Goodman Theatre’s Centennial 25/26 Season continues with Holiday, adapted by the late Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Richard Greenberg in a contemporary reimagining of Philip Barry’s classic Roaring Twenties love story. Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls’ cast includes Rammel Chan (King of the Yees), Christiana Clark (A Christmas Carol), Alejandra Escalante (The Cherry Orchard), Jessie Fisher (Writers Theatre’s Every Brilliant Thing), Bryce Gangel (Rivendell Theatre’s Dry Land), Molly Griggs (Broadway’s John Proctor is the Villain), Erik Hellman (Luna Gale), Jordan Lage (Atlantic Theatre Company’s Sweet Eros), Luigi Sottile (Bernhard/Hamlet) and Wesley Taylor (Broadway’s Rock of Ages). Understudies for the production will be announced at a later date. Holiday runs January 31 through March 1, 2026 (opening night is February 9) in the 856-seat Albert Theatre. For tickets ($34 - $104), visit the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), call 312.443.3800 or purchase online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Holiday. The Goodman is grateful for the support of Katten (Corporate Sponsor Partner) and The Goodman's Women’s Board (Major Production Sponsor).
“I look at Richard's adaptation of Holiday as a new American play by a great American writer—and at the same time, because Philip wrote the play in 1928, it’s a work that spans nearly 100 years and is in sync with The Goodman’s centennial anniversary,” said director Robert Falls, whose production of Amadeus is currently on stage at Steppenwolf Theatre. “Philip’s family had the sense that this play had contemporary themes that might be worth looking at in a new way. When they commissioned Richard's adaptation, it really was a perfect match of playwrights. This is a wonderful legacy play, and Richard was thrilled to have The Goodman produce it.”
Over the last 100 years, The Goodman has produced Holiday four times—in 1930, 1939, 1947, and 1979, starring Lindsay Crouse and William H. Macy. Previous directors include Hubert Osborne, Mary Elizabeth Aurelius, Robert Hopkins and Tony Tanner. Barry's classic play inspired the 1930s film starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. In Holiday, matters of the heart are a family affair in the wealthy world of the Upper East Side Setons. Enter a romantic prospect from a decidedly different background—and privilege, class and personal fulfillment are thrown into sharp relief. Falls directs this fresh take on the eternal question: work to live or live to work?
Playwright Richard Greenberg (1958-2025) was the author of Take Me Out (Drama Desk Award; NY Drama Critics Circle Award; Outer Critics Circle Award; Lucille Lortel Award; Tony Award for Best Play), which moved to Broadway after successful runs at The Public Theater in New York City and The Donmar on London’s West End. Other works include The Violet Hour, The Dazzle (Outer Critics Circle Award; John Gassner, Lucille Lortel nominations), Everett Beekin, Three Days Of Rain (L.A. Drama Critics Award; Pulitzer finalist; Olivier, Drama Desk, Hull-Warriner nominations), Hurrah At Last, Night And Her Stars, The American Plan, Life Under Water and The Author's Voice, among many other plays. His adaptation of Strindberg's Dance Of Death was seen on Broadway starring Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren and David Straithairn. Mr. Greenberg received the Oppenheimer Award for a new playwright as well as the first PEN/Laura Pels Award for a playwright in mid-career. He was an associate artist at South Coast Repertory and a member of Ensemble Studio Theater.
Director Robert Falls was The Goodman’s Artistic Director for 35 years. He directed Rebecca Gilman’s Swing State and the Sound Inside by Adam Rapp for the Live series—productions live-streamed from The Goodman's Owen Theatre to audiences at home in real-time as part of the theater’s pandemic programming. Additional Goodman Theatre credits include The Winter’s Tale, We’re Only Alive for A Short Amount of Time, Pamplona, An Enemy of the People, 2666 and The Iceman Cometh. Falls’ Broadway productions include Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Talk Radio, Shining City and The Young Man from Atlanta. His Broadway production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida continues to be produced around the world. Previous Goodman Theatre productions include, most notably, The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Desire Under the Elms, Finishing the Picture, The Misanthrope, Pal Joey, Galileo, House and Garden, Blue Surge, Dollhouse and Luna Gale. Falls’ honors for directing include a Tony Award (Death of a Salesman), a Drama Desk Award (Long Day’s Journey into Night), an Obie Award (subUrbia), a Helen Hayes Award (King Lear) and multiple Jeff Awards. For “outstanding contributions to theater,” he has also been recognized with such prestigious honors as the Savva Morozov Diamond Award (Moscow Art Theatre), the O’Neill Medallion (Eugene O’Neill Society) and the Illinois Arts Council Governor’s Award. Falls was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.
Cast of Holiday (in alphabetical order)
Adapted by Richard Greenberg
Based on the play by Philip Barry
Directed by Robert Falls
Rammel Chan...Walter
Christiana Clark...Nikka Washburn
Alejandra Escalante...Laura Cram
Jessie Fisher...Susan Feld
Bryce Gangel...Linda Seton
Molly Griggs...Julia Seton
Erik Hellman...Seton Cram
Jordan Lage...Edward Seton
Luigi Sottile...Johnny Case
Wesley Taylor...Ned Seton
Creative Team
Amith Chandrashaker...Lighting Designer
Walt Spangler...Set Designer
Malkia Stampley...Line Producer
Kaye Voyce...Costume Designer
Richard Woodbury...Sound Designer
Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA. Nikki Blue is the Production Stage Manager. Krista Kanderski is the Stage Manager.
ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Access for more information about The Goodman’s accessibility efforts.
ASL-Interpreted: February 20 at 7:30pm – An ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Audio-Described: February 21 at 2pm; Touch Tour; 12:30pm – Action audibly enhanced via headset.
Spanish-Subtitled: February 21 at 7pm – Spanish-translated dialogue via LED sign.
Open-Captioned: February 22 at 2pm – LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Since 1925, The Goodman has been more than a stage. A theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for community, it’s where stories come to life—bold in artistry and rich in history, deeply rooted in the city it serves.
Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, The Goodman sparks conversation, connection and change through new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musicals. With distinctions including nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman is proud to be the first theater to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” In addition, the theater frequently serves as a production partner—with national and international companies to Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify theatrical voices.
But The Goodman believes a more empathetic, more connected Chicago is created one story at a time, and counts as its greatest legacy the community it’s built. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime; from Theater for the Very Young (plays designed for ages 0-5) to the long-running annual A Christmas Carol, which has introduced new generations to theater over five decades, The Goodman is committed to being an asset for all of Chicago. Education and Engagement programs led by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot and housed in the Alice Rapoport Center use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging. Each year, these programs reach thousands of people (85% from underserved communities) as well as educators, artists and lifelong learners across the city.
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