The actress, who was in New York last weekend to promote her new film, told journalists that she would eventually like to play Mama Rose in Gypsy, a role originated by Ethel Merman and later played by Angela Lansbury and Tyne Daly in two acclaimed revivals. Bernadette Peters will play the role, under Sam Mendes' direction, in the latest revival of the Jule Styne-Arthur Laurents-Stephen Sondheim musical, which begins previews at the Shubert Theatre March 31, 2003. When asked whether she would like to star in another movie musical, Zeta-Jones told reporters, "Well, I've done it, you know, not that I never want to revisit it. I've done it right now, and I'd like to do something, maybe straight theatre on Broadway and then come back with a musical. I wanna play Mama Rose. I'm just growing towards that. I'm hoping that the revival's gonna be coming around again, so I can play it," she laughed.

Born in Wales, Catherine Zeta-Jones starred in the West End production of 42nd Street before landing a role in the hit Yorkshire TV program "The Darling Buds of May." She received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in "Traffic," and her other screen credits include roles in "America's Sweethearts," "The Mask of Zorro" and "Entrapment." Zeta-Jones is married to actor Michael Douglas, and she will next be seen in the Coen brothers' "Intolerable Cruelty." She now stars opposite Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere in Kander and Ebb's "Chicago," which hits screens in the U.S. on Dec. 27.

A complete interview with Catherine Zeta-Jones will run in the Dec. 20 "Diva Talk" column on Playbill On-Line.