all the language to be authentic but says: "Then Boff Whalley sent me a cracking song about Nelly namechecking Carry On and Barbara (Windsor) and Sid (James) in the lyrics. So that did for that. Now we have modern cultural and political references – and even a scene devoted to Carry On and Eric & Ernie. I did think about sub-titling the play Carry On Up the Restoration, but maybe that can be my next project."
Nelly A Folk Musical is at Lauderdale House, Highgate on September 20. www.lauderdalehouse.org.uk/whats-on/nelly-folk-musical
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