Conor McPherson’s  "Shining City"
Opens March 7 At Huntington

The Huntington Theatre Company will present “Shining City,”  Conor McPherson’s contemporary Irish ghost story set in a therapist’s office, from March 7 - April 6.  The production will be directed by Robert Falls, who directed the play's acclaimed 2006 Broadway debut, which garnered two Tony Award nominations including Best Play.  Falls restaged it in January at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.  That acclaimed production is coming to the Huntington following its Chicago run.

A modern-day version of traditional Irish storytelling, “Shining City” is set in present-day Dublin.  The story takes place in the disheveled office of Ian, a former priest turned therapist.  John, his newest patient, is a distraught middle-aged man who recently lost his wife in a tragic accident.  He's desperate for help—but Ian is wrestling with his own demons, including a crumbling relationship, a new baby, and a search for his rightful place in the world. The story takes a spooky turn when John reveals to Ian the source of his insomnia: the ghost of his dead wife has visited him.

“Shining City” triumphant Broadway run in 2006 followed McPherson’s Broadway debut in 1999 with “The Weir” and aligned him with fellow contemporary Irish playwrights Martin McDonaugh (“The Lieutenant of Inishmore”) and Brian Friel (“Faith Healer”).  Falls says McPherson’s work is set apart from his peers, though, by distinctive monologues and lyrical start-and-stop dialogue that has been compared to the elliptical banter pioneered by Samuel Beckett, and reinvented by Harold Pinter and David Mamet.

“Conor is one of Ireland’s foremost living storytellers who, at a shockingly young age, has achieved international success, with his unerring ear for dialogue and his vivid sense of character,” Falls says.  “‘Shining City’ is a rich, poetic and harrowing journey through the labyrinth of the heart and spirit.  It is one of Conor’s finest achievements.”
 
Falls first met McPherson in 1992, while directing a production of “The Iceman Cometh” at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre.  When McPherson, who has directed a number of his own plays, became unavailable to do “Shining City” on Broadway, he asked Falls to helm the premiere.  The resulting production was nominated for several awards including a Tony for Best Play.  It also landed on most theatre critics’ top ten lists for 2006.
 
“I’ve long admired Bob’s body of work,” McPherson says.  “His instincts and his approach as an American director allow him to deliver ‘Shining City’ in a way that is keen and meaningful for American audiences.”
 
McPherson’s plays include “The Seafarer” (currently on Broadway), “Poor Beast in the Rain,” “Port Authority,” “Dublin Carol” (2002 Broadway premiere), “The Weir” (1999 Broadway premiere), “St Nicholas,” and “This Lime Tree Bower.”
 
In addition to the 2006 Tony Award nomination for Best Play, McPherson was nominated for the 2002 South Bank Show Award for Best Play (“Port Authority’), and won the 1999 Laurence Olivier Award (the British Tony Award) for Best Play for “The Weir,” in addition to many more honors.  McPherson  has written acclaimed screenplays for television and film, as well.  
 
John Judd (John) has worked extensively in the Chicago theatre scene, including productions at Writers' Theatre, About Face Theatre, Shattered Globe Theatre, and others. He has been seen in numerous productions at the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Lookingglass Theatre Company.  He appeared off-Broadway at Barrow Street Theatre and 59E59 Theaters.  His film and TV credits include “Batman Begins,” “Road to Perdition,” “ER,” and “Prison Break.”
 
Jay Whittaker (Ian) has had lead roles at the Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He also appeared at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon, off-Broadway at The Duke Theatre and Playwrights Horizons, and at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.  His film credits include “Death of a President” and “Let's Go to Prison.” He has also been seen on TV in “Early Edition” and “Prison Break.”
                       
Robert Falls has directed more than 30 major productions for the Goodman, including eight world premieres and eight plays that moved to Broadway and/or abroad.  Two of his most highly acclaimed Broadway productions, Arthur Miller’s “Death of A Salesman” and Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night” (both starring his longtime collaborator Brian Dennehy), were honored with seven Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards.  Last season on Broadway, he directed Eric Bogosian’s “Talk Radio” with Liev Schreiber. 
 
Related Calendar Events
(Listed events are FREE with the purchase of tickets to any performance of “Shining City.”) 
 
Tuesday, March 11
Sneak Preview
Hear secrets about the show from participating designers, directors, and/or staff. Begins 6:30 p.m. 
 
Sunday, March 16                  
Humanities Forum
Get the historical and literary context of the play in a lively session following the 2 p.m. performance.  Guest: Joyce Flynn, Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.
 
Thursday, March 20
Actors Forum
Members of the cast take audience questions following the 7:30 p.m. performance.
 
Wednesday, March 26
Actors Forum
Members of the cast take audience questions following the 2 p.m. matinee.

For tickets and information, stop by the box office at 264 Huntington Avenue, call 617-266-0800 or visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

-- OnStage Boston