Playhouse Creatures at Orange Tree Theatre review: this historical romp is bracing, heady fun

Life for London’s first professional actresses was punishingly hard, but their world is explored with wit, warmth and a wholly apt, heightened staginess in this revival of April de Angelis’s 1993 play. Viewed as sexual objects, at risk from lovers’ caprices and the encroachment of age, these characters – including the infamous Nell Gwyn and the renowned Mrs Betterton – nonetheless changed the face and the course of theatre. Two hours in their company is bracing, heady fun.