'A Touch Of The Poet' announces full cast.

Roundabout Theatre Company have announced the full cast for their new Broadway production of Eugene O�Neill�s drama A Touch of the Poet, directed by Doug Hughes at Studio 54 on Broadway.

Starring Gabriel Byrne (Cornelius Melody) with Dearbhla Molloy (Nora Melody), Emily Bergl (Sara Melody), John Horton (Nicholas Gadsby), Byron Jennings (Jamie Cregan), Kathryn Meisle (Deborah), Randall Newsome (Paddy O�Dowd), Ciaran O�Reilly (Dan Roche) and Daniel Stewart Sherman (Mickey Maloy).

A Touch of the Poet opens on the 8 Dec 2005, following previews from the 11 Nov. This is a limited engagement through 29 Jan 2006.

The design team for A Touch of the Poet includes Santo Loquasto (sets & costumes), Chris Akerlind (lights) and David Van Tieghem (sound design and original composition).

Set in a shabby tavern outside Boston in 1828, A Touch of the Poet finds an Irish immigrant who fancies himself as a distinguished gentleman despite all evidence to the contrary. Down-on-his-luck, he finds himself in a quandary when his daughter falls for the son of a wealthy American and he insists on maintaining his European gentility.

Doug Hughes returns to the Roundabout Theatre Company where he directed Jon Robin Baitz�s The Paris Letter and Stephen Belber�s McReele, both at the Laura Pels Theatre. He earned the 2005 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Direction of John Patrick Shanley�s Doubt. He also earned the 2004 Tony, Outer Critics Circle & Lucille Lortel nominations for his direction of Bryony Lavery�s Frozen.

This will be Byron Jennings fifth production at the Roundabout Theatre Company. He appeared at Roundabout Theatre Company in A Month in the Country (1995), The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000), The Foreigner (2004) and Twelve Angry Men (2005).

Roundabout alumni also includes Dearbhla Molloy (Juno and the Paycock,2000), Emily Bergl (Fiction, 2004) and Kathryn Meisle (Tony nomination for Tartuffe, 2003 and The Constant Wife, 2005).

Roundabout Theatre Company�s last association with Eugene O�Neill, was the 1992/1993 production of Anna Christie starring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson. The production received four Tony nominations.

A Touch of the Poet premiered on Broadway in 1958 at the Helen Hayes Theatre. The last production was staged in 1977 also at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Both productions received Tony nominations for Best Play and Revival.

Biographies:

Gabriel Byrne (Cornelius Melody) began his acting career with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and subsequently joined the Royal Court and the National Theatre in London. He has starred in 35 films including Miller's 'Crossing, Cool World', 'Point of No Return', 'Little Women', 'Dead Man',' The Usual Suspects', 'Polish Wedding', Smilla�s 'Sense of Snow'', The End of Violence', 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Stigmata' and 'End of Days'. Mr. Byrne last appeared on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill�s 'A Moon for the Misbegotten'.

Dearbhla Molloy (Nora Melody). Ms. Molloy�s numerous theatre credits include: USA: Juno and the Paycock (Roundabout), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Geffen Playhouse), A Touch of the Poet (American Rep.), Dancing at Lughnasa (Broadway; Tony and Drama Desk nominations). UK: The Seagull, Hinterland, Juno and the Paycock (Donmar Warehouse), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Royal National Theater), Arcadia (West End), The Hostage (Royal Shakespeare Company), On the Ledge (National). Abbey Theatre (Ireland): Dancing at Lughnasa, Aristocrats, The Patrick Pearse Motel, The Way to Keep Him, The Ginger Man, A Scent of Flowers.

Emily Bergl (Sara Melody). Broadway: The Rivals (Lincoln Center), The Lion in Winter (Roundabout, FANY Award). LCT: Old Money. Off-Broadway: Fiction (Roundabout), Where Do We Live (Vineyard). Other theater: The Country, Our Town (La Jolla Playhouse); Proof, The School for Wives (South Coast Rep.); Romeo and Juliet (Old Globe); Once in a Lifetime, The Skin of Our Teeth (Williamstown); Under Cover of Darkness (New York Stage and Film); Our Lady of 121st Street, The Grapes of Wrath, The Rose Tattoo, Agnes of God (L.A. Theatreworks).

