As previously reported, Austin Pendleton will direct the work slated to begin previews Sept. 10 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and open Sept. 28. The limited run is currently scheduled through Oct. 25.

"Something's gone very wrong behind the idyllic façade of Jan and Adam's Brooklyn brownstone," reads show notes for the Off-Broadway troupe's season opener. "At 9:10 PM, they're reveling in the freedom of having waved off their young son, Greg, to a neighborhood sleepover. By 9:15 PM, they're both in tears. By 9:25 PM, things are way past tears." This "expansive look at modern marriage, as seen through the looking glass of one couple's long night's journey into day" debuts at MCC.

Marvel will take on the role of Jan. Her co-star in the two-character piece will be announced shortly. (She was previously reported to star with Philip Seymour Hoffman when the work was mentioned as Broadway-bound.)

The actress recently earned acclaim for her role in the Broadway revival of Top Girls. She has also appeared in Seascape, An American Daughter, Taking Sides and The Seagull as well as Off-Broadway in Almost an Evening, Dark Matters, A Streetcar Named Desire, Shopping and Fucking and her OBIE Award-winning turn in Hedda Gabler.

Weller is known for his plays Loose Ends, Moonchildren, What the Night is For as well as for the book for the musical Zhivago. Actor-director Pendleton (Orson's Shadow, "My Cousin Vinny") will stage the work. The season at MCC continues with Neil LaBute's The Break of Noon (Jan. 14-Feb. 28, 2009) and the musical Coraline (May 6-June 20, 2009), featuring music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt and a book by David Greenspan based on the novel by Neil Gaiman.

Tickets to Fifty Words at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, are currently available by subscription at (212) 279-4200. For more information visit mcctheater.com.