You are welcome to use any, all or none of this for programme notes or other publicity purposes.
Why did I write it?
After the success I'd had with HENRY THE TUDOR DUDE and FAWKES THE QUIET GUY, I
found myself looking for another fun historical character and Nell Gwyn, the
outrageous actress who became the king's mistress seemed ideal.
The 1660's was also a great feel-good time in history thanks
to the return of "The Merry Monarch" Charles II. There were also some very dramatic
events such as the plague, and the Great Fire of London.
Why is it "Nell's Belles"?
As most companies have more women than men, I wanted to create a show with
lots of good female roles, and the idea of a sort of 17th century
Spice Girls who were all out for a good time appealed to me. It also gave opportunities
to put lots of songs in!
How long did it take to write?
I'd had the general idea for about 6 years, but then two women came
down from Hexham and contracted me to produce my next show in 6 months, so I had to get on
with it.
Do you do all the music too?
Yes. I've been writing shows and songs for shows for many years, in fact some of the
songs for Nell were adapted from "The Screamer", a show I wrote 15 years before. Once I've
got the basic words and tunes I plug in all my lethal old guitars and electronic boxes
and spend many happy hours trying to make them sound right for the demos and backing
tracks. For "The Seaside" song I even got my old school trumpet out of its box and blew the spiders
out if it.
If you were in it, what part would you play?
Irene the charlady. Much as I'd love to be the dashing King Charles, I know
my limits.
Hints on using live Music or Backing Tracks
To Kjartan's C.V. (This includes details which you may use in programmes or other publicity.)