Triple-venue, award-winning summer comedy Nell Gwynn

Award-winning comedy Nell Gwynn is set to bring a summer of laughs across the north west in a triple-venue co-production from Merseyside's Shakespeare North Playhouse (June 12-July 4), Keswick's Theatre By The Lake (July 9-August 1) and Chester's Storyhouse, at the Grosvenor Park open air theatre (August 21-September 6).

Jessica Swale’s play premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe before transferring to the West End, where it won the Olivier award for best new comedy.

Set in 1660, when theatres were reopening after years of suppression and women weren't allowed to act, Nell Gwynn tells the true story of one of Britain’s first and most famous actresses. From selling oranges in the theatre pit to captivating audiences and catching the eye of King Charles II, Nell’s rise is witty and revolutionary.

For Jessica, that breakthrough resonates strongly today: "The idea that not just one portion of society gets to tell stories; that’s still something we’re striving for,” she says.

Blending romance, comedy and social commentary, Nell Gwynn celebrates both the magic of performance and the people behind it. “It’s about joy, connection and community,” Jessica said. “It’s full of music, jokes and heart and it’s about the power of entertainment, not as something lesser, but as something vital.”

The ensemble company for this unruly world of Restoration theatre is Rose Shalloo (The Crucible, Sheffield Crucible) as Nell Gwynn; Guy Woolf (As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe) as King Charles II; Stanton Wright (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, UK Tour) as Edward Kynaston; Jamie Ross (The Little Mermaid, Watermill Theatre) as John Dryden; Sufia Manya (Miss Littlewood, RSC) as Nancy; Celia Cruwys-Finnigan (Miss Littlewood, RSC) as Rose Gwynn; Adam Clifford (Hamlet, National Theatre) as Lord Arlington; Elliot Harper (One Man, Two Guvnors, National Theatre) as Charles Hart; Burhan Kathawala (Sleeping Beauty, New Wolsey Theatre) as Ned Spigget, and Tamsin Dowsett (Les Misérables) providing cover and acting as assistant director.

Writer Jessica Swale said: “At its heart, the play is about whose voices are heard, and that feels just as urgent now as it did then. Nell was primarily known as the King’s mistress, but really she was an extraordinary woman - an illiterate fish-seller, brought up in a brothel who, through her wit, intelligence and chutzpah, rose to become the most beloved actress on the English stage - a real-life heroine and spokesperson for the masses."

Director Bryony Shanahan added: "At the heart of the story is Nell and her story of radical change. We see her step into a space she was never supposed to occupy and transform it completely.”

Theatre by the Lake's artistic director, Liz Stevenson, said: “Ten years since the original, we are proud to be producing a fresh new production with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Storyhouse.

"Bryony and her team are weaving together the luscious aesthetic of the Restoration period with intelligent writing, vivacious live musicianship and powerhouse performances, It's a real treat for our audiences this summer.”

More info and tickets here (Storyhouse), here (Theatre by the Lake) or here (Shakespeare North Playhouse)