Blanchett Impresses New York Audience
Australia’s theatrical talent was on proud display as the Sydney Theatre Company performed to a New York audience, with Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett playing a starring role. The Sydney Theatre Company returned to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) with a special winter presentation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by renowned actor, director and writer Liv Ullmann. The show also featured, Joel Edgerton as Stanley Kowalski, Robin McLeavey as Stella Kowalski and Tim Richards as Mitch, alongside Blanchett, who played Blanche DuBois. The production marked Liv Ullmann’s U.S. directorial debut and Blanchett’s second BAM engagement—following her acclaimed performance in Sydney Theatre Company’s Hedda Gabler (2006 Spring Season). A Streetcar Named Desire premiered at Sydney Theatre, where it enjoyed a sold-out run from September 1–October 17, 2009.
Joel Edgerton and Stella Kowalski (Source: Lisa Tomasetti)
The production received tremendous reviews from the media, with the New York Times writing how Blanchett “…brings to the character…life itself, a primal survival instinct that keeps her on her feet long after she has been buffeted by blows that would level a heavyweight boxer.” The Sydney Morning Herald echoed the complimentary tone of the Times, remarking that “…Blanchett’s performance is a brilliant demonstration of range and control,” and that “…Joel Edgerton’s film career has denied theatregoers a commanding leading man for too long.” Variety says Robin McLeavy “projects a fleshy, cavalier openness that is shamelessly relaxed,” while “Tim Richards brings remarkable empathy to Stanley’s buddy Mitch, delicately balancing desire and fear,” according to the Daily Telegraph.
Joel Edgerton, Cate Blanchett and Stella Kowalski (Source: Lisa Tomasetti)
A Streetcar Named Desire was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. prior to the engagement at BAM. Sydney Theatre Company (STC), the premier theatre company in Australia, was established in 1978. The company presents an annual twelve-play program at its home base, The Wharf, at the nearby Sydney Theatre (which STC also manages), and as the resident theatre company of the Sydney Opera House. Current Artistic Directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton joined the Company early in 2008. Sydney Theatre Company offers Sydney audiences an eclectic program of Australian plays, lively interpretations of the classic repertoire, and the best of new international writing. The company actively fosters collaborations with international artists and companies. Renowned directors Michael Blakemore, Max Stafford-Clark, Declan Donnellan, and Philip Seymour Hoffman have worked with STC in recent years; Liv Ullmann and Steven Soderbergh are both directing in the current season. Sydney Theatre Company has presented productions by Complicite, Cheek By Jowl, Out-of-Joint, and the National Theatre of Great Britain. It has fostered the theatre careers of internationally renowned Australian artists including Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Colette, and Cate Blanchett. The company made its BAM debut with The White Devil (2001) and returned in 2006 with Hedda Gabler. Director Liv Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and director, and throughout her career she has received numerous awards and honourable doctorates. She has been nominated twice for an Academy Award, and for five years in a row the National Board of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle named her the best film actress in the world.
Star of a Streetcar Named Desire, Cate Blanchett (Source: Lisa Tomasetti)
A Streetcar Named Desire opened on November 27, and ran until December 20. For more information, refer to BAM’s website www.BAM.org
Joel Edgerton and Cate Blanchett (Source: Lisa Tomasetti)
