A SAVVY, GLORIOUS UPDATE

It took three productions, but Goodman’s
Centennial Season has finally hit its stride.

Pour one out for Richard Greenberg, one of the great American playwrights of the last several decades, who, even after his death last year, has graced us with a stellar update of a screwball gem from 1928. Philip Barry’s Holiday has been performed countless times by theatres all over the world, including four times by the Goodman. It was also adapted into two movies, one of which, from 1938,  is a much-adored classic with Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant in the principal roles.

Molly Griggs, Wesley Taylor, Bryce Gangel, Luigi Sottile, Jordan Lage

Beautifully directed by Robert Falls—whose retirement last year doesn’t seem to have taken—this superb new adaptation of Holiday was discovered on Greenberg’s computer after his death from cancer last summer. Opening on a gorgeous, gorgeous living room set from designer Walt Spangler, Holiday hews pretty close to the plot outlines of the original:

Luigi Sottile, Molly Griggs, Bryce Gangel

In late 2019, Julia Seton, the beautiful, ambitious, and intelligent daughter of old-money billionaire, Edward Seton, has brought home a handsome young man–Johnny Case, an engaging young corporate attorney who’s dragged himself up the economic class-ladder by grit, determination, and hard work. To the shock of everyone present, she announces that they are engaged to be married, even though they have only known each other for a few weeks.

Luigi Sottile, Bryce Gangel

Further complicating matters is the fact that Johnny has only just learned how wealthy his new fiancée is. Also in the mix are the siblings: older sister Julia, a sharp-witted ESL teacher who has abandoned the family manse for a humbler living in Red Hook, and gay brother Ned, a former heroin-addict turned alcoholic who is more or less imprisoned in the house to keep his substance abuse under control.

Christiana Clark, Bryce Gangel, Luigi Sottile, Jessie Fisher

What follows is a series of conversations full of witty banter. Complications enter when the wrong people fall in love. Hijinks ensue, and everything comes together in a most satisfying ending; an ending that is as predictable as it is desired.

Alejandra Escalante, Erik Hellman

Had this just been a straightforward mounting of the Barry play, this would have already been sufficient for a four-star review. The actors are mostly phenomenal. Luigi Sottile as Johnny Case and Bryce Gangel as Linda Seton, have a wonderful chemistry that makes them feel like best friends almost as soon as they meet. As Julia Seton, Molly Griggs smartly dodges the misogynistic tropes that plague the “wrong” fiancée roles in this sort of story; her Julia is a fiercely independent, practical woman who knows what she wants out of life. And one of Greenberg’s smarter moves is to refuse to demonize Julia as a castrating shrew.

Wesley Taylor

As Ned, Wesley Taylor gives the best performance of the play, delivering a masterclass in acting. As the most intuitive of the siblings and the one most damaged by their privilege, Ned is the guiding force of the narrative. Speaking the truths that no one else will, Taylor creates a gentle, but hilarious character, completely devoid of self-pity. His every entry buoys the show and every time he exits, there is a brief, but noticeable dip. The only performance that didn’t seem fully formed on opening night was that of Jordan Lage as patriarch Edward Seton; he seemed a bit stiff, even for his character, but I’m sure he’ll be fine a couple of shows in.

Bryce Gangel, Wesley Taylor

Greenberg’s adaptation does a lot more than sprinkle in references to Alexa, rideshares, ayahuasca, and so on to bring the story up to 2020. The central theme—’live to work’ or ‘work to live’—remains the same, but his refusal to condemn the Setons is admirable and his smartest move is to bring to the fore the question of privilege, an issue that is only hinted at in the original. It is Linda’s obliviousness to her own privilege that enables her to occupy the moral high ground in the family, or so she thinks.

Wesley Taylor, Luigi Sottile, Molly Griggs

A brutal takedown from Julia late in the second act reveals that the family is more attuned to her hypocrisy than she is and that self-centeredness is highlighted in a scene when she throws a tantrum over an engagement party for her sister, making it all about herself. Gangel is astonishing here, portraying a character so desperately unhappy with the circumstances in which she was raised that I suspect she still holds on to the audience’s sympathies; she certainly did mine. The entire scene, playing out in their childhood attic playroom (another stunning set from Spangler) is an astounding piece of writing and acting. Is it as funny as the original? No, but it is far more emotionally effective.

Luigi Sottile, Christiana Clark

These are people of enormous wealth. Even the “poor” suitor, Johnny, is a one-percenter, on the verge of making a million dollars in one swoop from investments alone. But even within that one percent, the distance between a millionaire and a billionaire is too far to bridge. In Greenberg’s clear-eyed analysis, in a Johnny-Julia union, regardless of the paths they choose, one of the participants will always be unhappy. Linda’s feelings are almost beside the point. He’s pulled off the impossible and given us a frothy screwball comedy that manages to be both romantic and realistic.

God, I hope there are more scripts lurking on his computer.

Bryce Gangel, Rammel Chan

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photos by Todd Rosenberg

Holiday
Goodman Theatre
Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.
ends on March 8, 2026
for tickets ($34–$104, subject to change), call 312.443.3800 or visit Goodman

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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