Brian F. O'Byrne and Debra Messing to Lead John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR; Opens at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on 1/23

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) just announced Outside Mullingar, the world premiere play by Tony and Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes will be a part of Manhattan Theatre Club's 2013-2014 Broadway season starring Tony Award winner Brían F. O'Byrne and Emmy Award winner Debra Messing.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR will play a strictly limited 11-week engagement at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) with previews beginning Thursday, January 2, 2014 for a Thursday, January 23, 2014 opening night.

The world premiere of Outside Mullingar reunites Shanley, Hughes, and O'Byrne who previously worked together on MTC's landmark production of Doubt which premiered at MTC at City Center, transferred to the Walter Kerr Theatre, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards including Best Play for Shanley and Best Director of a Play for Hughes.

O'Byrne returns to MTC after winning acclaim for his performances in Doubt and Conor McPherson's Shining City. For Doubt, he won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and received a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Father Flynn. O'Byrne received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Frozen, and Tony nominations for The Coast of Utopia, The Lonesome West, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. In television, he received an Emmy nomination for "MildrEd Pierce" and starred in NBC's "Prime Suspect," ABC's "Flash Forward," and Showtime's "Brotherhood."

Messing, who will make her Broadway debut in Outside Mullingar, returns to Manhattan Theatre Club after starring in the theatre's 1997 New York premiere of Donald Margulies' Collected Stories opposite Maria Tucci. She also appeared in Paul Rudnick's 1994 playThe Naked Truth. Messing rose to fame as Grace Adler in NBC's "Will and Grace" for which she received an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also starred in "The Starter Wife" and "Smash" and has received a total of six Emmy and eight Golden Globe Award nominations.

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 tenth 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."

Additional casting, creative team, and additional listings information for Outside Mullingar will be announced in the coming weeks.

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR is presented as part of MTC's 2013-2014 season, joining the previously announced world premiere productions of THE SNOW GEESE by Sharr White, directed by Daniel Sullivan starring Mary-Louise Parker; THE COMMONS OF PENSACOLA by Amanda Peet, directed by Lynne Meadow starring Blythe Danner and Sarah Jessica Parker; TALES FROM RED VIENNA byDavid Grimm, directed by Kate Whoriskey; and WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID by Sarah Treem, directed by Pam MacKinnon, starring Cherry Jones. Three additional productions for the 2013-2014 season will be announced shortly.

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 18 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.'

Subscriptions for MTC's 2013-2014 season are available by calling (212) 399-3050 (Monday through Friday NOON - 10 PM, Saturday 3-6:30 PM) or online at www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com. Single tickets to the productions will go on sale at a later date.