Bonus: The parallel between theatres and restaurants with Cate Blanchett

0:00This is an iHeart Podcast.

0:30with kids, pets, or anyone who loves an easy-to-clean, spotless sofa. With a modular design and changeable slipcovers, you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style. Whether you need a single chair, loveseat, or a luxuriously large sectional, Anabay has you covered. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your home. Right now, you can shop up to 60 % off store-wide with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Shop now at washablesofas.com. Add a little to your life. Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. You are listening to Ruthie's Table 4 in partnership with Montclair. I always like to have the tannoy, the show replay, on in the dressing room so you can feel the mumble mumble of the audience as they come in.

1:20And it's great to be backstage before the house lights go down, whether you have the first entrance or not, because you can feel the texture of the show and what mood they're in. And I think that's the thing about working with a great ensemble is the audience will influence the show, but you've got to say, come with us. And so sometimes if they're laughing too much or you think, oh, they didn't quite understand that or they didn't find that as funny as last night, then it alters the way, the playing. It's a bit like being on open sea. So, yeah, I think you can definitely tell. And a Wednesday matinee is really different to a Friday night or a Saturday night.

1:58And also we as the audience can see, also have a sense of the ensemble. You can see how they are relating. And people will say to me, you know, very often I always sit at the table closest to the kitchen and I can see, they say, look at how they're all talking. And I say, yeah, they should be talking less and cooking more. But they're all, they're telling each other their news or they're talking or they're moving. And you can, that also, that's why I love an open kitchen. Yeah. because it is a performance that people always... I say that there's a lot of drama in a restaurant. There's a drama between the chefs and the chefs, the chefs and the waiters, the waiters and their customers and their customers and their customers.

2:36There's an immediacy to... My husband was an architect, and he didn't get to see his work done for three or four years, but then it lasted for hundreds of years. Whereas ours is very immediate. What we do here, certainly, is I can make something, thinks it's really good and then it gets eaten and it's gone. But it's such a wonderful marriage because so much about eating is about the atmosphere in which you eat or you create and so the space is so important. Yeah, space is important. Yeah, we were talking about that yesterday in terms of if you were thinking about restaurants that you didn't go for the food just but where is a room that you walk in and you go, wow, I'm in this beautiful room tonight to have a fabulous meal.

3:21And we're trying to think which restaurants. I think the Walsley kind of made you feel when you walked in there was a drama and the height and the movement. Yeah, yeah. There's a restaurant in Paris called the Trambleu. Have you ever been there? Yes. Which is in the Gare de Lyon. And then there are just the small little places like a little Lebanese down the road. But, you know, the room is, you know, it's part of the... Do you have those little hole-in-the-wall places? mom-and-pop places you find in Rome, which will have one table, eight chairs, and you just get what they're cooking. And I love that.

3:58I really love that. Because sometimes you can be overwhelmed by choice. Yeah. You know, the fact that we can choose anything, have everything, and so you become, in a way, you lose your appetite, I think.

4:15Thank you for listening to Ruthie's Table 4. in partnership with Montclair.

4:24Time for a sofa upgrade? Visit washablesofas.com and discover Anabay, where designer style meets budget-friendly prices, with sofas starting at$699. Anabay brings you the ultimate in furniture innovation with a modular design that allows you to rearrange your space effortlessly. Perfect for both small and large spaces, Anime is the only machine washable sofa inside and out. Say goodbye to stains and messes with liquid and stain resistant fabrics that make cleaning easy. Liquid simply slides right off. Designed for custom comfort, our high resilience foam lets you choose between a sink and feel or a supportive memory foam blend.

5:02Plus, our pet friendly stain resistant fabrics ensure your sofa stays beautiful for years. Don't compromise quality for price. Visit washablesofas.com to upgrade your living space today with no risk returns and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get up to 60 % off plus free shipping and free returns. Shop now at washablesofas.com. Authors are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Parking shouldn't slow you down. ParkWiz gives every driver a shortcut. Book ahead, save up to 50%, and skip the hassle of circling the block. Park smarter, park faster. ParkWiz. Download the ParkWiz app today and save every time you park.

5:39This is an iHeart Podcast.