Carla Gugino, critically acclaimed for her turn as the feverish wife who comes between a father and son in the Eugene O'Neill play, left the staging Feb. 17 to fulfill press commitments for the releases of her films "Watchmen" and "Race to Witch Mountain," both opening in early March. Carle was the understudy; she now plays the leading lady in the final two weeks of the run in Chicago.

Goodman artistic director Robert Falls stages the classic, which was recently extended by popular demand to March 1. Carle's co-stars are Brian Dennehy (Goodman's Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey Into Night) and Pablo Schreiber (Lincoln Center's Dying City, Broadway's Awake and Sing). Together, they form a love triangle that catches fire on a 19th-century New England farm.

Carle makes her Goodman debut in Desire Under the Elms. Her Chicago credits include Honus & Me at Chicago Children's Theatre, Hedda Gabler at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Refuge at CollaborAction for which she was nominated for a Jeff Award, Mom's the Word at Royal George Theatre, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and The Winter's Tale at Footsteps.

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The Chicago production is the centerpiece of the Goodman's landmark theatrical event, "A Global Exploration: Eugene O'Neill in the 21st Century." Desire Under the Elms at Goodman's 856-seat Albert Ivar Theatre has been hailed by critics, and has commercial Broadway producers circling.

Falls' cast also includes Boris McGiver ("The Wire") and Daniel Stewart Sherman (Broadway's Cyrano de Bergerac).

For more information visit GoodmanTheatre.org.