Mulgrew 'Thrilled' By Support For 'Tea At Five'

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Star Trek fans have rushed to book tickets for Kate Mulgrew's (Kathryn Janeway) new play 'Tea at Five,' and the actress says she couldn't be more grateful for the support.

"[Star Trek fans] are devoted," Mulgrew told Pat Seremet at the Hartford Courant. "It's almost unconditional support that continues to dazzle and daunt and thrill me. Trekkies are very smart, science-minded, but liberal. You don't come from Australia and Germany because you have some small mystical interest."

And they are coming in droves to see Mulgrew portray screen legend Katharine Hepburn in the play. According to the newspaper, the Hartford Stage has received unprecedented ticket orders from thirty-one U.S. states and countries such as Slovenia, Israel and the Netherlands.

But those hoping to see Mulgrew as Janeway again won't have to travel much further than their local cinema, as the actress recently filmed a cameo appearance in the upcoming feature film 'Star Trek: Nemesis.' This time, Janeway will be an admiral, something Mulgrew had experience with in the Voyager finale, 'Endgame.'

"That was like slipping into a very easy skin, playing the admiral," she said during a Lite 100.5 WRCH radio broadcast. "But, 'Nemesis' which is the new movie, oh God did I say something I wasn't supposed to say? I live in constant peril of my life that Paramount - can I say something? Can I say hello?" Blowing a kiss to Paramount, Mulgrew added, "love you all out there."

Although it was only a small part, Mulgrew enjoyed her 'Nemesis' experience. "It was very fast, but Patrick Stewart, God bless him, came in quite early to do his off camera for me. Rick Berman came down from his office. It was extremely pleasant, I must say."



Totally Kate

 

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Mulgrew Discusses 'Tea At Five' On 'Rosie'

Although she has often been compared to Katharine Hepburn, actress Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway) never felt a connection until she took on the role of the screen legend in 'Tea at Five.'

"I have been likened to her all my life, which one tends to dismiss, and suddenly this thing is happening inside on a very deep level," Mulgrew said during an appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show last week (via Voyager's Delights).

The role has certainly been a demanding one, yet Mulgrew found the experience to be very rewarding. "In act one I'm 31, in act two I'm 76, and it is this extraordinary journey, which I'm taking vocally as well, it's not an easy feat. She has visited me in a way - I don't know how to explain it to you.

"I think what is most important about this piece, is that it is not a vanity piece, so we did take a risk, but I think by the same token if Katharine Hepburn did watch it, she would be honoured by it. I have tried to dignify her life on every conceivable level as an actress. And I do hope that I have given that to her, because she is a great Spartan spirit."

It hasn't all been plain sailing however, with an unsteady set causing problems for Mulgrew on opening night. "I turn after about ten minutes and I go to the mantlepiece and just as I transition into a very terrible sequence about my brother's death and as I approach the mantlepiece, it crashes to the floor," the actress recalled. "I said to myself, 'You have two choices, you can screw this up or you can figure it out just like she would.' Just before I went up there I had a line saying to the audience 'Time levels.' So I get to the mantlepiece, it crashes and I turned to them and went 'Time levels other things as well.'"

With the arduous Voyager schedule finally behind her, one would think Mulgrew would have wanted to relax for a while before starting on her next project. But the actress has always been one to take on tough challenges.

"After seven and a half years in the Delta Quadrant, I got married to this guy [Tim Hagan] who spent 16 years as a public official in Cleveland, and I said 'What's it going to be? Picnic, walk in the park?' He said, 'No, I think I'll run for governor' and I said, 'Well I'll do the life of Katharine Hepburn.'"

The full 8-minute 9.5 MB Real Media video clip of Mulgrew's appearance can be downloaded at Voyager's Delights.com