Drag coefficient: Baranski to play Mary Sunshine in Chicago

Playbill.com reports that actress Christine Baranski will play sob-sister newspaper reporter Mary Sunshine in the upcoming film version of Chicago, despite the fact that the role is generally cast with a marked difference onstage. "They usually get a drag queen to play [that role]," says Baranski, "So I'm not sure what to make of that." In the stage version, Sunshine is revealed to be a man in woman's clothing at a key moment during the murder trial at the center of the show. Out moguls Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are executive producers on the project, which will also star Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah.