{"id":10009,"date":"2025-05-02T23:12:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2025-08-13T21:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T19:09:21","slug":"cate-blanchett-in-pescarusul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/en\/2025\/05\/cate-blanchett-in-pescarusul\/","title":{"rendered":"Cate Blanchett in The Seagull"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve done something this crazy: I buy a theatre ticket in London first, then book the flight and accommodation\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I couldn\u2019t miss the chance to see, just a few meters away, Cate Blanchett<\/strong> \u2013 winner of two Academy Awards (and multiple nominations), three Golden Globes, and other major awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CHEKHOV\u2019S THE SEAGULL<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you think I did? I searched my parents\u2019 library for the book with Chekhov\u2019s plays. I figured I\u2019d read The Seagull<\/em> before going to London, just to make sure I\u2019d understand something there \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My problem was that this \u201ccomedy in four acts\u201d didn\u2019t feel like a comedy at all and I, either I\u2019ve lost the habit of reading plays, or the Russian names confused me so much that I couldn\u2019t remember who was who!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait a sec! Who\u2019s this one? Who\u2019s this guy with? What role does she have in the household??? That\u2019s how I ended up reading the play, damn it, flipping back a thousand times to the first page with the list of characters and their relationships. I kept wondering how on earth I was going to understand the play in London\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BARBICAN THEATRE<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I rarely go see plays outside the West End. But this was one of those rare times. The theatre is a bit out of the way, in a building that totally reminded me of one of those… Children\u2019s Palaces we used to have back home \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a big, kind of \u201crocky\u201d building, full of odd-shaped rooms \u2013 nothing like the classic London theatres I\u2019m used to. With a terrace where you can chill while the night rolls in, munching on something from the little restaurants around the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I got there way too early (for fear of being late), so I grabbed something quick to eat: a margherita pizza and some pimientos de padr\u00f3n<\/em>. The guy selling them had no idea what they were called, but hey, he was selling them anyway. I played it smart, throwing around the Spanish name like I was straight out of that tapas place back in Bucharest \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was one of the first to go in, so I could gawk at everything, take pics, analyze the stage setup…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The set? Super minimal: just a white fabric backdrop. And right in the middle of the stage, a bundle of reeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soundtrack for the ears? A loop of different bird calls, soft and calming, playing over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of sound, I look at the microphones and I\u2019m like, wait, why are they there<\/em> in a theatre play? I\u2019d only seen that before in Romania, in random cinema halls turned makeshift stages by theatre companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No time to waste, I snap a few selfies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And then the play starts. With surprisingly modern touches (contemporary music, mobile phones, etc.), but they\u2019re so well integrated that nothing feels off or forced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And guess what? I actually get the humor too. So yeah, it is \u201ca comedy in four acts\u201d haha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bunch of reeds in the middle of the stage ensures the entry and exit of 90% of the characters throughout the show. How they then vanish through a trapdoor or disappear into the back, I had no clue till the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the microphones? Totally make sense now. Aside from some moments when they\u2019re used for singing, the actors also deliver parts of their lines directly into them. Director\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, I\u2019ll admit it: I was kinda proud of myself (quietly!) for reading the play beforehand. I didn\u2019t have to struggle to understand what they were saying in English. I already knew the main plot, who\u2019s who, so I could just enjoy the acting, focus on the details, and fully check out Cate from head to toe\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank God they didn\u2019t use those full-length Russian names. That helped a lot!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During intermission, I watch the activity on stage. Nothing major, nothing long. A few new props appear, the background lighting changes a bit, but the bush stays right where it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I keep enjoying everyone\u2019s performance, I\u2019m happy to finally see Cate Blanchett live and just like that, the play comes to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In a totally questionable legal gray area, I sneak in a few quick photos while also trying to clap at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The folks in the pic are the whole cast. Very good, I\u2019ve got nothing but praise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And get this: third from the left is Nina from the play. None other than Emma Corrin<\/strong>, the actress who played Princess Diana in The Crown<\/em>, a role that won her a Golden Globe! (I also saw her in Deadpool & Wolverine.<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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source: <\/em>Des Willie\/Netflix; Jay Maidment\/20th Century Studios\/Marvel<\/em>. <\/em>via people.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here you go, I even managed to get her autograph:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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