Conor McPherson's play The Weir, a hit in both London and the playwright's native Dublin, will come to Broadway in Feb. 1999. Producers said they hope to retain the original British cast -- which included Brendan Coyle, Jim Norton, Kieran Ahern, Des McAleer and Julia Ford -- and are currently in negotiations with Actors' Equity. No theatre has been chosen.

The Weir is in keeping with McPherson's fascination with the power of storytelling. The play is about a group of bachelor friends who gather in a bar and compete with one another as to who can tell the scariest tale. All goes well until an unknown woman arrives and rips a yarns so unnerving it leaves everyone rattled.

The Weir first opened at the Royal Court's Theatre Upstairs in London on Feb. 23. Due to the theatre's ongoing renovation, it then transferred to the Royal Court's temporary quarters at the Duke of York's Theatre. It will return to that house after it completes a limited run at Dublin's Gate Theatre, where it opened July 7.

McPherson made his New York debut last spring when the one-man show St. Nicholas, starring Brian Cox, played Primary Stages to enthusiastic reviews. His other plays include The Good Thief and This Lime Tree Bower, which, according to Davis, will open Off-Broadway next spring. McPherson is the winner of an Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright.

The date when tickets go on sale has not be announced.