Compleat Female Stage Beauty

It's the 1660s, and Charles II (Tom Hewitt) has opened the theaters after two decades of Puritanism. Further, he's decreed that women shall play the female roles, and males may no longer do so. Edward Kynaston (Robert Petkoff), the leading man in the field, revolts, now out of work and out of favor.

That's the set-up for Compleat Female Stage Beauty, a story is told, in part, by Samuel Pepys (David Cromwell), who chronicled much in his "Diary" and is brought to life in the further conjectures of playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. Hatcher's dialogue successfully weds the language of the period with contemporary usage. He's a master of the double entendre, as both profanity and suggestive language are amusingly present. Also, the phrase "partial nudity" takes on new meaning on the Globe stage.

Act I: During the interval (it is English theater, we can use the English term), the piece seemed a rather amusing romp about a challenging period of the theater. Michael Yeargan's scenic design delights -- a raised and raked stage of great depth upon the Globe's stage, complete with its own proscenium and several tiers of box seats. Jess Goldstein's costumes are gloriously accurate. Michael Roth's original music enhance the production, which include solo numbers for Kwana Martinez, as Nell Gwynn. Paul Peterson's sound design proves both amusing and fitting throughout, and there's no question vocal and dialect coach Jan Gist had done an excellent job with the cast. Still, why was I merely amused? Something was lacking...

Act II: Drama takes center stage. Vestiges of humor remain, but the seriousness of unemployed actors, some less-than-talented females, and the changes in theater are strongly felt. Kynaston's fall from grace becomes tragic, especially in Robert Petkoff's dynamic portrayal. The dramatic education of actress Margaret Hughes (Krista Hoeppner) by Kynaston is absolutely brilliant, a scene that should be required viewing for every actor and actress and wannabe. In a few minutes playwright Hatcher distills the essence of what is acting excellence. This scene and the subsequent scene (I shall not reveal the ending) are Hoeppner and Petkoff's very best.

York Kennedy's lighting design proves more dramatic in the second act. David Cromwell's Pepys seems a bit more crisp. (Maybe it's Laura Heisler's Maria becoming more compassionate and loving?) By then, all of the elements work dramatically, making the second act sing with tension.