Stage Beauty
Writemovies.com
October 2004
If theater is a tough sell to modern-day audiences, then a
film, adapted from a play, about 17th century theater might be even
less palatable. With a grateful nod to its predecessor Shakespeare in Love,
director Richard Eyre’s Stage Beauty transcends its stuffy homage to
Edwardian theater, and becomes a sophisticated film about identity during a
time of social change. Stage Beauty follows the tale of Ned Kynaston (Billy
Crudup), a celebrated actor who was once known as one of the most beautiful
women in England.
During the Puritanical Elizabethan years, women were banned from performing
onstage, and female roles were played by young boys. In cases of rare talent
like Kynaston’s, the actors continued through adulthood. In the film’s retelling, the public adores
him for his female characters—he even wears his Desdemona costume while being
seduced by curious young ladies, and dons his wig while making love to the Duke
of Buckingham (Ben Chaplin). When
Kynaston’s admiring dresser Maria (Claire Danes) appears in a seedy production
of Othello, the wonderfully foppish King Edward II (Rupert Everett) is
titillated, and overturns the ban on female actors.
Crudup is sublime as the arrogant star, whose slight figure
and delicate features lend themselves well to his feminine persona. His
condescending attitude toward Maria backfires when the king’s shrewd mistress
(Zoe Tapper, plucked directly from drama school) convinces Edward to outlaw men
from portraying women at all. Kynaston’s
career is destroyed and his identity crumbles—“There are things I can be as a
woman that I cannot be as a man,” he explains mournfully. Like aging divas, or
child stars-turned-paupers, the story of a revered actor’s rejection from a
changing industry is a familiar and poignant one.
As their relationship makes the unsurprising shift from
antagonism to passion, the onscreen chemistry between Crudup and Danes grows
intense (which carried off-screen as well). Dane’s feisty Maria can be
appealing- especially when she becomes aware that she is not a particularly
good actress, which adds complexity to her groundbreaking entrance into
theater. But Danes never seems to completely transform out of herself and into
her character, often relying on her customary screechiness and defiant,
wide-eyed facial expressions.
Director Richard Eyre, of course, was free to adapt
history for the sake of art, and he took full advantage of this license. As
Kynaston works with Maria, his highly stylized performance techniques are
traded in for an ultra-naturalistic scene between his Othello and her
Desdemona—in reality, this type of natural acting didn’t emerge until the
1940s, about 280 years after the fact. But, it works for sake of dramatic
moments and a satisfying twist. Some
decisions are more questionable: as history dictates, Maria’s foray into
legitimate theater is sponsored by Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths). However, there is no mention of Maria trading
any sexual favors, which seems unlikely given the circumstances and the initial
set up of Sedley’s sloppy, lascivious character. The 17th century
setting features lavish costumes and a rather stereotypical “Renaissance”
musical score—the overall effect is a tad overdone, but still provides a
romantic backdrop for this dramatic period piece.
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