SAN DIEGO -- Old Globe artistic director Jack O'Brien announced that John ("Roseanne") Goodman has agreed to play the lead role in Brendan Behan's The Hostage, which is set to play Sept. 19-Oct. 31.

Goodman won plaudits and drew SRO audiences for his performance as Sir John Falstaff in the Globe's 1995 production of Henry IV. He will play Pat, the owner of a bawdy Irish boarding house that bristles with political intrigue and incorrigible characters. All hell breaks loose when a hostage is brought into this boisterous company.

O'Brien, who directed Goodman in Henry IV, will be at the helm of The Hostage.

The Old Globe also announced other casting news. Michael Reilly Burke, Reed Diamond and Francia Di Mase will star in the Globe's production of Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain, opening May 29 at the Cassius Carter Center Stage.

Andrew Traister, former Globe associate and literary manager, will direct. Call (619) 239-2255 for more information on The Hostage.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent