PLAY

The Starry Messenger (Acorn, 410 W. 42, closes Dec. 19). After an eight-year absence from the New York stage, Kenneth Lonergan has made a decisive return to form with his new play about a middle-aged teacher of astronomy (Matthew Broderick) whose life has gone sour. That Lonergan should have taken that most hackneyed of subjects, the midlife crisis, and turned it into a play of breathtaking subtlety and honesty is a not-so-minor miracle. The New Group’s production is beyond praise (TT).