Joely Richardson will star opposite former child film star Macaulay Culkin, in the Off-Broadway debut of the West End hit, Richard Nelson's Madame Melville, reported Variety. The play opens at the Promenade Theatre April 2. Culkin is the only member of the UK cast to make the journey over. Richardson's role was played by Irene Jacob in London.

Madame Melville opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on Oct. 18, following previews from Oct. 7. It will close March 11.

Richardson has appeared in such films as "The Patriot," "101 Dalmatians," and "Event Horizon." A member of the British Redgrave-Richardson theatre family, her grandfather was Sir Michael Redgrave, her parents Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, her aunt Lynn Redgrave and her sister Natasha Richardson.

Playbill On-Line first reported Nelson's intention to move the play to New York in June 2000, and reported Culkin's interest on Aug. 2. Culkin auditioned for the role of the young man who is seduced by his thirty-something French teacher in a bid to resuscitate his stalled acting career. Now 19, he became a phenomenon in the early 1990s with starring roles in films including "Home Alone," "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," "My Girl," "The Good Son" and "Richie Rich." Culkin's last film role was in 1994's "Getting Even with Dad."

Madame Melville is produced in the West End by Gregory Mosher, Adam Kenwright and Andrew Fell. —By Robert Simonson