When I discovered that the majestic Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral) was to star in the restoration comedy Playhouse Creatures at Theatre Royal Bath, I had high expectations. This revival of the 1993 play by April De Angelis, first performed at Orange Tree Theatre, is set in the swinging (16)60s when women first took to the English stage, and while there’s no disputing the talent of the all-female cast, there is much to question about the quality of the play itself.
In an attempt to conjure up a sense of the bawdy atmosphere we can well imagine of 17th century West End theatreland, when the audience were far from shy about making their likes and dislikes known to the players, the gratuitous oaths and double entendres with which the script is peppered are painful as opposed to funny; a feeble attempt to encourage laughter when the premise of the story surely provided De Angelis more than enough scope for genuine hilarity.
Playhouse Creatures weaves together the stories of five women, four of whom were among the first in their profession; Zoe Bough as the spirited Nell Gwynne, who became Charles II’s most famous mistress; Anna Chancellor, the actress-manageress Mrs Betterton; Katherine Kingsley as the actress whose star is waning following her affair with an earl; Nicole Sawyerr is the newbie who discards her bible and soapbox and becomes a favourite of His Majesty before Gwynne takes his fancy; and last but by no means least, Doña Croll as the endearing backstage assistant, Doll, whose observations and shakings of the head mirrored my own.
With stage and set designs by Fotini Dimou, we glimpse a hammed-up Cleopatra and bare-breasted Amazonians, but the majority of the play is set in the actresses’ dressing room, where competitiveness is disguised as camaraderie, and bitching about men is the order of the day, with themes of feminism and ageism somewhat overshadowed by lewdness, belching, and chamber pots. Although the Civil War had interrupted theatricals and the Puritans wanted to put a stop to theatres in the hope of preserving public morals, Charles II reopened them on being restored to the throne in 1660. The monarch, only referred to in this play, is just about to encounter the rustic charms of the famous orange-seller, Nell Gwynne who fancies her chances on the stage – and off.
This unapologetically feminist play, directed by Michael Oakley and produced by Jonathan Church and Orange Tree Productions, promised to be a fascinating window into English theatre history, when actresses were considered little better than whores and the lasciviousness of men could find a semi-respectable outlet in the titillating comedies of the day, but the characters are almost vulgar enough to make me withdraw my sympathy. It also seems a little out of kilter that a work by a female playwright featuring an all-female cast is produced and directed by the opposite sex.
Brough is almost engaging enough as Nell Gwynne to rescue the otherwise tedious backstage goings-on, but I despaired when Mrs Marshall (Katherine Kingsley) enters with faeces in her hair and then proceeds to enact some form of witchcraft, with the five women shimmying around an imaginary cauldron in Macbeth-fashion. Yes, before the first half was through I was wondering what in hell’s name Chancellor was thinking when she took on the role. But what baffled me most of all was why today’s audience is so very polite. Surely some boos and heckles would have been in the spirit of the production?
Playhouse Creatures at Theatre Royal Bath until 3rd May 2025. Running time 2 hours including an interval. For more information and tickets please visit the website. Production images by Ellie Kurttz.
