Early next year, Debra Messing will make her Broadway debut in Outside Mullingar. Messing will co-star with Brian F. O’Byrne in the production. 

Written by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt) the romantic comedy will focus on Messing and O’Byrne who are from feuding eccentric Irish families. Both are quiet and withdrawn and grew up next door to one another on their family properties in the Irish countryside. However, there is a romantic spark but their complicated family history could potentially keep them apart. 

In a release from the Manhattan Theatre Club, the play has been described as an “Irish Moonstruck” in reference to the 1987 Cher/Nicholas Cage romantic comedy–also written by Shanley. However, this comes on the heels of the news that there are very few women written plays coming to Broadway this year.

Outside Mullingar will start a limited 11 week engagement on January 2nd with opening night slated for January 23rd.