Stage Beauty
2004 · Movie · R · 106 min · ★ 6.6 · 64% critics
In 17th-century London, a theater dresser dreams of performing, even as women are barred from the stage. When a royal decision changes the rules, she steps into the spotlight—forcing her celebrated mentor to confront a shifting world, and pushing them both to relearn what it means to act and belong.
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Details
- Years
- 2004
- Release date
- 2004-09-03
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 64/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (147 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a witty, heartfelt period drama about theater, identity, and changing social rules, with lavish costumes and sharp court intrigue; Not for you if you need strict historical accuracy or dislike gender-and-sexuality themes.
Pros: lively period theater world; strong lead performances; engaging pace and humor | Cons: uneven historical accuracy; some muddled motivations; romance feels contrived
Themes
- duke
- based on play or musical
- 17th century
Cast & crew
Claire Danes
as Maria
Billy Crudup
as Ned Kynaston
Derek Hutchinson
as Stage Manager
Mark Letheren
as Male Emelia/Dickie
Tom Wilkinson
as Betterton
Ben Chaplin
as George Villiars, Duke of Buckingham
Hugh Bonneville
as Samuel Pepys
Fenella Woolgar
as Lady Meresvale
Richard Griffiths
as Sir Charles Sedley
Clare Higgins
as Mistress Revels
Directed by Richard Eyre