The Broadway production of Conor McPherson's The Weir, due to begin previews at the Walter Kerr Theatre on March 23, 1999 and open April 1, will feature the play's original all-Irish, Dublin cast, which has performed the piece in Dublin, Toronto and London's Royal Court Theatre.

Ian Rickson directs. Featured in the cast are Kieran Ahern (Brooklyn Academy of Music's The Steward of Christiandom) as Jimmy, Brendan Coyle as the barman, Dermot Crowley (Manhattan Theatre Club's Dealer's Choice) as Finbar , Michele Fairley (Never Land, Oleanna) as Valerie, and Jim Norton (Bedroom Farce, A Chorus of Disapproval) as Jack. Norton has also acted on such U.S. television shows as "Cheers" and "Frasier."

The cast is being allowed to make the trip through an agreement between U.S. Actors' Equity and British Equity. Thomas Viertel, Richard Frankel, Steven Baruch and Marc Routh will produce.

The Weir is an example of McPherson's storytelling brand of theatre. In the drama, a lonely young woman visiting a remote countryside pub walks right into a web of ghost stories. McPherson's St. Nicholas , starring Brian Cox, was a hit at Primary Stages last year.

The Kerr's current tenant, The Beauty Queen of Leenane , has not yet announced its closing date, but is expected to shutter in early or mid March. On Jan. 14, The Weir received four London Olivier Award nominations, including one for Best Play. The nominations singled out Royal Court Theatre Artistic Director Rickson (Mojo) for Best Director and two of the cast members, Norton and Coyle, for Best Actor and Best Supporting Performance, respectively. The Awards will be given out Feb. 12 and televised on BBC2, Feb. 15, 1999.