MTC Announces Productions for 2007-2008 Season

MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer; Daniel Sullivan, Acting Artistic Director 2007-2008 Season) is pleased to announce upcoming productions for its 2007-2008, including the two shows on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and the four productions at MTC's Off-Broadway theatres at Stage I and Stage II at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street). A third Biltmore production will be announced at a later date.

The season will feature an exciting roster featuring the talents of playwrights Adam Bock, Caryl Churchill, Kenneth Lonergan, Itamar Moses, Theresa Rebeck, and Abbie Spallen; directors such as Carolyn Cantor, Doug Hughes, Joe Mantello, James Macdonald, and Pam MacKinnon; and actors such as F. Murray Abraham, Dylan Baker, Matthew Broderick, Bobby Cannavale, Josh Charles, Katie Finneran, Robert Foxworth, Jayne Houdyshell, Kendra Kassebaum, and Alison Pill. The 2007-2008 season will include: two world premieres, two New York premieres, one American premiere, and one Broadway premiere.

BILTMORE THEATRE Mauritius NEW YORK PREMIERE Written by THERESA REBECK Directed by Doug Hughes With F. Murray Abraham, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Katie Finneran, and Alison Pill A co-production with the Huntington Theatre Company

Previews begin: Thursday, September 13, 2007 Opening Night: Thursday, October 4, 2007

A gripping new play from the enterprising author of such acclaimed hits as The Scene, Bad Dates and Omnium Gatherum (for which she and her co-author were Pulitzer Prize finalists). Jackie and Mary are half-sisters whose mother's death leaves them in possession of a rare stamp collection. But which sister actually owns the stamps? Which of three dealers can be trusted with their sale? And where do we choose to live: the present or the past? Tightly woven and ever-surprising, this sinister comedy marks Theresa Rebeck's Broadway debut.

The production will star Academy Awardâ winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus), Tony Awardâ nominee Dylan Baker (Happiness), Emmyâ Award winner Bobby Cannavale ("Will & Grace"), Tony Awardâ winner Katie Finneran (Noises Off), and Tony Awardâ nominee Alison Pill (Blackbird). Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt, Inherit The Wind) will direct. Mauritius is a co-production with the Huntington Theatre Company (Nicholas Martin, Artistic Director; Michael Maso, Managing Director).

Top Girls BROADWAY PREMIERE Written by CARYL CHURCHILL Directed by JAMES MACDONALD

Previews begin: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Opening Night: Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Broadway debut of a Caryl Churchill masterpiece. Set at the Top Girls Employment Agency in London in the early 1980s, this groundbreaking, theatrical play tells the story of Marlene, an ambitious career woman who has just been appointed head of the firm. But as she celebrates her achievements, can we applaud her values? This bold and ingenious work from the singularly talented author of Far Away and Cloud Nine offers one of the theatre's most honest portraits of what it means to be a woman in the modern world. Directing is James Macdonald, who staged the New York premiere of Churchill's A Number, as well as this season's hit production of Dying City at Lincoln Center Theater.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER – STAGE I The Receptionist WORLD PREMIERE Written by Adam Bock Directed by Joe Mantello With JOSH CHARLES, Robert Foxworth, Jayne Houdyshell, and Kendra Kassebaum

Previews begin: Friday, October 12, 2007 Opening Night: Thursday, October 30, 2007

Beverly takes pride in her work as the receptionist at a busy Northeast office. Whether coaching her co-worker Lorraine through romantic troubles, fielding calls for their boss Mr. Raymond or carefully monitoring the flow of office supplies, Beverly keeps her domain shipshape. But when handsome Mr. Dart arrives unexpectedly from the central office, Beverly is charmed, Lorraine is smitten and Mr. Raymond is caught completely off guard. This world premiere from Adam Bock, the author of The Thugs and Swimming in the Shallows will be directed by Joe Mantello, the two-time Tony Award®-winning director of last season's Blackbird at MTC, as well as Wicked, Take Me Out, and Love! Valour! Compassion!

The cast will feature Josh Charles ("Sports Night," Dead Poets Society), Robert Foxworth (Judgment at Nuremberg), Tony Award® nominee Jayne Houdyshell (Well), and Kendra Kassebaum (Wicked).

The Starry Messenger WORLD PREMIERE Written and Directed by KENNETH LONERGAN With Matthew Broderick

Previews begin: Thursday, February 7, 2008 Opening Night: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Mark (Two time Tony Awardâ winner Matthew Broderick) works at the Hayden Planetarium, teaching Upper West Siders about the mysteries of the galaxy. But when this forty-something married man meets a pretty young single mother, his own solar system begins spinning out of control, forcing him to come to terms with the inertia that is his life. Is it too late to try and re-connect with his wife and son? And how did his middling career get so badly off track? THE STARRY MESSENGER is a wise and stirring New York story from one of America's most insightful playwrights. Told with wit and compassion, this world premiere comes from Kenneth Lonergan, the Academy Award®-nominated author of You Can Count on Me, as well as the celebrated plays Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This Is Our Youth.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER – STAGE II Pumpgirl AMERICAN PREMIERE Written by ABBIE SPALLEN Directed by Carolyn Cantor

Previews begin: Thursday, November 8, 2007 Opening Night: Tuesday, December 4, 2007

In this gripping play from one of Ireland's brightest new talents, playwright Abbie Spallen shapes a startling tale of three lives colliding in rural Ireland. The play unfolds with the story of a homely, tomboyish pump girl at a rundown gas station. When a local racetrack star becomes the focus of her obsession, the affair threatens more than the feelings of his disenchanted wife. A blazing success last season in Edinburgh and at London's renowned Bush Theatre, the play is in the best tradition of richly detailed and unforgettable Irish storytelling.

The Four of Us NEW YORK PREMIERE Written by ITAMAR MOSES Directed by PAM MacKINNON

Previews begin: Thursday, March 6, 2008 Opening Night: Tuesday, March 25, 2008

When Benjamin's first novel vaults him into literary stardom, his friend David, a struggling playwright, is thrilled for his newfound success...or is he? Should Benjamin help David by using his new connections? Can David even expect such favors from his friend? And, most importantly, who should pay for lunch? THE FOUR OF US is a poignant new play about friendship and memory, the gap between our stories and our lives, and what happens when your dreams come true - for your best friend.

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. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes as well as numerous other awards. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain't Misbehavin'.

In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway's landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, to the Biltmore, MTC's operates two theatres at New York City Center, its Off-Broadway home since 1984.

When Meadow begins her previously announced sabbatical during the 2007-2008 season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), will serve as Acting Artistic Director. Sullivan will continue consulting with Meadow and MTC's artistic staff on the planning of the 2007-2008 season. Meadow will return to MTC for the 2008-2009 season and will consult on the planning of that season.

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