Celebrities are just what the doctor ordered for the ailing Rialto, which will see several closings in January and February due to the downward-pointing arrows of most economic indicators. But those newly vacated theatres won't stay empty for long. And, the marquees that are going up are the types that have big names in lights above the title.

The most anticipated star turn of the season will likely be that of Jane Fonda. The legendary three-time Oscar winner hasn't been on Broadway since her sex-kitten days of the early sixties. She will head the cast of 33 Variations, the latest by Moisés Kaufman, the playwright-director whose forays into New York theatre are seldom but always noteworthy. The music-rich play tells the story of Katherine Brandt (Fonda), "a woman racing against time to solve the riddle of a composer's 200-year-old obsession." The 15-week engagement will officially open March 9 at the O'Neill Theatre.

Challenging 33 Variations in star wattage will be Impressionism, written by the little-known playwright Michael Jacobs, and starring the well-known actors Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen. Between the two Tony-winning performers, they've spent 45 years away from the Broadway stage. The drama, directed by ever-dependable Jack O'Brien, is "the story of a world traveling photojournalist and a New York gallery owner who discover each other and also that there might be an art to repairing broken lives." Opening is March 12 at the Schoenfeld.

	Hedda star Mary-Louise Parker with Michael Cerveris, Paul Sparks and Peter Stromare

Star performers with a richer and more consistent stage pedigree will rely not on new plays, but classics, for their return to Broadway in coming months. Mary-Louise Parker, classically trained but known as a master of contemporary roles, will essay her first archetypal role on Broadway in a new production of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, opening at the Roundabout Theatre Company's American Airlines Theatre on Jan. 25. Ian Rickson, who scored a bull's-eye with his recent revival of The Seagull, will direct.

The classiest vehicle of the season may prove to be Michael Blakemore's revival of Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, beginning previews at the Shubert Theatre on Feb. 26. Rupert Everett plays a husband beset by two wives, one real (Jayne Atkinson), one spectral (Christine Ebersole). The icing on this cake will be Angela Lansbury, who will play the choice supporting role of Madame Arcati. The supporting players, Deborah Rush and Simon Jones, are no slouches either.

	Will Ferrell as George Bush
	photo by Mary Ellen Matthews

Will Ferrell will execute his first visit to Broadway solo. He will play the only part in You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W Bush. The "Saturday Night Live" comedian will also, apparently, play himself. Expect anecdotes. The first preview, Jan. 20 at the Cort, coincides with Barack Obama's inauguration.

The musical scene this winter and spring is one of big-time revivals of historic shows. Guys and Dolls, West Side Story and Hair, all landmarks musicals of their eras, will all return to Times Square. West Side Story's been in the works for the longest time. The keeper of the keys to this musical treasure is, as always, protective librettist Arthur Laurents, who will direct the piece, opening March 19 at the Palace. The much-talked-about change to the script is the introduction of Spanish dialogue and lyrics for the Puerto Rican gang The Sharks. Jerome Robbins' choreography, meanwhile, will be left as is, re-created by Joey McKneely. The cast includes Matt Cavenaugh, Josefina Scaglione, Karen Olivo, Cody Green and George Akram.

Opening roughly around the same time will be new productions of Guys and Dolls, about a Runyonesque New York City of the 1950s that, as depicted, never really existed; and Hair, about a Hippie-ish New York City of the 1960s that, as depicted, never really existed. The Hair is the same production directed by Diana Paulus that wowed critics in Central Park this past summer. It will open March 5 at the Hirschfeld. The Frank Loesser classic, meanwhile, is directed by Des McAnuff and will star the interesting collection of stage, film and TV talent that is Craig Bierko, Oliver Platt, Lauren Graham and Kate Jennings Grant. Opening at the Nederlander (the Rent home that is free for the first time in 12 years) is March 1. Continued...