Conor McPherson's The Good Thief is making its way up to Connecticut where the one-man drama will play the Long Wharf Theatre's Stage II Oct. 17-Nov. 18. Regular Shakespeare performer Dan Cordle stars in the piece, opening Oct. 24.

The criminal at the center of The Good Thief ends up on the run with the wife and child of one of his murder victims, hiding out from the boss he betrayed in the quiet Irish countryside. The relaxation doesn't last long, however, before his criminal past brutally catches up with them. The play was a hit Off-Broadway with Brian d'Arcy James (Sweet Smell of Success, Titanic).

Carl Forsman, who directed that successful production for the Keen Company, helms the Long Wharf production. His other credits include The Voice of the Turtle, David Auburn's We Had a Very Good Time and Julia Jordan's Paul Westerberg.

Cordle comes to The Good Thief from a playing Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice and Paris in Romeo and Juliet at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival over the summer. He has acted with the New York Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Thatre Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Sedona and Shakespeare in the Parking Lot.

Designing The Good Thief are Nathan Heverin (sets), Theresa Squire (costumes), Josh Bradford (lights) and Stefan Jacobs (sound). Tickets are $45-$15. For reservations, call (203) 787-4282. The Long Wharf Theatre is on the web at http://www.longwharf.org.

— By Christine Ehren