STAGE BEAUTY
Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
Lions Gate Films
Grade: A-
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Written by: Jeffrey Hatcher from his play
Cast: Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Tom
Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Griffiths,
Edward Fox, Zoe Tapper
Screened at: Broadway, NYC, 9/22/04
As all-encompassing to the intellect and the emotions that
movies can be, people who follow politics might find it difficult to
get their minds fully off the Bush administration while watching
the screen. For example, while taking in Richard Eyre's "Stage
Beauty," scripted by Jeffrey Hatcher from his play, one might
compare King Charles II of England with George Bush in one
regard: Bush has allegedly freed Afghanistan from the fanatical
rigors of the Taliban and their ilk and installed an American-style
democracy as a system that other Middle Eastern governments
would emulate. By comparison, England's King Charles II,
known as The Merry Monarch, came back from exile in Paris
and shortly after taking the throne in 1660, he overthrew the
Puritanical strain that Oliver Cromwell thrust across England.
Whereas the Puritans under Cromwell refused to allow women
to act on the legitimate stage lest they be likened to whores,
Charles II tossed out the anti-women restrictions decreed by his
predecessor and proclaimed that henceforth women shall
perform in all plays that use female characters while men shall
be barred from acting in women's roles.
One would think this a fine solution for everyone, pretty
natural, but remember that just as the Taliban officials lost their
jobs under the U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan, so would all
men who acted women's roles in England suffer a loss of jobs
themselves–unless, of course, they could perform well enough
as the men they are.
If this analogy sounds like a stretch, that's because it is, but I
think it helps to bear in mind as the backbone or spine of the
film "Stage Beauty."
One can easily see how "Stage Beauty" lends itself to
performances on the live stage given that most of the scenes
take place indoors. But the movie is anything but
claustrophobic. In fact "Stage Beauty," which throws us into
"Shakespeare in Love" territory, is an absolute delight, thrilling in
parts, a spectacle of costumes, scenery, lighting with a pungent,
witty script to match and powerful, yet non-intrusive
music–including a divine madrigal.
Filmed by Andrew Dunn, "Stage Beauty" puts us into the
newly merry England of the 1660s under the leadership of
Charles Stuart. Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup) stars as his
country's leading "female" performer, whose favorite role seems
to be that of Desdemona. His dresser, Maria (Claire Danes), is
in love with him but her feelings are unrequited in that Kynaston
is bi-sexual–a male who enjoys being dressed in drag so much
that he is in permanent identity crisis. He simply does not know
what he is. Maria, whose secret passion is to act in the role of
Desdemona is about to get her wish, as King Charles (Rupert
Everett) and his mistress Nell Gwyn (Zoe Tapper) are tired of
seeing the same ol' "Othello" and, determined to spice up the
theater scene, the king proclaims an end to cross-sexual
casting. Ned Kynaston, now out of a job thanks to the new,
democratic spirit launched by Charles, winds up in a honky-tonk
burlesque house until Maria, who is known as Mrs. Hughes by
all who speak with her, comes to the rescue to give new hope
and virility to her former boss.
Director Richard Eyre, who helmed quite a few
Shakespearean plays at the Royal National Theatre including
"Richard III" with Ian McKellen and "King Lear" with Ian Holm,
maintains a brisk pace throughout, alternating intimate scenes,
such as one involving a bedroom liaison between Kynaston and
Maria, with lavish depictions of the court, presided over by an
approachable king and assorted hangers-on including the Duke
of Buckingham (Ben Chaplin), theater owner Thoams Betterton
(Tom Wilkinson), and the rouged, vastly bewigged Sir Charles
Sedley (Richard Griffiths). All contribute mightily to the gaiety of
Restoration England, with Billy Crudup's anchoring the stunning
show with scattershot emotions that allow the audience to
empathize with both his tears and his laughter.
Rated R. 105 minutes. © 2004 by Harvey Karten
at harveycritic@cs.com
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