I have to tell you I was completely blown away by Jeffrey Hatcher's film adaption of his own play Stage Beauty. It's a wonderful recreation of Restoration Stuart Great Britain and it deals with an innovation for the English speaking world.<br /><br />Picture Charles Stuart coming back to the United Kingdom to claim his rightful throne. Historians by the way have been fascinated with how he was able to do it so easily with minimal bloodshed. Even more fascinated how Oliver Cromwell's Lord Protectorate just collapsed within two years of his death.<br /><br />Up until the reign of Charles I, women were not on stage all parts were played by men in drag. After the Puritans took over the country, the theater itself was banned. Among other things that Charles II did when he came to the throne was restore the theater.<br /><br />Stage Beauty is Jeffrey Hatcher's account of how Charles II opened the profession for women as well. Rupert Everett is a marvelous Charles II who among other things did enjoy the theater.<br /><br />Mr. Hatcher was very good in showing for today's audience the relationship of Charles II with the Duke of Clarendon played here by James Fox. The banquet scene is brilliantly done. Clarendon was a faithful and loyal supporter of the Stuart house and went into exile because of his loyalty. Charles did feel he owed him and he was the first chief minister that he had. But Clarendon was an old fashioned guy and was quite ready to clap Claire Danes in jail for presuming to enter a forbidden profession. But Charles overruled Clarendon as he did many times and opened the theater to women. As you can gather, he and Clarendon came to a parting of the ways, but that's a subject for another film.<br /><br />Stage Beauty concerns not only Charles II's decision but it's impact on two people. Claire Danes is the stage dresser to Billy Crudup, a gay man who specialized in female roles, his favorite being Desdemona in Othello. Claire does open the profession for women, but it costs Billy Crudup his job and he's reduced to playing in bawdier unlicensed sort of entertainment, the kind Claire had been doing previously.<br /><br />Danes and Crudup played against each other beautifully on the screen and in real life since they teamed up in real life after this film was finished. Also look for a nice performance by Tom Wilkinson as the actor who plays Othello to Crudup's Desdemona.<br /><br />Opening the stage to women was as groundbreaking an event in its time as Rosie the Riveteer in the 20th century. Stage Beauty beautifully captures the moment.