There is a moment, about halfway through the first act of "Compleat Female Stage Beauty," when the lead character, an actor who has made a career out of cross-dressing on the London stage, begins to sense that his celebrity might be snatched away from him - and this time by a real woman. Fearing he might be incapable of snatching it back from an anatomically correct colleague, he snarls, "A woman playing a woman, where's the trick in that?"
Brown's latest offering, a production of Jeffrey Hatcher's acclaimed drama, made its main stage debut Thursday night at Stuart Theatre. Boasting a potent combination of lavish costumes and colorful sets, the play treats the audience to a number of startling, daring performances.
Hatcher's play, which was adapted into the film "Stage Beauty" last year, follows the falling star of Edward Kynaston (André Thompson '05), a 15th-century thespian whose celebrated interpretations of Shakespeare's tragic heroines set the standard at a time when women actors weren't allowed onstage. Coddled by his ardent fan base, Kynaston's drag performances of Cordelia and Lady Macbeth are considered a fashionable commodity - until the less-puritanical King Charles II, no stranger to drag himself, decrees that women should have the right to walk the boards as well.
What ensues is a sort of Elizabethan "A Star is Born": Margaret Hughes (Emily Fox '05.5) is the aspiring actress who, newly enabled by the King's ruling, watches her fame skyrocket as audiences latch onto the novelty of seeing the real deal perform Desdemona. Unfortunately, Desdemona is also Kynaston's big role, and the stage may not be big enough for two dueling divas. True to history and despite his credentials, Kynaston is eventually left without a part to play.
Meanwhile back at the Globe, a glittery, corseted cast of supporting characters must also come to terms with the shifting times. As Kynaston's foppish antagonist, Sir Charles Sedley, Oliver Daly '07 minces and lisps his way through the production, a killer clown clothed in a frightening explosion of pinks and baby blues. Steven Levenson '06 plays Betterton, the actor whose manic take on Othello rings more Jim Carrey than Laurence Olivier. This may be revisionist, but it makes for a funny revision.
Lizzie Vieh '07 brings her usual intelligence to the main stage, lacing her role as the seamstress Maria with a sensitivity that provides the gaudy spectacle with much-needed intimacy. The ensemble is rounded out with the punchline performances of Brian Faas '05 and Lucy DeVito '05, who play the impresario monarch and his Cockney consort with just the right amount of zing.
Both leads shine, particularly Fox, whose intricate interpretation of the disingenuous actress seems to fit like a glove. Thompson's reading is delicate - one might hope for a little more focus from this clearly gifted actor in the future, as his delivery was sometimes smudgy and often over-emotive. However, moments shared by the two thespians give way to the production's best moments. Their pairing yields some of the best chemistry felt at Stuart in years, and their last dialogue is not to be missed.
In the end, the play is a costumer's fantasy, and it's really the brilliant design by Phillip Contic that leaves the most lasting impression. The partnership of Contic and Director Connie Crawford, an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance, reveals its full potential here, with staging that capitalizes on the knockout fabulousness of the costumes. Wisely, Crawford moves her actors in and out of the audience, granting spectators a second round of lace, satin and tulle gazing. The play's intermission also features a mock-drag show, which may leave the audience a bit cold - who needs a karaoke rendition of Cher when the best drag is so clearly Elizabethan?
