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Melbourne in the late 1870s is loud, glittering and hungry for spectacle, and Nellie Stewart is rising with it. In Episode Two of Sweet Nell, Ali McGregor follows Nellie from backstage sewing tables to centre stage, as Christmas pantomimes, comic opera and burlesque turn a gifted teenager into one of Australia’s first true theatrical celebrities. Alongside the chaos of gaslit theatres and runaway success, we meet the power brokers of the age, including the formidable George Coppin and the ambitious George Musgrove, and watch as fame, desire and expectation begin to collide. This episode charts the exhilaration of stardom, the cost of being watched, and the moment when Nellie makes a choice that will change the course of her life forever

Recorded on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation, written and hosted by Ali McGregor. Script editing by Maeve Marsden and musical excerpts by Matthew Floyd Jones.

This podcast was created wth the generosity of The Frank Van Straten Fellowship, supported by ‘The Van Straten and Turley Foundation', with the help and guidance of Claudia Funder at the Australian Performing Arts Collection. Massive thanks also go to Elaine Marriner of Marriner Theatres for the initial and continued inspiration and support.

https://www.alimcgregor.com/nellie