Beckett Comes to Lincoln Center

Dublin's Gate Theatre returns to Lincoln Center Festival with Gate | Beckett, starring three great actors - Barry McGovern, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes - performing three Beckett pieces not originally conceived for the theater, as well as readings of his poetry and prose. The plays are Eh Joe (with Neeson), written for television in 1965; I'll Go On (with McGovern), adapted from the 1950s novels Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unnamable; and First Love (with Fiennes), based on a 1965 novella.

Productions, which vary in length from 30 to 90 minutes, may be seen individually from July 16 through July 25, or all three in marathons on July 26 and July 27. There will also be a poetry and prose reading preceding each marathon, featuring the cast and special guests.

The Gate Theatre has had a long relationship with the works of Beckett. It was the first theatre in the world to present a full retrospective of all 19 of Beckett's stage plays, seen at Lincoln Center Festival 96 and elsewhere. The Gate Theatre's production of Waiting for Godot, produced at the request of the author, toured China in 2004 and the United States in 2006. Meanwhile, I'll Go On has toured the world to extraordinary reviews, most recently at Sydney Festival 2007, where the Sun Herald said: "Barry McGovern's astounding performance was not only the best of the festival, but also among the best I've ever seen.genius, no other word for it."

Tickets for Festival 08 are on sale via Center Charge 212-721-6500, at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office, 65th Street and Broadway, and online at www.LincolnCenter.org. Priority seating is available to Gate | Beckett with the purchase of all three plays.