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Compleat Female Stage Beauty by The Globe Theatres 
The Sixties was a decade filled with great strides in women's liberation -- especially in English theatre. I'm referring to the 1660's, of course. King Charles II had recently returned to England from France, called back to rule by Parliament eleven years after they had beheaded the king's father, Charles I. The eleven-year Interregnum was dominated by Lord Protector (a.k.a. "Dictator") Oliver Cromwell whose harsh rule included the suppression of theatre. The return of the king brought with it the return of popular entertainments that had been banned, including the theatre.
With Charles II's eager support of the theatre, actors were again able to display their theatrical skills. Some, those who had grown up during Cromwell's rule, were able to perform in public for the very first time. Edward Kynaston was one of those, and he quickly rose to prominence as one of the great leading ladies of the English stage. "Edward" a "leading lady"? A typo, perhaps? Not at all. For prior to 1662, only men could perform on the public stage, leaving all the female roles to men like Kynaston who specialized in them. He especially prized choice roles like Othello's Desdemona. Critics hailed him a "compleat female stage beauty." But Kynaston's stardom as a woman was doomed to be brief. Charles II soon implemented a "dramatic" change. The king decreed that women were allowed on stage, and that men were forbidden from playing female roles. Forcing Kynaston to end his career that had just began, make the switch to male roles, or fight to keep women from taking over his profession -- if necessary even unto death. In Jeffrey Hatcher's entertaining new play, it is actually Kynaston himself who is the catalyst for the change. Upon learning that a woman, Margaret Hughes, has played his favorite role Desdemona to a full house (despite a terrible performance), Kynaston senses the threat to his budding career. His callous attempts to stop her and all actresses backfires on him, prompting Charles II to change the law and quickly accelerate the conversion from actors to actresses. What results is a highly engaging production filled with great wit, an intriguing storyline, and magnificent costumes/stage effects that are a treat for the eyes. The characters are a little one-dimensional, which tended to lessen the impact of some of the more serious scenes in the play, but the enjoyable plot and the comedy make up for any lack of depth on the characters' part. And a couple of those more dramatic moments still came off pretty well -- such as when Kynaston (Robert Petkoff) despairs to rival Hughes (Krista Hoeppner) about having his dream wrenched from him just as he was able to start living it, and when Kynaston, who is gay, clumsily dismisses the love of his assistant Maria (Laura Heisler).  Other terrific performances included many strong supporting characters such as Kwana Martinez as the obnoxious and ambitious actress Nell Gwynn, Quentin Mare as Kynaston's partner Duke George Villiars, and especially Tom Hewitt as the flamboyant, melodramatic, womanizing King Charles II. Tom is back in San Diego after just performing the lead in La Jolla Playhouse's Dracula: The Musical, and he was nominated for a Tony Award for last year's performance of Frank N. Furter in Broadway's The Rocky Horror Show. They are all welcome back to San Diego as often as they like!
Jeffrey Hatcher is the first Shiley Playwright-in-Residence, a new position at the Globe made possible by the Shiley family's generous donation. The next play by Hatcher will be Smash, an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's novel An Unsocial Socialist opening next month. Hatcher has just recently adapted Compleat Female Stage Beauty for the screen, but no need to wait for that. See it now, performed live in our own Old Globe Theatre. But with the warning -- this show is designed for "mature audiences only." The show contains graphic adult situations and nudity. If you don't mind that, you'll probably enjoy this romp through seventeenth-century English theatre in the throes of its sexual revolution! Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~
Samuel Pepys: David Cromwell Edward Kynaston: Robert Petkoff Thomas Betterton: Jonathan Fried Male Emilia: Antonie Knoppers George Villiars, Duke of Buckingham: Quentin Mare Maria: Laura Heisler Lady Meresvale: Ryan Dunn Miss Frayne: Christine Marie Brown Sir Charles Sedley: Steve Hendrickson Margaret Hughes: Krista Hoeppner Nell Gwynn: Kwana Martinez Charles II: Tom Hewitt Hyde: David McCann Sir Peter Lely: David McCann Mistress Revels: Ryan Dunn Courtier: D'Vorah Bailey Mrs. Elizabeth Barry/Courtier: Deb Heinig Ruffian: Brian Ibsen Ruffian/Drunk/Courtier: Antonie Knoppers Ruffian/Thug/Courtier/Sir Thomas Killigrew: Lucas Caleb Rooney Playwright: Jeffrey Hatcher Director: Mark Lamos Scenic Design: Michael Yeargan Costume Design: Jess Goldstein Lighting Design: York Kennedy Original Music: Michael Roth Sound Design: Paul Peterson Dramaturge: Scott Horstein Stage Manager: D. Adams and Joel Rosen |