Showbiz

Cate Blanchett, 55, affectionately touches her co-star Tom Burke’s, 43, face as they attend Olivier Awards after starring in The Seagull

Cate Blanchett, 55, affectionately touches her co-star Tom Burke’s, 43, face as they attend Olivier Awards after starring in The Seagull

Cate Blanchett was spotted putting on a sweet display with her co-star Tom Burke at the Olivier Awards following their six-week run on the West End in The Seagull.

Cate, 44, and Tom, 43, play Irina Arkadina and her lover Trigorin in Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier’s adaptation of Chekhov’s masterpiece.

While minging outside the Royal Albert Hall, Cate was seen affectionately touching her friend’s face as they caught up ahead of the event.

For the outing, Cate looked incredible as she wore a quirky Louis Vuitton grey and red dress which featured a unique design around the shoulders. 

She paired her ankle-length garment with a pair of black court heels and a pair of chic black sunglᴀsses to shield her eyes from the rays.

Meanwhile Tom, 43, looked handsome as he attended the star-studded evening wearing a black two-piece suit.

Cate Blanchett was spotted putting on a sweet display with her co-star Tom Burke at the Olivier Awards following their six-week run on the West End in The Seagull

Cate Blanchett was spotted putting on a sweet display with her co-star Tom Burke at the Olivier Awards following their six-week run on the West End in The Seagull 

While minging outside the Royal Albert Hall, Cate was seen affectionately touching her friend's face as they caught up ahead of the event

While minging outside the Royal Albert Hall, Cate was seen affectionately touching her friend’s face as they caught up ahead of the event 

He layered his ensemble over a black T-shirt and finished his outfit with a pair of black suit shoes.

And while they were enjoying some sunshine outside the venue, Cate can be seen putting her hand on her co-star’s face. 

The plot for their upcoming production reads: ‘Arriving at her family’s country estate for the weekend, she finds herself caught in a storm of conflicting desires.

‘Her playwright son, Konstantin (Kodi Smit-McPhee), struggles to step out of her shadow as he pursues his own artistic ambitions and her lover Trigorin (Tom Burke) becomes the object of affection for the aspiring young actress Nina (Emma Corrin).’

Praising Cate’s performance The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion’s wrote: ‘With her geometrical features, Blanchett is as masklike and inscrutable as ever.

‘But she’s playful, too – her sensationally self-absorbed Arkadina, on forced holiday in the Russian countryside, reminded me at times of Jennifer Saunders in Ab Fab.’

The Olivier Awards is a particularly star-studded occasion this year, after a number of Hollywood veterans received nominations. 

Hosted by Beverley Knight and Billy Porter at the Royal Albert Hall on April 6, the 2025 Olivier Awards will celebrate the best of London’s West End. 

For the outing, Cate, 55, looked incredible as she wore a quirky Louis Vuitton grey and red dress which featured a unique design around the shoulders

For the outing, Cate, 55, looked incredible as she wore a quirky Louis Vuitton grey and red dress which featured a unique design around the shoulders

She paired her ankle-length garment with a pair of sensible black court heels and kept a low profile with black sunglᴀsses

She paired her ankle-length garment with a pair of sensible black court heels and kept a low profile with black sunglᴀsses

Meanwhile Tom, 43, looked handsome as he attended the star-studded evening wearing a black two-piece suit

Meanwhile Tom, 43, looked handsome as he attended the star-studded evening wearing a black two-piece suit

He layered his ensemble over a black T-shirt and finished his outfit with a pair of black suit shoes

He layered his ensemble over a black T-shirt and finished his outfit with a pair of black suit shoes

The Best Actress category is as star-studded as ever, with Imelda Staunton receiving a nod for her leading role in the musical Hello, Dolly!

The Best Actress categories are equally as star-studded, with Imelda Staunton receiving a nod for her leading role in the musical Hello, Dolly!

And the compeтιтion is of the highest calibre, with American actors Adrien Brody, John Lithgow and Billy Crudup set to battle it out in the Best Actor category against English stars Paapa Essiedu and Mark Strong. 

The Best Actress categories are equally as star-studded, with Imelda Staunton receiving a nod for her leading role in the musical Hello, Dolly! while Lesley Manville has been nominated for an ‘explosive’ thriller retelling of Oedipus – in which she starred opposite Strong last year.

Meanwhile Mission Impossible star Indira Varma also received a Best Actress nod for her leading role in a classic adaptation of the Greek tragedy which opened in January – however her co-star Rami Malek was snubbed. 

Impressively, Atonement actress Romola Garai has been nominated twice in the same category for two separate plays; Giant and The Years. 

Other British stars up for stage gongs include Strictly’s Layton Williams, comedian Meera Syal and three-time Olivier Award winner Sharon D. Clarke.

Meanwhile the revival of Joseph Stein’s musical Fiddler On The Roof has garnered the most nods with 13 total nominations.

New productions Giant and The Years have tied for most nominated play with five nods each.

Manville and Strong have both been nominated for the top gongs for their roles in a retelling of the father-killing, mother-loving king of Thebes, Oedipus. 

Conclave star Lithgow received his nod for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in Giant, a play which puts the author in the dock for his uncomfortable views.

The play examines the fallout from revolting anti-Semitic insinuations he made in 1983 in a review of a book – God Cried – by Tony Clifton and Catherine Leroy, about the bombing of Lebanon the previous year.

Meanwhile Brody’s nomination is for his role in The Fear Of 13, which ran at the Donmar Warehouse last year and is based on Nick Yarrow’s memoir about being incarcerated on death row in America for 22 years.

Meanwhile Lesley Manville has been nominated for an 'explosive' thriller retelling of Oedipus - in which she starred opposite Strong last year

Meanwhile Lesley Manville has been nominated for an ‘explosive’ thriller retelling of Oedipus – in which she starred opposite Strong last year

Conclave star John Lithgow received his nod for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in Giant, a play which puts the author in the dock for his uncomfortable views

Conclave star Lithgow received his nod for his portrayal of Roald Dahl in Giant, a play which puts the author in the dock for his uncomfortable views

Hosts Beverley and Billy will be joined on stage by a star-studded line-up of presenters for various awards.

The stars presenting awards include Cate Blanchett, Naomi Campbell, Elizabeth Debicki, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Martin Freeman and Ewan McGregor.  

Ahead of hosting the show, singer Beverley said: ‘What’s priceless to me is the joy, the sheer joy of being able to celebrate wonderful people and great talent.’

Her co-host and Cabaret star Billy added: ‘The celebration of theatre, the celebration of this community that’s unlike any other.’

ITV will air a highlights programme on Sunday featuring some of the awards and performances at 10.15pm on ITV1 and STV, before becoming available on ITVX.

One of the performance audiences are set to be treated to is from Les Miserables to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary. 

TikTok is also returning to host the Green Carpet coverage as the official mobile entertainment platform. 

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