Gugu Mbatha-Raw to star in Nell Gwynn at the Globe

The Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London's South Bank has announced that Gugu Mbatha-Raw will be taking the lead in Nell Gwynn, which will run at the venue from 19 September to 17 October 2015, with an official opening on 24 September 2015.

Nell Gwynn is a new play written by Jessica Swale and will be directed by Christopher Luscombe, with set design by Hugh Durrant.

Synopsis: "It is 1660. The Puritans have run away with their drab grey tails between their legs. Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, French and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is getting her satsumas out for the punters. Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Yard Alley to her success as Britain's most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the court? And at what cost?"

Gugu Mbatha-Raw's London stage credits include Ophelia opposite Jude Law in Michael Grandage's 'Hamlet', at Wyndham's Theatre in 2009 and Wanda in 'Big White Fog' at the Almeida in 2007. She first came to prominence as Juliet in 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in 2005.