Robert Falls Brings His Acclaimed Broadway Staging of Shining City To Goodman Theatre

Goodman Theatre rings in 2008 with intrigue and mystery with the arrival of the acclaimed Broadway hit, Shining City by Conor McPherson. Artistic Director Robert Falls, whom McPherson hand-picked to direct his play's Broadway premiere last season, directs the Goodman production with four noted Chicago actors: Jay Whittaker (Frank's Home); Nicole Wiesner (Passion Play: a cycle in three parts) and John Judd and Keith Gallagher, both in their Goodman debut. A contemporary ghost story about man’s search for love, faith and meaning, Shining City garnered instant critical and popular acclaim, appearing on the 2006 "Top 10" or "Best of" theater lists of Time magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and The New York Times, among others. Shining City will run January 12 to February 17th.

"Conor McPherson is one of Ireland’s foremost living storytellers who, at the shockingly young age, has achieved international success with his unerring ear for dialogue and vivid sense of character," said director Robert Falls. "Shining City is a rich, poetic and harrowing journey through labyrinth of the heart and spirit- a work I believe is one of Conor’s finest achievements. I am thrilled to bring this piece, with a remarkable cast, to Chicago."

Falls first met McPherson in 1992, while in Dublin directing the Goodman’s production of The Iceman Cometh at the Abbey Theatre. When McPherson, who has directed a number of his own plays, found that he was unavailable to direct Shining City at New York's Biltmore Theater on Broadway, he asked Falls to helm the premiere, which featured a cast that included Oliver Platt, Brian F. O'Byrne and Martha Plimpton- and was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Play.

"Bob’s instincts and approach as an American director allow him to deliver Shining City in a way that is keen and meaningful for an American audience- which feels to me almost like a translation, very spirited and interesting," said playwright Conor McPherson. "I’ve long admired Bob's body of work, and I'm excited that Shining City will have its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre."

Set in present-day Dublin, Shining City takes place in the disheveled office of Ian, a former priest turned therapist. His newest patient is John, a distraught middle-ages man who has recently lost his wife in a tragic accident. John is having trouble sleeping and is desperate for help- but Ian is wrestling with his own demons, including a crumbling relationship, a new baby and the search for his rightful place in the world. John soon reveals to Ian the source of his insomnia: he has been visited by the ghost of his dead wife.

Shining City runs January 12 - February 17th and tickets are $20 to $70 and may be purchased online at GoodmanTheatre.org, at the Goodman Theatre Box Office, 170 North Dearborn Street, or charged by phoning 312-443-3800.