Calista's London Story

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday April 27, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

American names continue to highlight the London West End stage. Following in the recent footsteps of Kathleen Turner and Macaulay Culkin, Calista Flockhart, 36, is now set to star as ice-maiden heiress Tracy Lord in playwright Philip Barry's "The Philadelphia Story," according to the Hollywood Reporter. The production, which will also star Blythe Danner, is set to begin previews on May 21 prior to a June opening. A limited run of 10 weeks, at least, is being planned, says producer Duncan Weldon, depending upon business and his star's commitment to "Ally McBeal." As a historical note, the 1939 stage and 1940 film versions of the class comedy restored luster to the career of its then-fading star, Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn wisely retained the movie rights to the stage play and then sold them to MGM -- provided she could star in the movie, which she did, along with Cary Grant and James Stewart, who won an Oscar for his role as a magazine photographer who falls for Tracy.