Liam Neeson Eyes B'way Return in A Touch of the Poet

Will Liam Neeson be returning to the Broadway stage next season? Broadway.com has learned that plans are afoot for the Roundabout Theatre Company to revive Eugene O'Neill's A Touch of the Poet with Neeson in the central role of Cornelius Melody. Kaitlin Hopkins would also be featured in the production, directed by Edward Hall who is working with Neeson's wife, Natasha Richardson, in the spring's Roundabout mounting of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Although best known for his film work including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Shindler's List and an acclaimed turn in Kinsey, which is currently playing in theaters, Neeson is an accomplished stage veteran. He made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout's production of Anna Christie for which he won a Theatre World Award and received a Tony nomination in 1993 and returned to Broadway in 1998, when he starred in David Hare's The Judas Kiss. He earned his second Tony nomination for his work in the 2002 revival of The Crucible. Neeson also recorded voice-overs for the high-stepping dance show Riverdance and guest-starred in The Play What I Wrote.

Hopkins previously appeared on Broadway in Noises Off. Her off-Broadway credits include Bat Boy: The Musical, Beautiful Child and Bare. Hopkins, who had a long-term role on the soap Another World, was also nominated for a Los Angeles Ovation Award for her work in the Reprise! mounting of She Loves Me. She recently released her first solo album, entitled Make Me Sweat, and will soon join the On The Record tour, replacing Emily Skinner.

Set in a rundown tavern in 1828 New England, Touch of the Poet centers on Cornelius Melody, an Irishman who desperately holds on to the idea that he is a European gentleman despite his sad financial state. It focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Sara, who wants him to face the harsh realities of his life. Hopkins is said to have landed the role of Deborah, the mother who disapproves of Sara's relationship with her son.

A Touch of the Poetfirst opened on the Great White Way in 1958 and has been revived twice since, once in 1967 and again in 1977. Jason Robards played Cornelius Melody in that last Broadway mounting, which also featured Geraldine Fitzgerald, Milo O'Shea, Betty Miller and Kathryn Walker.