Nell! The Musical – The Mission Theatre

A brand new hidden gem of a musical

Reviewed by Jen Smith

Nell! The Musical is probably the best new musical of 2026 and it might not even be on your radar.

It premiered back in the sweltering summer in the grounds of Charlton House as part of its 300th anniversary celebrations.

This week, it has finally made the move indoors, playing at The Mission Theatre in Bath.

This is a show that has its origins here in the South West but with a beating heart in London’s West End. It’s storytelling on an epic scale. A truly ambitious piece of the theatre with the cast and creatives completely hitting the mark.

It’s from Pudding Lane Productions and yes, the Great Fire of London is the dramatic and heartbreaking end of Act One.

The music and lyrics of Nell! The Musical are by Dominic Sandford. Nearly every song is a showstopper. It’s an exceptional piece of musical theatre. Ensemble numbers are powerful, principal actors drive the story forwards and the cast at The Mission Theatre give it everything.

There’s flavours of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lionel Bart, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and a splash of Gilbert and Sullivan within the score.

It’s refreshing to see a piece of musical theatre with strong storytelling and a fabulous original score that you will want to listen to well after the show has finished. It’s a musical that doesn’t need to rely on flashy effects or stunt casting and it’s not a movie turned musical, which has oversaturated the musical market.

The show is based on the life of Eleanor Gwyn – Nell Gwyn, an English stage actor who lived between 1650 to 1687. She was a celebrity comic actor of the time, famous enough to be known by her first name, and had an amazing rags to royalty story.

She became mistress to King Charles II of England, having two sons with him.

Nell was smart, savvy and witty. She had the measure of those who sought to exploit her. She is played in this production by Katie Mumford.

Mumford plays her with wit, charm and warmth, leading the cast with a strong performance.

The relationship she has with her sister Rose – played by Laurie Esse – is delightful. The pair perform completely naturally with each other. It’s a relationship that is both tender and naturalistic, hitting the dynamics of a close sibling relationship.

Opening number The Bawdy House, sets out the vibe of the show. It has Les Mis Lovely Ladies energy and yet, whilst there is that familiarity with the genre of musical, it’s still completely original.

Belinda Morgan as Ma Gwyn is a strong opener for the show. She’s brilliantly awful in all the right ways.

The multi-rolling cast switch between ensemble and supporting roles. One of the strengths of the show is in its engagement with the audience through humorous characters and performances.

Mr Chiffinch and Mrs Chiffinch – Mick Glynn and Di Dean – are a great partnership as a bickering husband and wife.

The fan snapping mistresses of the king – Louise de Kerouaille, Barbara Villiers and Hortense Mancini – are played by Shuqi Yu, Grace Hall and Laurie Esse with perfect Mean Girls energy.

Michele Moliterni, one of the multi-rolling cast, plays no less than six different characters throughout the show. He’s an able comic actor with great flair, able to flit from character to character showing his range. His lively performance as Restoration actor and playwright John Lacy was hilarious.

Along with Neil Morgan as Mr Hart, they serve as a flamboyant and vivacious pair of theatre managers.

Moliterni later appears as an exuberant backing singer for the song (In)Sincerity with Lord Buckhurst (Jamie Reed). Joined by two fellow harmonising cast members, they make up the Buckhurst Boys with some almost scene stealing comedy.

Nell flows at an energetic pace under Naomi Rose-Mock’s direction. The dynamics of the show brings us both big colourful numbers, but also some lovely understated moments of quiet reflection.

This is particularly so in the moments between Nell and King Charles II played with gentlemanly refinement by Jordan Lee and with his sons Charles – Albert Whitehouse – and James – Arya Melville Geary (at this performance).

Naomi Rose-Mock uses all of the space of The Mission Theatre auditorium, bringing the performance around the audience. The big set pieces wow.

Nell! The Musical is genuinely a theatrical hidden gem that deserves to keep leveling up in terms of audience size and performance space. It has everything you want from the era of the big blockbuster musical. It has a lot of heart, the perfect score and the cast at The Mission Theatre knock it out the park.

Nell The Musical is on at The Mission Theatre until Saturday 31 October 2026

For more information or to book, visit: https://www.missiontheatre.co.uk/whats-on/2026/10/27/nell-the-musical

Follow Nell! The Musical on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nellthemusical/

Follow The Mission Theatre on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themissiontheatre/

Cast, Creatives and Production
Nell – Katie Mumford
King Charles II – Jordan Lee
Rose – Laurie Esse
Ma Gwyn – Belinda Morgan
Samuel Pepys – Tom Kenward
Mr Lacy – Michele Moliterni
Mr Hart – Neil Morgan
Lord Buckhurst – Jamie Reed
Madam Meggs – Fiona Elphick
Louise de Kérouaille – Shuqi Yu
Mr Chiffinch – Mick Glynn
Mrs Chiffinch – Di Dean
The Queen – Hannah Shaw
Hortense Mancini – Laurie Esse
Barbara Villiers – Grace Hall
Young Charles – Albert Whitehouse
James – Arya Melville Geary/ Martha Souster
Cardinal – Kevin Moore
Baker – Michele Moliterni
Hannah – Grace Hall
Maria – Allison Eke
Jack Masters – Jamie Wilson-Reed
Michael Davey – Michele Moliterni
Sue – Kathryn Elphick
Buckhurst Boy – Michele Moliterni

Ensemble
Allison Eke
Asher Williams
Janice Holwill
Martha Jay
Grace Hall
Kathryn Elphick
Hannah Shaw
Shuqi Yu
Michele Moliterni

Director – Naomi Rose-Mock
Musical Director – Laurie Esse
Producer – Dominic Sandford
Co-Producer – Dexter Harding
Lighting Design – Chris Sealy
Sound Operation – Rei Kingsbury
Technical Manager – Harry Sandford
Stage Manager – Tom Souster
Costumes – Gilly Kempton, Heather Barnes and Alison Dean
Props – Bob Price
Social Media – Jiordan Edwards

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Just a quick note with a little extra background on Michele Moliterni, the actor I’m working with, in case it’s useful ahead of Thursday’s performance.

Michele plays John Lacy, the Restoration actor and playwright, alongside five other characters in Nell! The Musical.

I also wanted to share a little more background on Michele Moliterni, the actor I’m working with.

Michele is an Italian actor based in London, and in this production he takes on six different characters, including John Lacy, the Restoration actor and playwright.

Here’s his professional Spotlight profile if you’d like to learn more about his background and previous work:

https://app.spotlight.com/4378-6722-1666

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