Epic production The War of the Roses signifies the end of the STC Actors Company after three years together. To give them the send-off they deserve, Cate Blanchett will join them on stage. Actor Eden Falk spoke to Garrett Bithell.

“She’s obviously really professional but knows how to have a great time. Nothing is too serious. It’s been fun watching her work in this piece. I saw her this morning – she just got off a plane from LA and she’s straight back into the rehearsal room. She brought the baby in! It’s all pretty face-paced for her but she’s all smiles. Theatre is a real passion for her.”

    So says Eden Falk about Cate Blanchett. The actors are set to hit the stage together this month in Sydney Theatre Company’s epic production The War of the Roses, which spans almost 100 turbulent years of English history by condensing and distilling eight of Shakespeare’s interrelated history plays. Presented as four distinct acts and performed in two separate parts, it features some of The Bard’s greatest characters, including Richard II, Hotspur and Queen Margaret.

   “I love doing Shakespeare,” Falk tells AXN. “I almost love doing it more than anything else, so it’s been a great pleasure.” That’s perhaps lucky, given that the production runs for over seven hours. Audiences can choose to commit to one afternoon and evening (including a meal break), or in two parts spread across two separate visits.

    “I spend about an hour and a half at the end of the show lying dead on stage,” Falk laughs. “So I’ll be interested to see which parts of my body fall asleep. It does require huge stamina, especially on a matinee day, where we’ll do one part in the afternoon, and then go away and have dinner and come back at night and do the whole thing.

    “I think it’s really important to be able to listen to what is happening in the piece itself – for the audience to keep up requires the actors to keep up. You can’t just sit back.”

    The War of the Roses is adapted by associate director Tom Wright and internally lauded director Benedict Andrews. It features the STC Actors Company in what will be their final production as a culmination of three years working together. Along with co-artistic director Blanchett, they are joined on stage by the brilliant Robert Menzies.

    “[The Actors Company] is one of the best things I’ve done,” Falk muses. “I would do it again a thousand times. It’s like a long-term relationship coming to an end. Nothing may ever be the same as this. It’s like acting training and drama school – you have three years together and it’s great and you love each other and you hate each other and you fight and then you get on and you make great stuff. But then you finish and you do other things.

    “But it’s a great way to go out. We finish off in Perth – I’m from Perth. So I get to go back and see my family for a bit, and then come back to Sydney and get on the dole!”

    A testament to the virtuoso acting skills and ensemble approach to theatre making that has characterised the work of the Actors Company, many of the performers take on multiple roles – for instance John Gaden plays John of Gaunt, Edmund of York and Falstaff, and the stunning Luke Mullins plays Hotspur, Katherine and Richmond.

    “Luke is great,” Falk raves. “He’s got some great stuff in this show. I really enjoy working with him and was really happy when he joined the company. He’s a lot of fun to be around, and like Cate [Blanchett] has a really good theatrical mind.”

    When Falk hangs up his crown as Henry VI for the last time, he’s going to embark on a hiatus from acting.

    “I’m just going to do something else for while. Maybe carpentry!”

The War of the Roses plays Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay as part of Sydney Festival from January 5 – February 14. For tickets visit sydneytheatre.com.au or sydneyfestival.org.au The production then moves to Perth as part of the Perth International Arts Festival, playing His Majesty’s Theatre from February 27 – March 12. For tickets visit perthfestival.com.au