BatTea Though colorful in a superficial sort of way, this was otherwise a silly movie, which took a subject that might have been used intelligently and trivialized it with, among other things, horrible and distracting music that bore little or no relation to the action, a contrived love-story between the two characters (Danes was unconvincing in all respects, and Crudup was unconvincing as a female-role actor, and, as one reviewer pointed out, he was more "feminine" when he wasn't trying to play a woman), and a drawn-out exposition of thin material. It is possible that it was not intended to be historically accurate, and, if so, it succeeded in that. Trite and predictable, right down to its gag-worthy ending.

Red-125 Stage Beauty (2004) was directed by Richard Eyre. It's set in England in 1660. The monarchy has just been restored, and Charles II is on the throne. (In a clumsy bit of exposition, an actor runs in and says, "The theaters have been closed for 17 years. People want something new!") Of course, what they got is what we now call Restoration comedy. However, they continued to love Shakespeare, and a great Shakespeare performance could still fill theaters.Billy Crudup plays Ned Kynaston, a brilliant male actor who stars in female roles. (We all learned that in Shakespeare's time the female roles were played by men, because women were forbidden to be on the stage. I didn't realize that those laws were still in effect in 1660, but they were.) Ned is really great at what he does. He's been rigidly (cruelly?) schooled to remove every behavior from his repertoire that could be considered masculine. He's a major star. Enter Claire Danes as Maria Hughes, Ned's dresser. She has ambitions to go on the stage as well, and tries to mimic Kynaston's movements and make them her own. She actually performs on an improvised stage in a tavern, and is received very well. She wants to be the first woman to act on the real English stage. As mentioned in the movie, French women had been allowed on the stage by 1660. It's interesting--but not mentioned in the film--that these women were permitted to perform in London. However, they were booed off the stage by the audience. Apparently, the population wasn't quite ready to see women played by women actors. In the film, through a complex interaction at court, involving Nell Gwynn, the king's mistress, women suddenly were allowed to act on the London stage. (Nell Gwynn was indeed the king's mistress, and she was indeed an actor, but not in 1660, when she was only ten years old.)Because of this new ruling, Claire Danes can go on the stage as Desdemona in Othello, and she becomes a star. (A woman did, indeed, play Desdemona in 1660, so that's historically accurate.) Meanwhile, Crudup has been beaten brutally by thugs hired by a vengeful enemy, and he's no longer in demand. So, this is a classic story of theatrical crossed trajectories. (Think about "The Actor.") That's when the movie gets really interesting, and that's where I'll stop talking about the plot.Billy Crudup is superb as Ned Kynaston, Ben Chaplin is excellent as his lover, the Duke of Buckingham, and Hugh Bonneville is wasted in the role of Samuel Pepys, who keeps turning up, but never appears to be in the same film as everyone else.However, the obvious star of Stage Beauty is Claire Danes. Danes was truly charming when she played Juliet at age 17. She was 25 when she acted in this movie, and she got it exactly right. In the film, she's not a very good actor when she starts. It must have been difficult to be a very good actor playing an actor who's not very good. Danes manages it, and more. Crudup's role is more difficult and, to my mind, more central to the film. But what you'll remember is Claire Danes.We saw the film on DVD, and it worked very well. It's an excellent movie, and I highly recommend it.

Desertman84 Stage Beauty is a romantic period drama about the true story of two performers whose careers were changed forever by a shift in gender roles on the British stage in the 17th century.It stars Billy Crudup,Claire Danes,Rupert Everett,Zoe Tapper and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher is based on his play Compleat Female Stage Beauty that was inspired by references to 17th century actor Edward Kynaston.The film was directed by Richard Eyre.Ned Kynaston is a noted star of the legitimate theater with an unusual specialty.At a time when it was considered unseemly for women to work as thespians, he specialized in female roles, and was described by one writer as the most beautiful woman on the London stage. With the help of his faithful dresser, Maria Hughes,he can turn himself into a striking actress in front of the footlights, and is starring opposite Thomas Betterton in a production of Shakespeare's Othello when, while still in costume after a performance, he is propositioned by theatrical impresario Sir Charles Sedley. The sexually open-minded Sedley isn't discouraged to learn Kynaston is a man, but he is bitterly angered by the actor's flip rejection of his advances. Sedley takes revenge against Kynaston by hiring a gang of criminals to beat him up. With Betterton's production of Othello closed while the leading "lady" recuperates, Hughes sees an opportunity and stages an underground version of the play, casting herself as Desdemona. While she lacks Kynaston's dramatic skills, the daring of her appearance on-stage creates a sensation, and King Charles II, a noted theater buff, is so taken with Hughes that he declares women should play women from now on. But as Hughes' star rises, Kynaston's quickly falls, and he becomes a bitter, forgotten man. When the novelty of Hughes' gender wears off and her failings as an thespian become obvious,she turns to her former friend Kynaston, hoping he can teach her to be as good an actress as he was.Cudrup is fantastic in this movie as he portrays masculinity and femininity with ease and realism.Also,the movie handles topics of gender and sexuality with intelligence and grace.Aside from that,the movie was entertaining from beginning to end as the viewer is absorbed into the ways of the theater in the past.In summary,Stage Beauty is a good combination of comedy and drama.

wes-connors "Welcome to the 17th century stage, where Ned Kynaston's (Billy Crudup) performance of 'Desdemona' in Shakespeare's 'Othello' brings the house down nightly. Ned is the 'most beautiful woman on the London stage.' That is, until the King renounces the royal edict that only men can play women on stage. Enter Maria (Claire Danes), Ned's seemingly loyal dresser, who becomes an instant star, leaving Ned to suppress his ardent feminine traits and make a man of himself," according to the DVD sleeve description.Hundreds of years ago, boys played the female parts on the English stage. This film supposes that Mr. Crudup, decades after his boyhood, still commanded the attention away from any "Othello". Well, yeah, but as a bad female impersonator. You must also believe his "training" included sex with men as a side effect. You see, when Crudup essays more manly roles, his gay goes away. Good to know. With the exception of a "who's on top" scene with Crudup and Ms. Danes, this is done with a straight face.The costumes are nice.**** Stage Beauty (5/8/04) Richard Eyre ~ Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Rupert Everett, Richard Griffiths