Cate Blanchett to make Broadway debut

The Present had its premiere in Sydney in August and received rave reviews from critics, with Andrew Upton – Blanchett’s husband – adapting it from the Chekhov original.

Roxburgh, who will also be making his Broadway debut, was seen with Blanchett on the NY stage in Sydney Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of Upton’s adaptation of another Chekhov play, Uncle Vanya. Blanchett has also brought Sydney Theatre Company’s productions of “Hedda Gabler”, “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Maids” to NY – though never to Broadway. Theater, casting and specific dates will be announced later, the producers’ announcement stating only that the play will open in the early winter of 2016. Other notable screen credits include “Cinderella“, “The Monuments Men”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button“, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age“, “Notes on a Scandal“, “Babel”, “The Talented Mr Ripley”, and “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” franchises.

Upton’s adaptation is set post-Perestroika in the mid-1990s at an old country house where friends gather to celebrate the birthday of the independent but compromised widow Anna Petrovna (Blanchett). During the celebration, Anna’s friends begin to hilariously recall their messy relationships, regrets and desires from the past 20 years.

Designer Alice Babidge will be the backbone behind the set and costumes, while sound and music will be orchestrated by Stefan Gregory and lighting by Nick Schlieper, Deadline reports. The Broadway season will be co-produced by STC and Stuart Thompson, one of Broadway’s most successful producers of plays.