Diane Lane and Tony Shalhoub Star in LCT's THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX, Beginning Tonight

Lincoln Center Theater welcomes Mamoudou Athie, Diane Lane, Gayle Rankin, and Tony Shalhoub in its production of The Mystery of Love and Sex, a new play by Bathsheba Doran. The production, which is directed by Sam Gold, begins previews tonight, February 5 and open on Monday, March 2 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX is the story of four individuals whose lives remain inextricably intertwined over time. Charlotte (Gayle Rankin) and Jonny (Mamoudou Athie) are two college students and long-time friends since the age of 9. As their relationship turns romantic, over her parents' (Diane Lane and Tony Shalhoub) objections, an onslaught of truths about their past is unleashed, threatening not only their relationship with each other, but with their families as well.

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX will have sets by Andrew Lieberman, costumes by Kaye Voyce, lighting by Jane Cox, and original music and sound by Daniel Kluger.

BATHSHEBA DORAN's plays include Kin, also directed by Sam Gold (Playwrights Horizons), Parent's Evening (Flea Theater), Ben and the Magic Paintbrush (South Coast Repertory Theatre), Living Room in Africa (Edge Theater), Nest, Until Morning, and adaptations of Dickens' Great Expectations, Maeterlinck's The Blind, and Peer Gynt. She is currently a writer/producer for the Showtime series "Masters of Sex," was a writer on the second season of the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" (for which her episode received a Writers Guild Award nomination), and was a story editor on the NBC series "Smash." She adapted The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency for HBO Films and is developing a series for Britain's Channel 4 titled "Jerusalem," as well as adapting Pamela Druckerman's Bringing Up Bebe as a feature for Blueprint Pictures and Studio Canal. Doran is also writing a feature for Diane Kruger about the actress Hedy Lamarr.

SAM GOLD directed the LCT3 production of Nick Jones' The Coward. His Broadway credits include The Real Thing, The Realistic Joneses, Picnic, and Seminar. His many Off-Broadway credits include Fun Home, The Cradle Will Rock (City Center Encores!), The Flick(Lortel Award nomination), Uncle Vanya (Drama Desk Award nomination), The Big Meal (Lortel Award), Look Back in Anger (Lortel Award nomination), Circle Mirror Transformation (Obie Award), and The Aliens (Obie Award). He is a graduate of the Juilliard Directing Program and resident director at Roundabout Theatre Company.

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX will be performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. (Please note: there is no Saturday matinee on February 7 and no Tuesday evening performance on March 3.)

THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX was commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater with a Berwin Lee New Play Commission.

Lincoln Center Theater is currently the co-producer of the Broadway production of Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning playDisgraced (originally produced in New York by LCT3), directed by Kimberly Senior at the Lyceum Theatre, and is presenting Sarah Ruhl's new play The Oldest Boy, directed by Rebecca Taichman, in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater through Sunday, December 28. This spring, LCT will present a new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I, directed by Bartlett Sher, beginning performances March 12 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and Douglas Carter Beane's new play Shows for Days, directed by Jerry Zaks, beginning performances June 4 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. In addition, upcoming LCT3 productions at the Claire Tow Theater include Verité, a new play by Nick Jones, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel (January 31 through March 15) and Preludes, a new musical by Dave Malloy, directed by Rachel Chavkin (May 23 through July 19).

MAMOUDOU ATHIE is currently featured Off-Broadway in Generations at Soho Repertory Theatre. His recent regional work includes Hamlet (Yale Repertory Theatre), Becoming Sylvia, Tripoltania, and The Zoo Story (Williamstown Theatre Festival). He received his MFA in acting at Yale School of Drama.

DIANE LANE last appeared on the New York stage in the New York Shakespeare Festival's productions of The Cherry Orchard andAgamemnon at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Her other theater credits include Twelfth Night (ART/Boston) and Sweet Bird of Youth(Goodman Theatre/Chicago). She was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in Unfaithful. Other notable films include Man of Steel, Secretariat, Jumper, Must Love Dogs, Under the Tuscan Sun, The Perfect Storm, Jack, Rumble Fish, The Outsiders, A Little Romance, and the TV film "Cinema Verite," for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award.

GAYLE RANKIN can currently be seen on Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Cabaret. She has appeared Off-Broadway in Tribes (also at Mark Taper Forum/Los Angeles), Tony Kushner's The Illusion (Signature Theatre), and a developmental production of The Seagull (Williamstown Theatre Festival). TV and film credits include East of Acadia, "Law and Order: SVU," and the HBO pilot "The Missionary."

TONY SHALHOUB was nominated for Tony Awards for his performances in Lincoln Center Theater's productions of Act One and Clifford Odets' Golden Boy. His Broadway credits include Lend Me A Tenor, Conversations With My Father (Tony nomination), The Heidi Chronicles, and the female version of The Odd Couple. He has been seen Off-Broadway in The Scene, Waiting for Godot, Rameau's Nephew, and Zero Positive. He most recently co-starred with his wife, Brooke Adams, in a production of Beckett's Happy Days in Los Angeles. TV and film credits include Pain & Gain, Big Night, Barton Fink, The Siege, A Civil Action, Men in Black (I and II), "Wings," "Monk,"as well as "Too Big To Fail" and "Hemingway and Gelhorn" for HBO.