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# Musical adaptation of James Joyce's 'The Dead' brings Irish charm to the stage
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/032808-story/
- Published: 2008-03-28T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T19:02:56.000Z
- Author: Cynthia Citron
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

Anyone who ever struggled through “Finnegan’s Wake” in school can be excused for wanting to avoid James Joyce for life. And a short story called “The Dead” would surely not entice someone to take up with him again. But what about a musical version of “The Dead?”

Unlikely as that sounds, Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey have created just that, and provided theater-goers with an evening of Irish charm and nostalgia they won’t soon forget.

Nelson and Davey’s adaptation takes place on Epiphany Eve: Jan. 6, 1904, in Dublin. It’s the 30th year that this holiday party has been hosted by the spinster Morkan sisters (Jacque Lynn Colton and Judith Scarpone) and their niece Mary Jane (Teresa Willis) for their friends and extended family, as their nephew, Gabriel Conroy (Rob Nagle), explains. Conroy, who serves as the narrator for the evening, is an uptight, eager-to-please, and rather shallow gentleman who has lived his life politely oblivious to the concerns of those around him. And most particularly to those of his troubled wife Gretta (Martha Demson).

Traditionally, the party is an evening of music and dance, and it begins with a selection of lively jigs and familiar songs. Except that the songs only sound familiar; Nelson has incorporated the words of famous Irish poets into his own original lyrics, while Davey has composed and arranged the music from scratch. Early on, the music celebrates Ireland: The songs are romantic, patriotic, and political, as in the rousing “Parnell’s Plight.” As the party progresses, and more drinks are consumed, the songs become more contemporary, similar to ones that might be sung in Dublin’s taverns and music halls. And finally, the songs are contemplative, using Joyce’s own words to illustrate the intimate relationships between the parties, and most especially between Conroy and his wife.

As charming and carefree as the evening appears, however, it was Joyce’s contention that tradition and conformity had stifled his countrymen and made of them the “living dead.” And the heavy snow that continues to fall on this holiday evening is, perhaps, a symbol of the burial of their illusions, their hopes and their dreams. This abiding sense of being buried provides a clue to Joyce’s own self-imposed exile from Dublin — and perhaps also a clue to his alcoholism.

As the festive evening winds down to its end, happy nostalgia slowly turns to melancholy. A beloved aunt approaches death; the spinster sisters ruefully accept the flattery of the gentlemen, who are friends but never lovers; and Conroy is forced to confront a situation that, in his self-absorption he had never before contemplated.

A fine ensemble cast of 14, under the careful direction of Charles Otte, makes for an adventurous evening, and Christine Sang’s lively choreography brings a smile to the faces and a lift to the spirits of this hearty band of Dubliners. Christina Wright’s period costumes are fetchingly appropriate.

Director Otte, who also plays the violin, is joined by Dean Mora, musical director, on piano and Jennifer Richardson on bass to provide the music that anchors the play.

James Joyce’s “The Dead” is a production of the Open Fist Theatre Company. It will be performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through April 12\. The Open Fist Theatre is located at 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood. For reservations, call (323) 882-6912 or go to their Web site at www.openfist.org.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 28, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032808.pdf?ref=smdp.com)