What I liked
The simplicity of the solo show, which allows the audience to more easily absorb “another language”: Elizabethan iambic pentameter. NOW Nell really connects with her audience, though Melanie Johnson needs to perform it many more times before she’s able to infuse it casually with her own personality.
What I didn't like
Some of the language still needs to be simplied for the 21st-century audience.My overall impression
“British verse playwright” RYAN J-W SMITH applied his “quixotic quill” to LOVE LABOURS WON and MacDETH in Fringes past and won LA over—-to iambic pentameter! This year his ode to Nell Gwyn arrived with lots of bells and whistles that were unnecessary (and an impediment to following the iambic text), so: back to the drawing board, jettison the kit (including his own co-starring role) and just tell the story as a solo show vehicle for Melanie Johnson. Now she’s getting standing ovations, and the audience leaves enchanted in 45 minutes, rather than bewildered in 55! Again, Fringe proves to be not only a showcase for under-appreciated talent but a crucible in which to rework and improve material!
