Edward Kynaston (c.1640-1706)

After the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660, actresses were allowed to perform on London stages - but, until a sufficient number had been trained, boys such as Kynaston continued to play female roles. Kynaston was one of the last to do so - to great acclaim, for Pepys described him on stage as "the loveliest lady I ever saw" after seeing him in a production of John Fletcher's The Loyal Subject at the Cockpit-in-Court. Colley Cibber reported "Kynaston at that time was so beautiful a youth that the ladies of quality prided themselves on taking him with them in their coaches to Hyde Park in his theatre habit, after the play." (Grebanier, 32) He played his feminine roles in falsetto, which spoiled his voice during his later career. (Gibson, p. 198)