OUTSIDE MULLINGAR, Starring Brian F. O'Byrne, Debra Messing and More, Begins Performances Tonight

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of John Patrick Shanley's Outside Mullingar, directed by Doug Hughes, will begin performances tonight, January 3 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). This strictly limited 11 week engagement will open Thursday, January 23.

The cast will feature Tony Award winner Brían F. O'Byrne, Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, Peter Maloney (The Cripple of Inishmaan, Dinner at Eight), and Dearbhla Molloy (Dancing at Lughnasa, Arcadia at London's Haymarket Theatre).

The award-winning team that brought you Doubt - Pulitzer, Oscar, and Tony-winning writer John Patrick Shanley and Tony-winning director Doug Hughes - reunite at MTC for the world-premiere romantic comedy Outside Mullingar.

Tony winner Brían F. O'Byrne (Frozen, Doubt, Million Dollar Baby) and Emmy winner Debra Messing ("Will & Grace," "Smash," Collected Stories) play Anthony and Rosemary, two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that - due to his painful shyness - suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony's father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR - Shanley's 10th play at MTC - is a compassionate, delightful play about how it's never too late to take a chance on love. It's kind of an "Irish Moonstruck."

The creative team for Outside Mullingar includes John Lee Beatty (scenic design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Mark McCullough (lighting design), Fitz Patton (original music & sound design), Tom Watson (hair & wig design), and Stephen Gabis (dialect coach).

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country's most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. Over the past three decades, MTC productions have earned a total of 19 Tony Awards and six Pulitzer Prizes, an accomplishment unparalleled by a New York theatrical institution. MTC has a Broadway home at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and two Off-Broadway theatres at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). Renowned MTC productions include The Assembled Parties;Venus in Fur; Master Class; Good People; The Whipping Man; Time Stands Still; The Royal Family; Ruined; The American Plan; Come Back, Little Sheba; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Love! Valour! Compassion!; A Small Family Business; Sylvia; Putting It Together; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin.'

Tickets for Outside Mullingar are available by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online by visiting www.Telecharge.com, or by visiting the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Box Office (261 West 47th Street). Ticket prices are $67 - $125. For more about the show, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.