Desire Under the Elms to Close May 24

The Broadway revival of Desire Under the Elms has become the first casualty after the announcement of the 2009 Tony Awards nominations. The production, which opened on April 27 at the St. James Theatre and had been scheduled to close on July 5 after a 13-week limited engagement, will now close on May 24, according to an ad in the May 15 edition of The New York Times.

Directed by Goodman Theatre artistic director Robert Falls, the revival of Desire Under the Elms transferred to Broadway from the Goodman in Chicago after receiving outstanding reviews for the production and the performances of stars Brian Dennehy, Carla Gugino and Pablo Schreiber. In a crowded season for plays, the revival and its stars were shut out of contention in every Tony category.

Written in 1924 and inspired by 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 in love with Ephraim's son, Eben Schreiber, with tragic consequences.