The New York Post reported earlier this year that the stage and screen star would likely join Dame Maggie Smith for the New York premiere of David Hare's Breath of Life. A representative for Wiest has confirmed the actress' casting. No dates or theatre have been determined. Nor is it certain if the show will be an open run or a limited affair.

Another Dame, Judi Dench, created the role in the London production, but the Academy Award-winning Dench has chosen not to repeat her role on Broadway.

Hare's Breath of Life — directed in London by Howard Davies — explores the relationship of two women whose lives are linked by one man. During a single, extraordinary night, Madeleine Palmer (Smith), a retired curator, and Angela Beale, a popular novelist, who have met only once before, spend an evening together in a way that echoes the hidden courses of their lives.

In an interview for Playbill On-Line, playwright Hare — recently represented on movie screens with the screenplay for "The Hours" — spoke about the West End engagement of Breath of Life: "From the first preview, the audience understood they were seeing two fantastic actresses, and I don't think there has been an empty seat since." Breath of Life ended its run at London's Theatre Royal March 1.

Dianne Wiest has starred on Broadway in Solitaire/Double Solitaire, Frankenstein, Othello, Beyond Therapy and In the Summer House, and she received Obie, Clarence Derwent and Theatre World awards for her performance in Off-Broadway's The Art of Dining. A two-time Academy Award winner for her roles in "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Bullets Over Broadway," Wiest was also nominated for her work in "Parenthood."