The Present begins performances on Broadway tonight
The Sydney Theatre Company production of The Present, written by Andrew Upton and based on Anton Chekov's first play 'Platonov' and directed by Tony nominee John Crowley, begins previews at Broadway's Barrymore Theatre tonight, before an official opening on 8 January 2017 and a limited engagement through to 19 March 2017.
Synopsis: "Andrew 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). At the center is the acerbic and witty Platonov (Roxburgh) with his wife, his former students and friends and their partners. They may appear comfortable, but boiling away inside is a mess of unfinished, unresolved relationships, fuelled by twenty years of denial, regret and thwarted desire."
The cast of The Present includes two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (Anna) and fellow Australian actor Richard Roxburgh (Mikhail), who are both making their Broadway debuts, alongside Anna Bamford (Maria), Andrew Buchanan (Osip), David Downer (Yegor), Eamon Farren (Kirrill), Martin Jacobs (Alexei), Brandon McClelland (Dimitri), Jacqueline McKenzie (Sophia), Marshall Napier (Ivan), Susan Prior (Sasha), Chris Ryan (Sergei) and Toby Schmitz (Nikolai).
The creative team behind The Present features scenic and costume design by Alice Babidge, lighting design by Nick Schlieper, and compositions and sound design by Stefan Gregory.
The Present is produced on Broadway by Stuart Thompson and Sydney Theatre Company.
Cate Blanchett has previously appeared on stage in London and New York in 'Oleanna' (1992), 'Plenty' (1999), 'Hedda Gabler' (2006), 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (2009), 'Uncle Vanya' (2012) and 'The Maids' (2014). She has won 2 Oscars - "Blue Jasmine" (2014) and "The Aviator" (2005) - along with 3 Golden Globes - "Blue Jasmine," "I'm Not There" (2008) and "Elizabeth" (1999) - and 3 BAFTAs - "Blue Jasmine," "The Aviator" and "Elizabeth." She also has received a further 5 Oscar nominations (including this year's "Carol"), 6 Golden Globe nominations and 4 BAFTA nominations over the course of her screen career. 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.
Richard Roxburgh's previous stage credits include 'Uncle Vanya,' 'Cyrano de Bergerac,' 'Waiting for Godot,' 'Closer,' 'The Homecoming,' 'Burn This,' 'Once in a Lifetime,' 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'The Country Wife' and 'Pericles,' amongst many more. His most notable screen credits include "Moulin Rouge!," "Van Helsing," "Mission: Impossible II," "Sanctum," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Oscar and Lucinda."
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