Scene Change: This Week In Theater Briefs

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Broadway might need a bailout: The Daily Telegraph reports that only two shows made money this difficult season — The Seagull and All My Sons. Sorry, Harry. So what can we expect Broadway producers to do with this new information? 1. Opt for more limited runs. 2. Cast shows with big name stars. 3. Choose only established classics. The good news: At least this should rule out more dreck like Shrek. [Telegraph]

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard spice up their marriage with Chekhov: Classic Stage company has announced that the Brooklyn couple will star in their upcoming production of Uncle Vanya, which begins previews on January 17th. As Dave Itzkoff points out, this is the first time the pair will collaborate since working on a dramatic short film called High Falls in 2007. With Maggie cast as Yelena, and Peter (fresh from The Seagull) playing Astrov, will this project put emotional strain on their relationship as well? [Arts Beat]

Billy Elliot tops Time‘s Best of List: While it’s no shocker that a family-friendly musical like Billy Elliot danced off with top honors (with Hair and All My Sons hot on its heels) in Time‘s year-end roundup, we were glad to see that smaller (and much, much darker) productions like Black Watch, Reasons to be Pretty, and Blasted, also made the cut. They almost had us thinking they were cool — and then we got to The Little Mermaid. [Time]

Good OLD Marissa Jaret Winkour returns to Hairspray: Sure, it’s no longer news that the show’s former star will reprise the role of Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray‘s final month. But the Guardian is quick to point out something that we hadn’t realized — at 35, Winkour will be playing a character who’s almost 20 years younger than she is. Yowza. To add insult to injury, Constantine Rousouli, who plays her love interest Link, is a fresh-faced 19. At least he’s legal. [Guardian]