Living Amongst "The Dead"

Though a little late, I did want to give my take on the musical adaptation of James Joyce’s “The Dead,” as directed by Mary Job. The production had a stellar cast, a gorgeous set, beautiful costumes, and fine actors. There were all the ingredients to make a sophisticated romp, and yet – something was still missing, though it was mostly apparent at the end of the show.

That isn’t to say that the actors didn’t do their part to help tell the story or that the musicians were terrible. The music was enchanting and most of it even rousing – it enlivened the environment of the party and made the stage feel as if you were one of the guests. It was inviting, and though a bit too loud at times for the actors’ voices, very well-played.

The caliber cast that Ms. Job put together included Doak Bloss, Gini Larson, Bill Henson, Rick & LeAnn Dethlefsen, Eve Davidson, Laura Stebbins, Shelly Garyet, Mara Schaberg, Alec Nagy, Emily Aslakson Himebaugh and Casey Shipman.

The story itself, though changed somewhat from Joyce’s original work, centers around a holiday party with Gabriel’s aunts. They seem to be the central focus for most of the show, actually, and the play takes a startling and totally superfluous turn by ending the life of Aunt Julia, played by Eve Davidson. To her credit, Ms. Davidson’s performance was lovely – tender in the right moments, cranky in others, and she could be downright rabble-rousing too. She was fun to watch, as was her sister Aunt Kate, played by Laura Stebbins, and her niece, Mary Jane, portrayed by LeAnn Dethlefsen. Mrs. Dethlefsen’s singing voice is matched only by Shelly Garyet, who plays Molly Ivers – a feisty Irish lass who dishes out her opinions without blinking an eyelash. She goes after Gabriel (Doak Bloss) at one point and we see the beginnings of his personality begin to reveal itself; he backs down at conflict and wants everyone to be happy. Mrs. Dethlefsen and Mrs. Garyet genuinely seem to have fun on stage, and shine as they dance and make merry. What a treat to watch them.

Bill Henson sang a solo, and the harmonics of his voice were quite beautiful to listen to – the words didn’t seem to matter. And then at the somewhat opposite end of the spectrum of sophistication were Freddy Malins and Mr. Browne, played by Mr. Nagy and Mr. Dethlefsen respectively – and they were boisterous and boyish and full of vim and vigor and charm. They were fantastically fun to watch and I genuinely believed they were having a grand time at the party.

Mr. Bloss’ character took several asides during the show to reveal what he was thinking; after all, the original short story centered about Gabriel. The play however, twisted from the story and attempted to incorporate Gabriel’s thoughts into the fabric of the party, which seemed to focus more on his two aunts. Why the author did this I’m not sure; we are not allowed as much access to Gabriel since the story seems to focus mostly on the party.

The script also simply failed to deliver the foreshadowing necessary for the audience to understand the end. As I mentioned, the play centers around the party, and so as Gretta (played by Gini Larson) and Gabriel retire to their hotel after the festivities, many people in the audience were left confused at the sudden switch in the storyline. The play seemed to be about the two aunts and the party and abruptly changed pace into a more intimate setting with Gabriel and his wife. I heard a lot of people say they didn’t “get” the end. Well of course not – the playwright failed to set it up properly, and it is through no fault of the director or the actors it wasn't understood by some patrons.

The party is a foil to Gabriel’s life and his perceptions of his life; there was no death in it, nothing for him to care about in the world – not until he heard of Michael Furey, and so as Gabriel revealed his aunt passing, it felt awkward and out of place, and rather premature. If it was meant as a foreshadow for a discussion of death, it was a poor one. However, Mr. Bloss rendered an amazing performance and I was riveted watching him; I noticed that as other actors were dancing or singing, he watched his wife, Gretta, instead. I don’t know if that was an actor choice or a director choice, but there were many small details that I noticed about his performance and appreciated. I noticed other characters were doing the same thing – Ms. Schaberg wringing her hands and looking worried, Mr. Nagy and Mr. Dethlefsen making jovial motions without disrupting the action on stage, Mrs. Dethlefsen covering her mouth with worry and anxiety – I appreciated the realism these actors brought to their performances.

