As first reported on Playbill On-Line, The Weir -- the Conor McPherson import -- will open at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The first preview will be Mar. 23 with the opening set for Apr. 1. The Kerr's current tenant, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, will close in March, though the exact date has not set.
The McPherson drama was, once upon a time, slated to enter the Eugene O'Neill. But that was before the Jujamcyns decided to put the Goodman Theatre's Brian Dennehy-Robert Falls production of Death of a Salesman into the O'Neill, leaving The Weir homeless.
Last November, Jujamcyn president Rocco Landesman told Playbill On Line, "We're talking about closing the Beauty Queen of Leenane" said Landesman. "Anna Manahan can't do it past Apr. 4, and it's felt that she's very important to the show."
Since Jan. 3, 1999, Manahan has been the only member of the original Irish cast in the production. Brian F. O'Byrne, Tom Murphy and Marie Mullen (the last two, Tony winners) have returned to their native Ireland, as per an agreement with Actors Equity.
The Weir, directed by Royal Court Theatre Artistic Director Ian Rickson (Mojo ), returned three times to London's Duke Of York before setting a final closing date for Jan. 23. The most recent return began previews Oct. 8, 1998, with an opening Oct. 12.