Review: Ulysses (The Plagiarists)

A classroom experiment gone wrong

A former employer of mine used to say, "Good books don't make good movies, mediocre books do." A close friend recently said, "I don't like it when the playwright tells me exactly what to feel." Watching The Plagiarists' Ulysses , both quotes came to mind. According to notes from co-adaptors Jessica Wright Buha and Aileen McGroddy, the company's adaptation of James Joyce's epic novel was years in the making, a passion project from day one, a life-changing experience. I'm glad it served some well. Staged in a format that just doesn't work and employing a "collective reading" that just results in a mess, manages to be both drawn-out and forgettable, with only a couple of notable performances to its credit.

Joyce's novel is about...well, a lot of things. Entire courses are taught on this novel alone - Buha herself took one while a student at the University of Chicago. Co-adaptor and director McGroddy says in the program: "You can read Ulysses for any number of things: Irish history, philosophy, excruciating realism, a bar of soap." The print version is thick as a brick, and several are used as props in this production. Staged as a college lecture, this Ulysses centers on a professor (Christopher Donaldson) and his teaching assistants, who strive to stage the novel for their students, the audience. They are very earnest in this pursuit, so earnest that they affect ridiculous accents, don various costume pieces and employ an old-school projector to convey...whatever it is they mean to convey.

The Plagiarists ' course on is one I would have dropped after a single class. It's messy, clumsy and obnoxiously twee. Each of the characters seem so overcome by their own preciousness, they lose sight of the fact that this is a show with paying audience members and not an extended performance art exercise. They don't appear to take themselves seriously, which is fine, except when one is staging a pretty serious work of literature. I'd argue is virtually unadaptable: it's a classic for a reason, but it covers more ground than a single production can hope to adequately convey. Also, the attempt at a sort of play-within-a-play format just comes off as trying too hard. If the audience wants to be lectured, they'll go to a lecture. It would be one thing if the professors and teaching assistants were characters all on their own, but they have no real personalities aside from the myriad of Joyce characters they skip their merry way through.

Only two actors are able to rise above the noise. Ashley Fox(a stunning Texas transplant last seen in Promethean Theatre Ensemble's ) shines as an unhappy, sexually repressed housewife and amateur singer. Fox uses her gorgeous soprano to maximum effect, and moves through the clunky setup with refined grace. The second, Charlotte Long, is a dead ringer for Kirsten Dunst and displays remarkable comic timing. Unlike most of her castmates, Long knows exactly when to stand out and when to pull back. Her expressive face and open physicality are true production highlights.

Not every book is meant to be something else, and is one such book. The Plagiarists' entire production reeks of Godspell without the beautiful score or high quality. Sometimes years of work don't pay off. Sometimes there is no way of knowing until the finished project. Here's hoping The Plagiarists' next show will be more fulfilling and entertaining.

continues through April 30th at Berger Park Coach House, 6205 N. Sheridan (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $20 (students/seniors: $15), and are available by phone (800-838-3006) or online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More info at ThePlagiarists.org. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, includes an intermission)

Christopher Donaldson (The Professor), David Fink (Leopold Bloom), James Snyder (Stephen Dedalus), (Molly Bloom), Sheridan Singleton (Buck Mulligan), Isaac Samuelson (Blazes Boylan), Charlotte Long (Gerty MacDowell)

behind the scenes

Aileen McGroddy (director), Jordan Weed (stage manager), Emma Cullimore (costume design), Derik Marcussen (set design, properties design), John Szymanski (music director, composer), John Jacobsen (lighting design), Christina Casano (assistant director), Melissa Schlesinger (sound design), Gregory Peters (production manager), , (photos)

Tags: 16-0364, Aileen McGroddy, Ashley Fox, Berger Park Coach House, Brave Lux, Charlotte Long, Christina Casano, Christopher Donaldson, David Fink, Derik Marcussen, Emma Cullimore, Gregory Peters, Isaac Samuelson, James Joyce, James Snyder, Jessica Wright Buha, Joe Mazza, John Jacobsen, John Szymanski, Jordan Weed, Lauren Whalen, Melissa Schlesinger, Sheridan Singleton, The Plagiarists

Category: 2016 Reviews, Adaptation, Berger Park Coach House, Lauren Whalen, Plagiarists, Video, YouTube