This Monday the set of the successful play (sold out well before it opened last week) at the Harvey Theatre of the Brooklyn Academy of Music did not feature Cate Blanchett and the Sydney Theatre Company – rather the audience was treated to an open hearted and passionate artist talk with director Ullmann. She spoke about her personal dedication to the play and its troubled characters.
A quintessential American play the Norwegian actress turned director has reoriented the play’s focus to the complex character of Blanche and revived the play into “a heart-stopping production” according to the
New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley. He writes; “Ms. Ullmann and Ms. Blanchett have performed the play as if it had never been staged before, with the result that, as a friend of mine put it, ‘you feel like you’re hearing words you thought you knew pronounced correctly for the first time”.
On this new and shifted focus Ms. Ullmann confessed her own fascination for the character of Blanche to the audience this Monday; “Blanche likes to make a story, likes to make life more beautiful. She’s a storyteller, but at the same time she’s also tremendously honest when she thinks someone has seen her, discovered her. For her, the truth is mortal. Each time she’s absolutely truthful it’s mortal, and it breaks her down.”
The artist talk was opened by the Norwegian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Gry Larsen. She spoke about her admiration of Ms. Ullmann’s work; “Her powerful performances display a striking range of emotional depth with a rare and powerful sincerity. And she represents a Norwegian identity that has international appeal. This unique ability to transcend borders is very inspiring to all of us”.
Liv Ullmann, famed for her mesmerizing performances in the films of Ingmar Bergman, has had an exceptional career both on the silver screen and the stage. A Streetcar Named Desire marks her directorial debut in the US and also marks the first time a woman has directed it.
For an extract of the artist talk titled titled “Liv Ullmann: Between Screen and Stage” bewteen Ms. Ullmann and Mr. Lopate at the Brooklyn Academy of Music please visit the New York Times
artblog.