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The Belasco Theatre
James Joyce's The Dead
musical by Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey
January 8, 2000
Review by Andrew Yarrows
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On the other hand, James Joyce’s The Dead is a unique musical that manages to be touching, interestingly structured and well acted despite the unlikely source material. Equipped with a stellar cast that includes the likes of Christopher Walken, Blair Brown, Emily Skinner, Alice Ripley, Daisy Egan and Stephen Spinella, among others, The Dead would seem a venue for massive egos and star power to eclipse the material being performed, regardless of quality-except it isn’t. The Dead is an intimate experience, quite exquisitely acted and sung (with one notable exception), as well as strongly directed by Jeff Hofsiss. The stunning casting choices do not in any way weigh down the show or detract from its inherent quaintness. What one gets at The Dead is a Broadway musical that is, for once, not bogged down by overly grandiose ambitions, lumbering sets or other gimmicks. “The Dead” has the feel of a very real, satisfying theatrical experience, although it isn’t entirely perfect.
What’s most remarkable about The Dead is the simplicity of its structure combined with the lush complexity of its characters. The various family members we meet seem fully fleshed-out, the music they sing at somewhat infrequent intervals taking place, for the most part, directly within the context of the ongoing action. In other words, reality is not suspended while the songs are sung, as is typical of most Broadway musicals; instead, all of the music is incidental, performed as a part of the family’s traditional holiday gathering. Because of this, I am tempted to think of “The Dead” as more of a musical play or a play with music rather than an actual musical. However, the songs, while sung as part of the reality at hand, still manage to build character, add depth and advance the story, so in many ways it is still very much a musical in the traditional sense. The structure is just so much different than what one is used to seeing nowadays, in terms of musicals, that it is at first somewhat foreign in feel. However, it remains, at the same time, a refreshingly new manner of doing things, at least in this specific case.
Portraying members of a close-knit Irish family joining together for a quiet, traditional Holiday celebration, the cast of The Dead is simply exquisite. Sally Ann Howes gives a wonderfully warm, sentimental performance as the elderly Aunt Julia, unknowingly celebrating her final Christmas with her family, and Blair Brown, as the wife of Julia’s morose nephew Gabriel Conroy (Christopher Walken), is equally great. Brown possesses a beautiful voice and top-notch acting ability, and it was a privilege to see her live onstage (I hope to catch her in Copenhagen soon). Christopher Walken, the obvious star power in the cast, turns out to be the show’s weakest link. He repeatedly “forgets” his Irish accent (a la Kevin Costner’s Brit accent-shedding in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and he can’t sing to save his life. Although I realize that he was going for a rather brooding presentation of his character, his performance came off as wooden and uninspired; he sometimes even looked bored with himself, or in need of a nap.
It was a treat to see Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley together in a Broadway show again, after their now legendary turn in Side Show. While they are not given enough to do in this piece, their occasional singing and mere presence adds greatly to the production. Stephen Spinella’s performance as a drunken relative, Freddy, is also memorable, as are most of the rest of the cast. It’s almost impossible to praise everyone here. The show really must be seen to be fully appreciated.
The set design by David Jenkins is, in keeping with the intimacy of the material, simple but flattering. The small dining room set of Aunt Julia’s Dublin home is the main set throughout, and it’s warmth compliments the close, family atmosphere at hand. Unfortunately, the Belasco Theatre is too big for a production of this scale. It was hard to make out the words spoken by the cast (the show isn’t artificially amplified), and some of the material’s intimacy seemed lost in a large venue (not that the Belasco is cavernous). Moved from the much smaller Playwright’s Horizons theatre, the show is making a Broadway run, but the decision to not mic the actors in the new venue was a mistake.
Catch The Dead before it passes away because, while I wasn’t particularly moved by the show (many people were weeping at the end, but not me), it has an unforgettable cast and is quite a unique musical experience, especially in a season boasting the likes of Saturday Night Fever.
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