We've all had a grade school crush that took our breath away, where we thought we'd just never get over them.  "Outside Mullingar" brings that bright-eyed, head-over-heels, "Why don't you see me standing directly in front of you?", you-and-me-forever love to the stage.

The Manhattan Theatre Club presents this heart-churning play by John Patrick Shanley under the sophisticated direction of Doug Hughes. In the midlands of Ireland, the Reilly and Muldoon families have lived near each other for generations.   Tony winner Brían F. O'Byrne (Anthony Reilly) and Emmy winner Debra Messing (Rosemary Muldoon) shine as a funny odd couple who have taken 40 years to make it official.  With their heartbreaking and funny romance, a dispute over 40 meters of land, and great Irish stories that incite laughter and tears, the play is sure to be a front-runner for theatrical awards.

Shanley's use of language is extraordinary; his characters throw out gems of lines, which roll of their tongue and sink into your soul.  Hughes has picked the perfect ensemble and marched them right to glory; the moments he's built between father and son make you want to bring out your kleenex.  Setting the pace like a tennis match, he makes sure his audience stays engaged and longing the whole way through.

O'Byrne might be shy as Anthony, but even with his character's low self-esteem he creates a leading man in his brilliant portrayal. A true draw to see this play, Messing brings that charm that has made her a household name to the tough and vulnerable Rosemary.  Watching Dearbhla Molloy on stage is pure bliss; as the slightly handicapped Aoife Muldoon (Rosemary's mother) she owns the stage with a command that can't be taught in any university.  And Peter Maloney's Tony Reilly, Anthony's father, is pleasantly endearing, shuffling around the stage in grand Irish fashion.

Even if there weren't a play and you just watched the set move in and out, changing from home to home and to the Reilly shed, the full ticket price would seem fair.  John Lee Beatty successfully brings this farmland of Ireland to the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre; and Fitz Patton's original music and sound design captures the essence of solitude, longing and serenity with just the downpour of rain.

"Outside Mullingar" is a success that will take you off your seat to stand on your feet in applause at curtain.  In the midst of this comedy, the tender moments are just perfect, inviting us all to wake up and live.