Brits on Broadway: Janet McTeer

Welcome to a brand new feature on LondonTheatre.co.uk where we showcase la crème de la crème of British talent, currently treading the boards of New York City. And what better way to kick things off than with a veteran of both stage and screen, who has been showered with accolades over the years, including Olivier and Tony Awards! Ladies and gentlemen... Janet McTeer.

Not every actor gets to have their name in lights on a Broadway marquee, but Janet McTeer has achieved this remarkable feat no less than 5 times over the past 21 years. She burst onto the Broadway scene in the spring of 1997 following her Olivier Award-winning performance as Nora Helmer in Ibsen's A Doll's House and a consequent New York transfer... and became an instant success. She added a Theatre World Award, a Drama Desk Award, and, most importantly, a Tony Award to her mantlepiece as a result of her widely acclaimed Broadway debut.

New York audiences would have to wait 12 years until McTeer finally returned on the heels of two celebrated London productions. She had already portrayed the title character of Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart in 2005 and the role of Veronica in Yasmina Reza's God of Carnage in 2008 in the West End, and she would go on to reprise both performances in the Big Apple. Her stunning turn as Mary Stuart (from March to August 2009) earned her a second Tony Award nomination and opened the doors for her to join the Broadway company of God of Carnage for the final months of its run from March 2010.

McTeer made her off-Broadway debut for the Public Theater as she took on the role of Petruchio in a "Shakespeare in the Park" all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, stealing the show with an abundance of seemingly effortless masculinity and confidence and once again proving her versatility as a performer. For those unfamiliar, "Shakespeare in the Park" is a 64-year (and counting) New York tradition at the gorgeous open air theatre in Central Park known as the Delacorte Theater, where tickets are distributed for free on the morning of each show on a first come first served basis, in an effort to make theatre accessible to all in New York City. McTeer became a strong part of that beloved tradition in the summer and in the autumn of 2016, she would grace the commercial Broadway stage, reprising yet another acclaimed London performance; this time as La Marquise de Merteuil in Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses. McTeer was born to take on this role - a match made in heaven (or, indeed, hell) - as she revelled in the sexual prowess, cunning and rage of the character that lives to manipulate for her own enjoyment.

Thanks to the Roundabout Theatre Company, McTeer returned to Broadway this season in a world premiere play entitled Bernhardt/Hamlet, beginning previews at the American Airlines Theatre on August 31, 2018, ahead of an official opening on September 25. And which juicy role enticed her back to the New York stage? How about Sarah Bernhardt, perhaps the greatest stage actress of all time? In 1899, the legendary French actress sent shockwaves throughout the theatre world as she decided to take on the role of Hamlet and defy the gender politics of her era (pre-dating the current and long overdue #TimesUp movement by more than 100 years) and this is the arc of Theresa Rebeck's new play. McTeer's version of Bernhardt is utterly captivating thanks to her mercurial nature, boundless with energy and ideas. Both women share an intense love of their craft and both search for the meaning beyond the text. McTeer is gifted with a voice that engulfs you like a siren at sea and as Bernhardt cries: "Nobody upstages me!" you can't help but consider that McTeer has done exactly that.

Janet McTeer is a theatrical force of nature who has shared her immense talents on both sides of the Atlantic for over three decades and we are already looking forward to her next Broadway adventure.

Bernhardt/Hamlet Tickets are available now for performances through to November 18, 2018.