Now, word comes from producer Robert Fox that he is renegotiating the Gotham arrival of the drama, aiming at fall 2004. Nothing is yet settled, the showman told Playbill On-Line. It would appear that casting, too, is in question, though the retaining of Smith's involvement would appear to be critical to the play's transfer. In an earlier interview for Playbill On-Line, playwright Hare said, "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. The other actress was Dame Judi Dench, who chose not to repeat her role on Broadway. At last report, Dianne Wiest, who recently starred in Oscar Wilde's Salome: The Reading, had stepped into the part.

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.