theater

It was Eugene O'Neill's last play, and what a way to go out. A washed-up Broadway actor-turned-landlord visits a country home he's looking to sell to wealthy neighbors. The tenants, an Irish immigrant farmer and his strong-willed daughter, are hoping to convince him to sell it to them instead. Josie Hogan is told by her father to use her wiles to talk James Tyrone into handing over the property at a reasonable price. Said conversation, over the course of one night of whiskey-fueled revelation, is the structure of 1943's A Moon for the Misbegotten, which, while not a hit right off the bat, has since gained recognition for its intense characterization and emotional desperation, not to mention the 1974 production starring powerhouses Colleen Dewhurst and Jason Robards.

At McCarter, Gary Griffin will direct Kathleen McNenny as Josie, Jack Willis as her father, and, if anyone needed a reminder that the '80s are long gone, Andrew McCarthy as James Tyrone. Yes, the man who brought Pretty in Pink's Blane McDonnagh to life is playing a washed-up alcoholic actor. (No jokes. Our irony detector has taken the week off.) McCarthy's had a solid career on- and off-Broadway, including Neil LaBute's Fat Pig and the Tony-award-winning Sideman. It's not his first O'Neill role, either; he played the Tyrone character in A Long Day's Journey into Night at Hartford Stage with Ellen Burstyn.

McCarter's planned some special events around Moon, including a Pride Night for gay, lesbian and "gay-friendly" audiences (Jan. 26); an After Hours Theater Party with live entertainment and wine tasting (Jan. 27); and a Dialogue on Drama event with O'Neill scholars Arthur and Barbara Gelb (following the 2 p.m. matinee on Jan. 22). So keep your Weekend at Bernie's heckling to yourself, people. This is the theater.

A Moon for the Misbegotten, Fri.-Sat., Jan. 13-14, 8 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 15, 2 p.m., Tue.-Wed., Jan. 17-18, 7:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.; through Feb. 19, $28-$48 ($10 students), McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton, N.J., 609-258-ARTS.