Manhattan Theatre Club announced full casting for the Off-Broadway staging, directed by Chicago Tony winner Walter Bobbie, on Sept. 24. Performances begin at MTC City Center Stage I on Nov. 13 prior to a Dec. 4 opening night.

McNally, an opera maven whose plays Master Class and The Lisbon Traviata also touch on classical music, returns to one of his artistic homes for this production. MTC's Stage I was the site of many of his successes, including Lips Together, Teeth Apart.

Here's how MTC bills Golden Age: "It's opening night of Vincenzo Bellini's (Emmy Award nominee Lee Pace) new opera in Paris, and the Italian composer is determined to win the adulation of not only his audience, but his colleagues and rivals as well. When the curtain falls, will a thunderous ovation cement his prominence? Or has Bellini unwittingly composed his own swan song? Blending 21st century language with the timeless beauty of 19th century bel canto opera, Terrence McNally's new play, portrays the final act of an artist whose desire for greatness has eclipsed all else."

McNally is a four-time Tony Award winner (Master Class, Ragtime, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Kiss of the Spider Woman). Neuwirth ("Cheers," Chicago, Sweet Charity) will play Maria Malibran, and Pisoni (Humor Abuse) will play Antonio Tamburini, two famous opera singers of the 19th century. Rogers and Thomas were in Bobbie's cast of the 2011 world premiere of The Submission Off-Broadway. Phillips was in Broadway's November and My Favorite Year. Easton starred in Broadway's Elling, The Coast of Utopia, The Invention of Love (for which he won the 2001 Best Actor Tony) and more. Friel appeared in Broadway's Leap of Faith. 

The creative team includes Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Jane Greenwood (costume design), Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), Ryan Rumery (sound design), and Tom Watson (hair & wig design). This limited run ends Jan. 6, 2013.

For more information on MTC, visit ManhattanTheatreClub.com.