Holiday at Goodman Theatre in Chicago
Directed by Tony Award winner Robert Falls, Holiday reunites the former longtime Goodman artistic director with the company he helped shape for more than three decades, as he returns to stage this world-premiere adaptation.Falls frames the project as both a tribute to Barry’s original and a vibrant new work for today’s audiences, noting, “I look at Richard's adaptation of Holiday as a new American play by a great American writer—and at the same time, because Philip wrote the play in 1928, it’s a work that spans nearly 100 years and is in sync with The Goodman’s centennial anniversary. Philip’s family had the sense that this play had contemporary themes that might be worth looking at in a new way. When they commissioned Richard's adaptation, it really was a perfect match of playwrights. This is a wonderful legacy play, and Richard was thrilled to have The Goodman produce it.”
Holiday’s ensemble draws from both Chicago favorites and nationally recognized performers, reflecting the Goodman’s centennial focus on pairing homegrown talent with artists from across the country. The cast includes Rammel Chan (King of the Yees), Christiana Clark (A Christmas Carol), Alejandra Escalante (The Cherry Orchard), Jessie Fisher (Writers Theatre’s Every Brilliant Thing), Bryce Gangel (Rivendell Theatre’s Dry Land), Molly Griggs (Broadway’s John Proctor is the Villain), Erik Hellman (Luna Gale), Jordan Lage (Atlantic Theatre Company’s Sweet Eros), Luigi Sottile (Bernhard/Hamlet) and Wesley Taylor (Broadway’s Rock of Ages), gathering a group of actors well-versed in sharp comedy, emotional nuance and ensemble storytelling.
From Tony Award winner Richard Greenberg comes a sparkling contemporary adaptation of Philip Barry's classic play that inspired the beloved 1930s film starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. In the wealthy world of the Upper East Side Setons, matters of the heart are a family affair. Enter a romantic prospect from a decidedly different background-and privilege, class and personal fulfillment are thrown into sharp relief. Robert Falls directs this fresh new take on the eternal question: work to live or live to work?
Holiday also reconnects the Goodman with its own history. Over the last century, the theatre has mounted Barry’s play four times—1930, 1939, 1947 and 1979—most recently in a production that featured Lindsay Crouse and William H. Macy, long before he became a familiar face to film and television audiences. In revisiting the title during its centennial, the Goodman pairs that legacy with Greenberg’s newly imagined version, inviting today’s audiences to rediscover a Roaring Twenties love story that speaks directly to 21st-century questions about ambition, money, family expectations and the pursuit of happiness.
Set amid the glittering world of New York’s social elite but driven by very personal choices, Holiday promises the elegance and wit of a classic romantic comedy with the emotional bite of a modern drama. As the Setons gather and an unexpected suitor challenges their assumptions about success and fulfillment, the Albert Theatre becomes the arena for one family’s clash between work, wealth and what it really means to live well. For Goodman audiences, this centennial production offers the chance to see a beloved story reborn—anchored by a stellar cast, a celebrated director and a playwright whose final work now takes its place in the company’s 100-year history.
Holiday runs from January 31 - March 1, 2026 in Goodman's Albert Theatre.