John Horton (Nicholas Gadsby). Broadway: Noises Off, Kiss Me Kate, Moby Dick, Photo Finish, Otherwise Engaged, Spokesong, Bedroom Farce, Amadeus, The Homecoming, Lettice and Lovage(national tour), Allegro (Encores!), London Assurance, Golden Child. Off-Broadway: Engaged, Rear Column, Close of Play, The Vinegar Tree, Love�s Labours Lost, A Backer�s Audition, The Stand In. Regional: Heartbreak House, Racing Demon, Guthrie. Television: �Trinity,� �NY Undercover,� �George Washington,� �Liberty,� �Feds,� �Wright�s Verdict,� and �One Life To Live.�

Byron Jennings (Jamie Cregan). Broadway: Twelve Angry Men (Roundabout), Noises Off; Sight Unseen (MTC); The Man Who Came to Dinner and A Month in the Country (both for the Roundabout); Henry IV, Dinner at Eight, The Invention of Love, Carousel, all for LCT. Off-B�way: The Foreigner (Roundabout), Dealer�s Choice (MTC); Waste (TFANA); Merchant of Venice, On the Open Road, Pericles (NYSF/Public); The Underpants (CSC); The Waiting Room (Vineyard).

Kathryn Meisle (Deborah). Recently seen on Broadway in the Roundabout's production of The Constant Wife. She was previously seen at Roundabout Theatre Company in Tartuffe for which she received a Tony Award Nomination for outstanding featured actress and the Calloway Award. Other Broadway: London Assurance, The Rehearsal and Racing Demon (Lincoln Center). Off-Broadway includes: Living Out (Second Stage), Old Money (LCT), What You Get and What You Expect, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told (NYTW), Olivia in Twelfth Night, Celia in As You Like It (Drama Desk Award nomination) and Desdemona in Othello (NYSF/Delacorte). Her most recent of many regional theatre appearances was as Masha in The Three Sisters at The Guthrie.

Randall Newsome (Paddy O�Dowd). Randall most recently appeared in The Alliance Theatre/Acting Company co-production of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter directed by Doug Hughes. Previous New York stage credits include The 78th Street Theatre Lab, The Upper Depths and Concrete Temple. He has appeared at several regional theatres including The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Florida Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Stamford Fringe Festival, Two River Theatre, and New American Theatre. In the Chicago area, Randall�s credits include The Candlelight/Forum Theatre, Zebra Crossing and Apple Tree Theatre.

Ciaran O'Reilly (Dan Roche). Irish Repertory Theatre: The Streets of New York, The Hostage, The Country Boy, Shadow of a Gunman, The Irish and How They Got That Way, Da (with Brian Murray), A Whistle in the Dark, The Au Pair Man and more. Broadway: The Com in Green. Abbey Theatre (Dublin): Deoraiocht, Sendra.

Daniel Stewart Sherman (Mickey Maloy). Broadway: Henry IV (LCT), The Full Monty (Broadway and National Tour, Jefferson Award nomination). Off-Broadway: The Mineola Twins (Roundabout), Corpus Christi (MTC). Regional: Guys & Dolls (Papermill), Terra Nova (Capitol Rep.), Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Fulton Opera House) and more.

Doug Hughes (Director) is returning to The Roundabout where he directed Jon Robin Baitz�s 'The Paris Letter' and Stephen Belber�s 'McReele'. His Manhattan Theatre Club production of John Patrick Shanley�s 'Doubt' is currently running on Broadway at the Walter Kerr. For his direction of Doubt Mr Hughes has received the 2005 Lucille Lortel Award and 2005 Drama Desk Award for 'Outstanding Direction' and is a nominee for the 2005 Tony's 'Best Direction of a Play', results of which will be announced on the 5 Jun 2005.

Eugene O'Neill (Playwright): major works include 'The Emperor Jones' (1920); 'The Hairy Ape' (1922); 'Desire Under the Elms' (1924); 'The Great God Brown' (1926); 'Strange Interlude' (1928); 'Mourning Becomes Electra' (1931); 'Ah, Wilderness!' (1933); 'A Moon for the Misbegotten' (1957); 'Hughie' (1964); 'A Touch of the Poe't (1967); and what most authorities consider his two greatest plays, 'The Iceman Cometh' (1939) and 'Long Day's Journey Into Night', completed in 1941 but unproduced until three years after his death on the 27 Nov 1953.