Manhattan Theatre Club was one of the producers of The Weir when it played Broadway after a run in London. Now, MTC, on its own, mounts the American premiere of McPherson's four-actor Shining City — which also has a ghost at its core — at Broadway's Biltmore Theatre. Previews begin April 20 toward an opening of May 9.
Robert Falls directs the production and cast, featuring in alphabetical order: Brían F. O'Byrne (Ian), Oliver Platt (John), Martha Plimpton (Neasa) and Peter Scanavino (Laurence).
In the Dublin-set play, originally produced at London’s Royal Court Theater, "a guilt-ridden man (Platt) reaches out to a therapist (O'Byrne) after seeing the ghost of his recently deceased wife," according to MTC. "Wrestling with his own demons, the therapist can only do so much to help. Routine visits between the two men quickly become a gripping struggle to survive, changing both of them for the rest of their lives."
The creative team for Shining City includes Santo Loquasto (scenic design), Christopher Akerlind (lighting design), Kaye Voyce (costume design) and Obadiah Eaves (sound design).
Playwright McPherson was born in Dublin in 1971. He attended University College Dublin, where he began to write and direct. His plays include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St Nicholas, The Weir, Dublin Carol and Port Authority. Awards for his theatre work include the Laurence Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award, Critics Circle Award, George Devine Award, Meyer-Whitworth Award and the Stewart Parker Award. He is also a screenwriter. Falls directed Broadway's recent Long Day's Journey Into Night (three 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Revival) as well as the 1999 Tony Award-winning Death of a Salesman, for which he was honored as Best Director. His other Broadway credits include the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man From Atlanta, The Speed of Darkness, The Rose Tattoo and The Night of the Iguana.
Brían F. O'Byrne won a Tony Award for Frozen and was nominated for Doubt; Oliver Platt recently earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his work in the critically acclaimed Showtime series "Huff," and appeared in the recent feature film, "Casanova"; Martha Plimpton made her Broadway debut in 2004 with 16 Wounded at the Walter Kerr Theatre, and appeared Off-Broadway's The False Servant (Classic Stage Co.), Flesh & Blood (NYTW), Boston Marriage and Pericles (The Public Theater) and Hobson's Choice; Peter Scanavino makes his Broadway and MTC debut in Shining City, and recently appeared in director Jeff Cohen's The Moonlight Room.
The Biltmore Theatre is at 261 West 47th Street. Tickets are available at Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 and at telecharge.com.
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Manhattan Theatre Club produces at three spaces: Its Off-Broadway homes at Stage I and Stage II at New York City Center, and its Broadway home at the Biltmore.
For more information, visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com.
