PARIS: Oscar-winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett takes her first steps on the Paris stage on Thursday, playing a lonesome woman in the lead role of the surreal 1970s play "Big and Small".

Written by German playwright Botho Strauss in west Berlin before the fall of the Wall, and adapted in English by Martin Crimp, the work tells the story of Lotte, who falls apart when her husband deserts her during a holiday in Morocco.

Directed by Australia's Benedict Andrews, this version of the play was first created by the Sydney Theatre Company, of which the 42-year-old actress and her playwright husband Andrew Upton are co-artistic directors.

Blanchett says she found a resonance with the lonely character of Lotte, who she played once before at university, citing her optimism faced with constant disappointments, and her struggle to strike up links with the people around her.

Star of such films as "Elizabeth" and "Lord of the Rings" and "Aviator" -- which earned her a best-supporting actress Oscar -- Blanchett won best actress at the Sydney Theatre Awards last year for her role as Lotte.

"Big and Small" runs at Paris' Theatre de la Ville from March 29 to April 6, before heading on to Britain, Austria and Germany. AGENCIES