'A Touch Of The Poet,' by Eugene O'Neil, starring Gabriel Byrne.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents Gabriel Byrne as 'Cornelius Melody' in a new Broadway production of Eugene O�Neill�s drama A Touch of the Poet, directed by Doug Hughes at Studio 54 on Broadway.

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.

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.

Additional casting and the creative team will be announced shortly.

'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.

Bios:

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.

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'.

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.