AceShowbiz -

It's been 20 years since her last Broadway performance and now Annette Bening is about to return to the stage, starring in "The Female of the Species," a new play by the Australian writer Joanna Murray-Smith.

The six-character play reportedly will see Benning plays the character of "Margot Mason, a feminist literary giant suffering an extreme case of writer's block as deadline after deadline comes and goes on her next book. When a young fan arrives unexpectedly at her country home, Margot's world slowly and comically begins to unravel as family and friends show up and debate the virtues of her best-sellers, her inconsistent world view, and her decidedly un-motherly touch."

2007 Tony winner Michael Mayer will direct the play, with David Richenthal and Mary Beth O'Connor both give hand as producers. "The Female of the Species" will have an out-of-town tryout at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse starting from February 5th to March 16, 2008.

Benning made her Broadway debut in "Costal Disturbances" (1987) for which she received a Tony Award nomination.