McPherson's Shining City Aiming for Nov. Opening

By: Jul. 13, 2005
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The Broadway production of Conor McPherson's new play Shining City has been slated for the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.  While no official announcement has yet been made, Telecharge has reported that the play is aiming for an opening night on November 10th and previews beginning on October 18th.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more are currently on sale through Telecharge, although the play will first play tryouts in San Francisco before venturing to Broadway.  Produced in New York by Barry and Fran Weissler (Sweet Charity, Wonderful Town, Seussical), Shining City was a hit at both London's Royal Court Theatre and Dublin's Gate Theatre .  McPherson will reportedly be on hand to direct his own work, which is a taut drama with touches of the supernatural.  "In Dublin, a man comes to a therapist seeking help, claiming to have seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. What begins as just an unusual encounter becomes a desperate struggle between the living and the dead, a struggle which will shape and define both men for the rest of their lives," as the plot is described in production notes.

Variety has written that the Weissler are seeking original leading man Stanley Townsend for the role of John, and Doubt's Tony-winning Brian F. O'Bryne is the desired candidate to play John's therapist Ian.

McPherson was represented once before on Broadway, with his play The Weir.  The show ran for 277 performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 1999.  His The Lime Tree Bower was staged at off-Broadway's Primary Stages, as was his St. Nicholas, which McPherson also directed.  Dublin Carol, presented by the Atlantic Theatre Company in 2003, received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Play; McPherson also helmed the piece.

The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth, is located at 236 W. 45th Street.
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