Bloomsday Is Close At Hand

Attention all fans of great literature and superb acting – Bloomsday approaches!

Join Guild Hall on Tuesday, June 16, from 8 to 10 p.m. to celebrate one of Ireland (and the world’s) finest writers, James Joyce, and his novel “Ulysses” as read and performed by a legend of the American stage, Austin Pendleton. This one-night-only virtual live reading by Pendleton is directed by Elizabeth Falk and is a one man play by Joe Beck.

Joyce’s most famous work “Ulysses” (1922) is based on Homer’s “The Odyssey” and follows the movements of Leopold Bloom through a single day on June 16th, 1904. Bloomsday is celebrated every year in Dublin and around the world by fans of Joyce at events including readings, performances, visitations to locales from the book, cosplay as characters from the novel and even eating the traditional Bloomsday breakfast of liver and kidneys served alongside an Irish fried breakfast.

You don’t necessarily need to wear a straw boater or eat rashers and black pudding to enjoy this exclusive performance — a benefit for Guild Hall’s John Drew Theater which has been closed by the pandemic — but then again, it’s a virtual presentation so what you do from the comfort of your home while listening to the Pendleton interpret this literary masterpiece is entirely up to you.

Austin Pendleton is a foremost interpreter of all things Joycean as well as an Obie and Drama Desk Award-winning, Tony-nominated director, playwright and star of Broadway and innumerable film and television appearances in a career that has spanned over five decades. Pendleton is directed in this production by his colleague Elizabeth Falk, a noted director of opera and theater who has the distinction of being the first woman to direct a play for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London.

This presentation is the second offering in Guild Hall’s new Virtual John Drew Theater series and follows recent presentation of “A Portrait of Tennessee Williams” staring Harris Yulin and Mercedes Ruehl. This performance will be followed by a live Q&A with Pendleton and the play’s creative team, moderated by the John Drew Theater’s Artistic Director Josh Gladstone.

Tickets are $0 to $25 or additional donation to support Guild Hall. A link to the live broadcast will be emailed to ticket holders 24 hours in advance. If you purchase a ticket after that, the link will be emailed automatically in your ticket receipt. Visit guildhall.org to register for the event.