The Dead, 1904 is an immersive, theatrical adaptation of James Joyce’s novella “The Dead,” originally published in his Dubliners collection. Acclaimed literary couple Paul Muldoon and Jean Hanff Korelitz have brought this work to life with Irish Repertory Theatre for the fourth time this winter at The American Irish Historical Society.
In this exclusive interview, Muldoon and Hanff Korelitz illuminate the process of adaptation and production, and their ever-evolving understanding of Joycean writing.
How did you find theatricality in the original text? How did you bring the omniscient narration of “The Dead’s” famous final lines to the stage?
There is so much communicated non-verbally in the story, and so much internalized for Gabriel, in particular, that transmitting information and emotion without being too declarative was always the paramount challenge. Actually, what proved hardest of all was holding back and having faith that our director, Ciaran O’Reilly, and our great cast would find ways to fill in the gaps. There’s one moment, for example, when Mary Beth Peil as Aunt Julia just shuts down her annoying houseguest, Mr. Browne with a glance, and then a quick step past him. We had to learn the value of holding back. As for the final lines, we did have initial conversations about using some form voice over, but in the end we put the language where it belongs: in Gabriel’s own voice, in live utterance. When you have great actors like Christopher Innvar (and his predecessors in the role, Rufus Collins and Boyd Gaines) you can trust them with even that degree of charged and familiar language.
Audience members of The Dead, 1904 operate as additional guests at the Morkan party. They follow actors from room to room of the Historical Society and enjoy a multi-course meal alongside the story’s protagonists. How does the immersive nature of this production enhance the show?
The immersion is everything. It was the original concept, and it extends in all directions: setting, behavior, the common experience of being in a room from another time and another place with a shared holiday feast before you and a glass of whiskey in your hand. As an audience member you may be listening to someone sing a popular song from the 19th century as you gaze at the portrait of an unknown ancestor overhead and taste the last bite of bread pudding in your mouth, then set down your vintage fork on your vintage plate. Unlike some of the other “immersive” theatrical experiences I’ve known, we do everything we can to root the audience members in the time and place of our story.
How do you balance the creative inputs of the original text, yourselves, and the Rep?
As writers (Hanff Korelitz is a novelist; Muldoon is a poet) we do tend to work alone, so collaboration has been one of the most rewarding aspects. We’ve had some of our happiest moments watching the musical consultants, the choreographer and the Costume Designer present their own visions for the show, and knowing that our work has set off this chain reaction of creativity.
How has The American Irish Historical Society helped your vision for this production come to life?
The grandeur of this 1900 mansion on Fifth Avenue may be slightly out of step with the Morkan sisters in “The Dead” (they are, in fact, struggling financially as music teachers, and only renting an upper floor from the Corn Factor downstairs) but we do our best to absorb the incongruity! Glorious chandeliers, marble mantelpieces, grand staircases and stunning works of 18th and 19th century art are silent participants in our show. We never take them for granted and know that our show relies silently on them at every moment of the play.
Is this production of The Dead, 1904 different from previous ones at the Rep?
There have been some changes from previous years, notably the addition of a song for GRETTA, who does not have one in the original story – but when one has a great Broadway soprano like Kate Baldwin playing the character it would be criminal not to hear her sing! – and the way we’ve handled taking the audience to the Gresham Hotel for the final scene. Still, whenever we’re at the show we come away thinking: Maybe it would be even better if… So there may be further changes to come!
Hanff Korelitz:
As someone whose work has been adapted for film (Admission, The Undoing), how has your approach to adaptation been influenced?
Sitting in the adaptor’s chair has made me far humbler and more flexible about the process. I’ve always been so thrilled to have my work adapted that I’d never have stood in the way of the projects, but there has been a certain amount of silent grinding of teeth. Since taking on the Matterhorn of James Joyce, however, I’m way more chill about what’s coming down the pike for me in upcoming adaptations of my novels The Plot and The Latecomer.
You and your sister, Nina, run Dot Dot Productions. How has working on the production side of things enhanced your understanding of theatre?
I’m far more willing to pay for theater tickets now that I’ve seen how the work of so many people is represented in the ticket price. We are supporting entire industries when we purchase a ticket to a show, and if we want those industries to survive, this is how we make that happen. If you’re someone’s guest or receive a free or discounted ticket, offer support in another way, such as telling friends or posting on social media about what you’ve seen. When people mention – critically – the ticket prices for our show, I just say: That’s what it costs to put it on. And remember: Over at Othello on Broadway they don’t offer you so much as a peanut!
Muldoon:
“The Dead,” like a lot of Joyce’s work, is so firmly rooted in a contemplation of Irishness. Are there ways in which Joyce’s contemplations deviate from your own?
One of the great things about Joyce is that he is very inclusive. His most famous novel is about an Irish Jew. In “The Dead,” he gives a lot of airtime to ideas to which he mightn’t entirely subscribe, like Miss Ivors’ romanticized version of cultural nationalism. “The Dead” is thought by many commentators, including myself, to be substantially a lament for the victims of the Irish famine of 1845-1852.
As a Joyce scholar, what’s something you feel is necessary to know about Joyce that enriches our understanding of his work, or “The Dead,” specifically?
The most important thing to know about “The Dead” is that Joyce is already using templates on which to base his story. The main one here is a tale called The Destruction of Da Derga’s Hostel about a King Conaire and his breaking of several taboos that result in his death. Another important source is Bret Harte’s novel Gabriel Conroy, from which Joyce derives his main character’s name, as well as the snowy landscape that dominates the end of the story.
Hanff Korelitz & Muldoon:
What is the importance of theatre in a screen-focused world? What is unique about staged productions, as opposed to asynchronous alternatives?
There is no substitution for having a common experience with a group of strangers. Sometimes, before the show begins, I look around at the audience of 57 people gathered in the lobby of the mansion and think: You are about to go through something together. Afterwards, watching them come back downstairs to the lobby, they are chatting, familiar with one another. It’s a marvelous transformation.
Don’t miss your chance to be transformed by The Dead, 1904, running through January 5. Book your tickets now at irishrep.org/thedead. For the best availability and latest ticket releases, we recommend calling the Irish Rep Box Office at 212-727-2737.