Unfortunately, the only character that I truly felt lacked personality and development was Gretta, and she is so vital to the plot of the show and is the one of the key characters that you should feel something for. Although I watched Mr. Bloss attempt to connect with her, Ms. Larson did not give back the same energy and it affected their chemistry on stage. I just didn’t feel or see from her the angst and forlornness of losing a lover so young. As she sang the song from her childhood, I kept wishing to see wistfulness brush across her face – but I fear she was focusing too much on singing instead. I do not like to criticize harshly, and I know Ms. Larson is a fine actress given the right role – however this was not the right role for her and her performance at best was bland. In such a talented cast so full of facial expressions and empathy and feeling in a wide range of emotions, I was surprised that she came across so woodenly. Even when she tried to display feeling of some sort unfortunately it looked like she was “acting,” and was un-authentic to the point of being distracting.

My only other true concern, as a Joycean reader myself and being familiar with his short story of “The Dead,” is with the blocking of the end of the show. Perhaps some of what Ms. Job could do was limited by the actual script, however I would like to briefly explain the end of the short story and why the play as performed failed to deliver the final tenderness, isolation and despair, to a degree, that Joyce creates in his story.

Gretta makes it known to Gabriel that she once loved a boy when she was young, and he loved her. She was to be sent away to school and he came out to see her one last time in the rain, and he caught pneumonia and died, and Gretta believed all her life that he died for her. Gabriel understands as she is telling this story that it has been Michael who was her true love of her life all this time they’ve been married, and all this time he thought that it was he she loved instead. He realizes he didn't understand that kind of sacrifice, nor that depth of love...

Ms. Larson begins the final scene sobbing loudly with no real explanation yet, which of course leaves her no place to go as an actor. If you start a scene with a climax emotion then the rest of the scene can only falter downward. Her wailing was overly loud and cumbersome and as the most important speech in the show progresses by Mr. Bloss, it was very frustrating to try to listen to him as she sat at the desk and then laid on the bed sobbing. He sits on the edge of the bed at the end of his song/speech, the other cast members come out to join his singing in the dark, while Gretta remains on the bed crying. She sits up, and then embraces him from behind as the lights go out, and that is the end of the show. Unfortunately, in this final scene, Ms. Job made some poor directing choices.

Gretta should have been something of an outcast for most of the show, lost in her own world and coming into her own world at night – when she reunites, as it were, with Michael Furey. Gabriel is in his element at the party, which Mr. Bloss portrayed quite well. I wanted to see a meek and nearly broken portrayal by Ms. Larson, her thoughts obviously somewhere else, and perhaps even startled at times by her husband, as the singing commences. I wish I had heard her song played softer, and sung with vulnerability, so that when we see her and Gabriel back in the hotel room it isn’t a shock that she gives in to that vulnerability and the audience isn't taken so off guard by the drastic and sudden change in mood. Her sobs should have been girlish, child-like and soft, finally allowing sleep to overtake her.

Though I confess I didn’t read the adaptation and don't know what the blocking was meant to be, but I wish Ms. Job used the window. She had a perfect opportunity for Mr. Bloss step forward into the gelled window pane light, washed in a blue to reflect the coldness falling around him – outside and in – and make his final speech looking outside, with his back to his sleeping wife, and his life forever changed. The realization that he has been dead his entire life to see in front of the audience, center stage, with the framed spot on Mr. Bloss, could have been a powerful chance for Mr. Bloss to display the inner thoughts of his character more visually for the patrons. How perfect it would have been for him to have simply stepped into the light – which could be metaphorically meaningful in so many different ways – and to understand then, and only then, that he has never really lived – that he is one of the Dead.

Sorry to back-seat direct, but the loud tenor of the end of the show was awkward. The party itself was loud and festive and was the element Gabriel felt at home in, and Gretta not so much, which makes the quiet intimacy of the quiet hotel room much more powerful to utilize.

Aside from Gretta’s performance and the very end of the show, I was amazed by how powerful and raucous “The Dead” was and appreciated seeing it on stage. The accents weren’t too thick, and there was an air of genuine fun, and very few shows achieve that ability to pull the audience in and make them feel like a guest along with the characters on stage. Kudos to all the actors, and especially to Doak Bloss – his range of emotions throughout the performance were fascinating to watch, and he took an incredibly complex character and made him real.

For those who read the short story, one has to truly step back and try not to compare, but it’s difficult. The short story is intricately layered and quite complex, and I understand how the issues of Ireland and Gabriel’s disdain of his own country don’t really come out more in the show, because they would just get lost. It’s also confusing why the party seems to be the central focus, and we lose the inner thoughts of Gabriel and his pomposity and meekness all at once, to a degree. I wish more depth could have been pulled out, but what a difficult story to attempt to tell on stage even on a more simplistic level. I give great credit to Ms. Job for taking on an enormous feat!