Lillian, a bookish middle-aged British woman, falls for Jimmy, a man
half her age. Promptly divorcing her husband, she marries the young man
and buys a flower shop to support his desire to be a gardener.
Unbeknownst to Lillian, however, Jimmy has a terminal heart condition,
and his anticipation of the end fills him with a restless energy.
Lillian premiered in Chicago at the Goodman Studio Theatre on 27 October 1997. It subsequently opened Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in June 1998 with the same artistic team. Directed by Joe Mantello, the productions starred David Cale as Lillian.