Playhouse Creatures

A cast of 6 including on stage cellist
By April DeAngelis
Directed by Jordan Best

In 1660, the throne was restored to Charles II and he returned from France in triumph. He brought with him an addiction to the theatre, as it had been done by the French. Boys will be boys, the saying goes, but boys would be girls too in England's theatre companies until Charles's artistic sensibility put an end to the stage being no place for a woman. He decreed that women would—for the first time—be allowed to perform on the English stage.

They turned up in their droves—including the King—to see the spectacle of women performing.

Playhouse Creatures is set in the earlier part of the Restoration period, just before it starts to become a more respectable means of employment for a woman. This is the story of five of the most famous actresses of this time, their triumphs, their trials, and their struggle to be taken seriously as legitimate actors. These actresses are pioneers fighting for their careers. Seeking a genuine status as artists equal with the male actors who have already achieved that distinction. It is, undeniably, a feminist piece, although De Angelis is far too intelligent a writer to be merely ideological. And, above all, her play is marvellously entertaining and linguistcally rich.

In summary one of those evenings when theatre is more alive than life.