Funnier, sadder, braver... NY loves Kristin's Seagull

Kristin Scott Thomas made her Broadway debut in Chekhov's The Seagull with an opening night performance that left American critics taking off on a flight of flattery.

Scott Thomas won an Olivier Award in March for her performance as tragic diva Arkadina in the play's earlier run at the Royal Court.

The Seagull, directed by Ian Rickson from a new version by Christopher Hampton, transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre with many of the London cast, including Mackenzie Crook, Carey Mulligan and Art Malik.

But it was Scott Thomas, 48, whom critics lavished with special praise. The New York Times purred that she "delivers a magnified, intensified performance ... Ms Scott Thomas's performance is funnier, sadder and braver than it was in London". The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Thomas perfectly captures the ageing actress Arkadina's vainglorious air."

The Associated Press said: "In Scott Thomas's striking, elegant performance, we get a beautiful, impetuous woman who craftily knows how to use her considerable physical charms." Famous names at the opening night included actors Mike Myers, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Alan Cumming. Afterwards Scott Thomas did not disguise her delight at making her Broadway debut. She told the Standard: "It is the role for all actresses, because you're playing you. It's such fun. It's a bit scary to see the big poster and the lights going round but I'm loving it so much."

She added the 945-seater Walter Kerr Theatre was a different environment from the intimate Royal Court. She said: "It's actually really nice being on a bigger stage. They're very different audiences - they're not afraid of laughing." But Scott Thomas said the tricky role meant she had not had time to explore the Big Apple: "I haven't lived in New York. I've just worked."

Scott Thomas came to fame with roles in Four Weddings And A Funeral, which won her a Bafta, and The English Patient, for which she was Oscar-nominated. But she cut her big-budget film career short to have children with exhusband François Oliviennes and embark on a career in theatre. Her new French drama I've Loved You So Long opens in cinemas today.