Cate Blanchett in ‘Uncle Vanya’ is New York’s hot ticket

Cate Blanchett is the marquee name of the Sydney Theater Co.’s production of “Uncle Vanya,” now playing in New York as part of the Lincoln Center Festival.

But the drama is a true ensemble piece that features some of Australia’s top actors -- including Richard Roxburgh, who plays the title role of the Chekhov play, as well as Hugo Weaving and Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver.

The production has become one of the hottest tickets this summer in New York and is receiving rave review from critics. Ben Brantley of the New York Times called it “glorious” and wrote the cast is “uniformly brilliant.”

“Uncle Vanya,” directed by the Hungarian Tamás Ascher, first opened in Sydney in 2010 and has since traveled to the Kennedy Center in Washington. The play has been adapted by Andrew Upton, who is Blanchett’s husband and who serves with her as co-artistic directors of the Sydney company.

Blanchett has performed with her company in New York before, including productions of “Hedda Gabler” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Both of those productions took place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “Uncle Vanya” is running at New York City Center in midtown Manhattan.

Newsday’s critic Linda Winer described the production as “eccentric, often absurd yet, in a profound way, deeply true.”

In his review, Brantley noted the acoustics of City Center left something to be desired -- “some theatergoers may wish for supertitles.”

It is shaping up to be a busy summer for Blanchett. The Oscar-winning actress was recently photographed by paparazzi in L.A. while working on a movie with famed director Terrence Malick. She has also been cast in Woody Allen’s latest film.

Earlier this summer, Blanchett sat down with Times theater critic Charles McNulty in L.A. to discuss “Uncle Vanya” and her hectic career.

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