About The Play & The Playwright
Jeffrey Hatcher, playwright of Compleat Female Stage Beauty, yields from the town of Steubenville, Ohio. A town known for its shady backstreet dealings and mob connections, it was here that Jeffrey and his mother had to handle his father’s left over “transactions” with mob officials after his death. This hardship later became an inspiration for his playwriting.
Originally, Hatcher was not pursuing a career in writing, but rather preferred taking the stage as an actor. Inspired by Glenda Dunlope, his high school drama teacher, Hatcher studied at NYU in the 80s, where he dreamt of being a great character actor. He was often cast at NYU as an elderly man or father figure, but in the “real world”, there were actors who could perform these roles who were the correct age. His difficulty getting cast began his segue into playwriting.
The idea for Compleat came to him while he was doing research for another play he was working on. As he read Samuel Pepys’ diary, he continued to come across mentions of Ned Kynaston, an actor who made the transition from playing the roles of women to men. There is surprisingly little detail left of him in historical records, though much information survives on other actors of the time, like Betterton and Nell. That mystery was a draw to Hatcher; as a writer, he loved to find characters who were lost in the shadows of major historical events. The lack of information was incredibly convenient as well; while the bones of the character were there, Hatcher had plenty of room to flesh him out and make him come alive.
An example of fabrication includes the relationship between the characters of Margaret Hughes and Ned Kynaston. While Hughes did exist and is believed by some to be the first actress on stage in London, there is no proof she ever worked or interacted with Kynaston. However, her relationship to Charles Sedley was noted in Pepys' diary, as was the incident where Sedley had Kynaston beaten up in the park. It was easy for Hatcher as a playwright, he says, to fabricate the possibility of Hughes being the cause of Kynaston’s beating.
The topic of Kynaston’s sexuality is something Hatcher thoroughly analyzed, as well. Theoretically, audience members can assume from the production that he is bisexual, but this is not what Hatcher wanted to emphasize. According to Hatcher, Kynaston was looking to be admired and adored; he doesn’t care about the sex of the person, as long as they love and worship him. He will happily accept whoever will give him the time of day and will do whatever and be whatever they want of him. It all pours out from his desperate need for affection and acceptance. This is also the reason the information of the real Ned Kynaston’s love life was not written into the epilogue. In reality, Kynaston went on to marry a woman and have six kids, while performing supporting male roles. Hatcher wanted to steer clear of sending the message of a caring woman turning a homosexual man straight. It was not about the person, but about the adoration that Kynaston craved.
Kynaston definitely undergoes a transformation in this play, and audiences are drawn to it. In Hatcher’s opinion, this about the idea of a man that is “confused about his identity and his sexuality and hit bottom before he could come up.” Kynaston lives through the intense turmoil of having his one skill become the one thing he is forbidden to do so. A struggle for identity is something all audiences can relate to.
[Sources: Interview with "Stage Beauty" Writer, Jeffrey Hatcher, by Rebecca Murray; NationMaster Encyclopedia: Jeffrey Hatcher; American Theatre Wing Interview with Jeffrey Hatcher]
Originally, Hatcher was not pursuing a career in writing, but rather preferred taking the stage as an actor. Inspired by Glenda Dunlope, his high school drama teacher, Hatcher studied at NYU in the 80s, where he dreamt of being a great character actor. He was often cast at NYU as an elderly man or father figure, but in the “real world”, there were actors who could perform these roles who were the correct age. His difficulty getting cast began his segue into playwriting.
The idea for Compleat came to him while he was doing research for another play he was working on. As he read Samuel Pepys’ diary, he continued to come across mentions of Ned Kynaston, an actor who made the transition from playing the roles of women to men. There is surprisingly little detail left of him in historical records, though much information survives on other actors of the time, like Betterton and Nell. That mystery was a draw to Hatcher; as a writer, he loved to find characters who were lost in the shadows of major historical events. The lack of information was incredibly convenient as well; while the bones of the character were there, Hatcher had plenty of room to flesh him out and make him come alive.
An example of fabrication includes the relationship between the characters of Margaret Hughes and Ned Kynaston. While Hughes did exist and is believed by some to be the first actress on stage in London, there is no proof she ever worked or interacted with Kynaston. However, her relationship to Charles Sedley was noted in Pepys' diary, as was the incident where Sedley had Kynaston beaten up in the park. It was easy for Hatcher as a playwright, he says, to fabricate the possibility of Hughes being the cause of Kynaston’s beating.
The topic of Kynaston’s sexuality is something Hatcher thoroughly analyzed, as well. Theoretically, audience members can assume from the production that he is bisexual, but this is not what Hatcher wanted to emphasize. According to Hatcher, Kynaston was looking to be admired and adored; he doesn’t care about the sex of the person, as long as they love and worship him. He will happily accept whoever will give him the time of day and will do whatever and be whatever they want of him. It all pours out from his desperate need for affection and acceptance. This is also the reason the information of the real Ned Kynaston’s love life was not written into the epilogue. In reality, Kynaston went on to marry a woman and have six kids, while performing supporting male roles. Hatcher wanted to steer clear of sending the message of a caring woman turning a homosexual man straight. It was not about the person, but about the adoration that Kynaston craved.
Kynaston definitely undergoes a transformation in this play, and audiences are drawn to it. In Hatcher’s opinion, this about the idea of a man that is “confused about his identity and his sexuality and hit bottom before he could come up.” Kynaston lives through the intense turmoil of having his one skill become the one thing he is forbidden to do so. A struggle for identity is something all audiences can relate to.
[Sources: Interview with "Stage Beauty" Writer, Jeffrey Hatcher, by Rebecca Murray; NationMaster Encyclopedia: Jeffrey Hatcher; American Theatre Wing Interview with Jeffrey Hatcher]