I-m James Taylor and this is Theater Talk on KCRW. At first glance, it-s simple - boy meets girl. Girl then falls in love with boy. Except of course, that boy is really a girl pretending to be a boy.

Every few years, it seems, a new British stage actor becomes the darling of American critics looking to anoint a new Olivier. Ian McKellen had his moment, and, more recently, Michael Gambon and Simon ...