Laura Linney Next in Line for Philadelphia Story???

According to today’s Daily Mail, Laura Linney is the latest in the list of Hollywood stars tipped to play Tracey Lord, the role immortalised on stage and screen by the late Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. The play was originally due to be mounted in the West End in 2001 when Ally Mcbeal's Calista Flockhart was set to play the part at the Shaftesbury Theatre (See News, 26 Mar 2001). That production was postponed indefinitely with casting problems, the general election and the foot-and-mouth outbreak all being cited as reasons for the delay (See News, 18 Apr 2001). The next whisper was that Julia Roberts was considering the role (See News, 9 Sep 2003), but she apparently became daunted following the death of Hepburn in June 2003. Ever since Kevin Spacey announced his intention to include the play in his inaugural season and to star in it himself at the Old Vic (See News, 22 Apr 2004), speculation has once again run rife. Whatsonstage.com readers voted on the subject in June 2004, choosing Cate Blanchett as their ideal Tracey with Gwyneth Paltrow coming in second place (See the Big Debate). Linney is best known internationally for film roles in The Truman Show, You Can Count on Me, Mystic River, Love Actually and The House of Mirth. Her New York stage credits have included Holiday, Sight Unseen and, starring opposite Liam Neeson in Richard Eyre's recent production, The Crucible.

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