The three are central characters in a powerhouse trio of theatre attractions to visit the outer borough arts outpost next year. First to arrive is a March production (previously announced by Playbill.com in December 2004) of Hedda Gabler starring film actress Cate Blanchett. Next comes auteur Robert Wilson's take on Ibsen's Peer Gynt. Lightening up matters in May will be Peter Hall's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Lynn Redgrave. News of its New York engagement was first broken by Playbill.com on June 17.
Earnest will play the Ahmanson Theatre Jan. 17-March 5, 2006. Redgrave told Playbill.com columnist Harry Haun, "then we'll go on a short tour to Columbus, Chicago, New Haven, Boston and then, for a week, BAM [Brooklyn Academy of Music]." The BAM dates are April 18-May 14.
Redgrave will take on the role of Lady Bracknell. The rest of the cast is not set. The Wilde tale set in 1890s England focuses on a gentleman who assumes the role of his fictitious brother Ernest in order to enjoy himself in the city without ruining his reputation at his country estate. Mistaken identity ensues in the classic tale.
World-renowned director Wilson will doubtless leave his indelible visual stamp on Ibsen's sprawling epic tale of a rebellious, selfish youth who travels the world, above ground and into the underworld, in search of his fate—or is it in flight from his fate? The play—which features far-flung locales, a large cast, a troll kingdom and a largely disreputable anti-hero at its center—has thwarted the efforts of the theatre's best directors. Ibsen actually wrote Peer Gynt for reading purposes only, and never intended for it to be staged.
Academy Award winner ("The Aviator") Cate Blanchett will play Ibsen's moody society wife, Hedda Gabler, in a Sydney Theatre Company production. STC artistic director Robyn Nevin will direct the star of "Elizabeth" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Hedda Gabler will open on March 1, 2006, for a four-week run of 28 performances in the 875-seat BAM Harvey Theatre. Andrew Upton wrote the new adaptation. Joining Blanchett will be Annie Byron, Justine Clarke, Julie Hamilton, Hugo Weaving, Anthony Weigh and Aden Young.
Hedda Gabler opened in Sydney at STC's Wharf 1 theatre on July 27, 2004. It sold out its nine-week stay.
Blanchett has occasionally graced the stage. She starred in a West End revival of David Hare's Plenty in 1999.
