Yanks very much in the West End

by Nicola Shepherd

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THE MURMERINGS of discontent about Hollywood stars taking over the West End may be muted by an initiative, which has harnessed the headline-grabbing potential of Ewan MacGregor, Sadie Frost and her husband, Jude law.

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They have banded together, backed by the 15-theatre strong Ambassadors Theatre Group, owned by Lord Lloyed Webber, and the Old�Vic, to promote new acting and writing talent in the West End.

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But they� insist this is not a response to recent media stories about the Hollywood takeover of some of the hottest West End tickets.

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��Press Association

Hannah�gets Seven Year Itch

The latest American invasion began with Nicole Kidman�baring all in The Blue Room. She has been joined by Daryl Hannah in The Seven Year Itch, a role made famous by Marilyn Monroe; Kathleen Turner and Jerry Hall in The Graduate; Kevin Spacey in The Iceman Cometh; and Macauley Culkin, he of Home Alone fame, in Mrs Melville.

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There are�also plans for Robert de Niro to make his British stage debut in Art, co-produced by non other than Sean Connery, at the Old Vic later this year.

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Art has made a virtue of attracting an ever-changing cast�of stars since it opened with Tom Courtenay, Albert Finney and Ken Stott over five years ago. George Wendt, the American star�of Cheers was one of the first actors to cross the pond and tread on British boards, attracted by a role in Art.

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Calista Flockhart, aka Ally McBeal, is also preparing for her first London theatre role. This is�believed to be The Philadephia Story, written originally as a play, but made into a film twice. The first in 1940 starred James Stewart, Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The second starred Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby.

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Money doesn't appaear to be the attraction. Nicole Kidman was paid the going rate of �250 a week for The Blue Room in Covent Garden's Donmar Warehouse. Kathleen Turner is believed to have received �200,000 for her West End run in The Graduate. As a boost to a flagging acting career, however, such a role is worth its weight in gold.

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But, it isn't always the case that a big Holly wood name can guarantee success: Enigmatic Variations at The Savoy Theatre starred Donald Sutherland,�and The Guardsman attracted Greta Scacchi. But both closed in a matter of weeks after being lambasted by critics.

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Variety magazine, the actors'� bible, believes that far from dumbing down London theatre, the Hollywood invasion serves only to enrich it.

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What's your view Have you seen any of the plays mentioned above Was the experience good or bad Express� your views by visiting The AnswerBank message boards now.