By Amy Lipson
23 Nov 2009

Matthew Broderick plays an astronomy teacher opposite Catalina Sandino Moreno in The New Group's Off-Broadway world premiere of Kenneth Lonergan's The Starry Messenger, opening Nov. 23.

Lonergan directs his own work, which began Oct. 26 at Theatre Row and is currently set to play through Dec. 12.

Broderick and Moreno are joined in the cast by J. Smith Cameron, Stephanie Cannon, Kieran Culkin, Merwin Goldsmith, Grant Shaud and Missy Yager.

Playwright Lonergan has stated his play "follows an astronomy teacher whose midlife crisis is thrown into relief by an unexpected affair that changes everything. It's set in 1995, the last year before the [Hayden] planetarium — one of the great NYC institutions — was torn down."

On the inspiration for The Starry Messenger, Lonergan said in production notes that the work "dates back to an astronomy course at The Hayden Planetarium that Matthew Broderick and I took as high school students growing up in New York City." He penned the new play specifically for Broderick.

Here is a look at the production:

View the Entire Photo Gallery Matthew Broderick and J. Smith-Cameron Photo by Monique Carboni

Tickets to The Starry Messenger at The New Group at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Ave.), are available by calling (212) 279-4200. For more information, visit TheNewGroup.org.