Maggie Gyllenhaal Departs MCC Theater's Production of Penelope Skinner’s The Village Bike

Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal has departed MCC Theater's upcoming North American premiere of Penelope Skinner's The Village Bike. A spokesperson for the off-Broadway play said that her exit was due to scheduling conflicts. It was recently announced that Gyllenhaal will make her Main Stem debut opposite Ewan McGregor in The Real Thing this Fall.

A replacement for the role of Becky will be announced shortly for the Sam Gold-directed play, and performances will begin as scheduled on May 21 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.

The Village Bike premiered in 2011 to sold-out crowds at the Royal Court Theatre in London and won Skinner the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright and the 2011 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright. The play follows Becky, who is pregnant—and friskier than ever. But she can’t seem to get the attention of her husband, who is preoccupied with preparing for the baby’s months-away arrival. So Becky takes matters into her own hands and sets out on an adventure that starts with the purchase of a used bike from a man in town and takes her further than she ever expected she’d go.