Written in 1924 and based on Greek tragedy, Desire Under the Elms tells the story of widower Ephraim Cabot Dennehy, who returns to the family farm with a young wife, Abbie Gugino; Abbie falls madly inlove with Ephraim's son, Eben Schreiber, with tragic consequences.
Schreiber received a 2006 Tony nomination for the Broadway revival of Awake and Sing! and had been announced as a cast member of the upcoming Broadway transfer of Neil LaBute's Reasons to be Pretty. Other recent off-Broadway credits include Dying City and Mr. Marmalade.
Falls directed Dennehy in his Tony Award-winning performances in Death of a Salesman and Long Day's Journey Into Night, and they have worked together many times at the Goodman. Desire Under the Elms is the centerpiece of this season's O'Neill festival at the Goodman.