heART on CenterA writer, James Joyce declares in the world-premiere musical Himself And Nora, “is a melancholy man who sings of joy.” That's a pretty succinct description for a guy who wrote what once was the longest single passage in English literature. Ulysses, a Joyce novel from 1922, boasts a 4,391-word sentence. It's in character Molly Bloom's acclaimed monologue and is one of only eight sentences in the book's final chapter.
This production, running through April 24 at the Old Globe Theatre mainstage, pays some due to Ulysses, the landmark tome that put the late Dublin-born Joyce on a roll. He'd watch his career unfold on its considerable strength; rare is a novel that so artfully combines multiple genres into an equally canny cavalcade of imagination. Moreover, all the action takes place over only one day-June 16, 1904, the anniversary of Joyce's first date with Nora Barnacle.
The beautiful Barnacle met the cantankerous Joyce while she was his chambermaid-and amid her own prowess with words and ideas, she became Joyce's muse and mom to his two kids. That's why it's so strange that this script gives Ulysses such short shrift. In fact, this Sheila Walsh text skews a ton of biographical information in favor of formulaic musical fare. Himself And Nora is in fact an adorably staged newsreel, replete with lots of drinking and a little whoring to give it somebody's idea of hip. Never mind that it examines the couple's life in precisely the wrong direction-from the outside in.
James (Matt Bogart) and Nora (1998 Miss America Kate Shindle) hit a lot of European capitals in the play's 60-year time frame-and all the while, the story never fails to remind us of Nora's fierce independence (“I'm the one thing he's found / That he can't push around,” she warbles). There's lots of domestic strife, too, manifest in Joyce's colossal ego, Nora's worries over money, Joyce's boozing and failing sight and the fact that Joyce won't marry Nora (the pair finally tied the knot after 27 years' cohabitation).
But it's Ulysses, not the couple's day-to-day aggravations, that gives the Joyce legacy its unique flavor-which is why it would have made more sense to set this play inside the novel's plot. Not only would we have learned a lot about the book; we'd get a much greater feel for the nature of the couple's relationship. Clearly, Barnacle is supposed to be the woman behind the man-here, that phenomenon is explored uneventfully, with no greater import than the affinity between The Honeymooners' Ralph and Alice Cramden.
Today's film industry is loony with movies that embarrass themselves amid their biographical short-sightedness (The Aviator; Ray; Finding Neverland). With Himself And Nora, the cinema community has a live counterpart, one that sacrifices the iceberg in favor of its tip. Joseph Hardy and Jeff Calhoun have directed a cute, lickety-split entry with lots of fun music-and that's the hell of it.
This review is based on the performance of March 27. Himself And Nora runs through April 24 at the Old Globe Theatre mainstage, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. $19-$55.
All for one
Playwright Kenneth Lonergan has this great way of developing his characters and advancing his stories at the same time. He's true to that form in The Waverly Gallery, a 2001 Pulitzer Prize finalist-but this time, he forsakes his sociopolitical stock in trade to gently address a topical family affair.
The current New Village Arts Theatre production features Sandra Ellis-Troy as the obsolescent Gladys Green, an art dealer whose faltering mental health sends her clan into disarray and back again. Director Kristianne Kurner defines text and understory with topnotch precision and patience; she's coaxed mastery from Francis Gercke as the hapless grandson who stoically takes ownership of this bitter lesson in life. B
The Waverly Gallery is absolutely worth the trip to NVA's venue at Carlsbad's Jazzercise Studio Space, 2460 Impala Drive, through April 30. $12-$18. 760-433-3245.
* CityBeat picks
Openings
ANTIGONE at 6th@Penn Theatre, 3704 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest, 619-688-9210, April 8, story of the first true heroine and conscientious objector, the central figure in a conflict of familial values and state interests. $20-$23.
METAMORPHOSES at Lamb's Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado, 619-437-0600, April 8, poolside retelling of ancient Greek myths. $22-$44.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM presented by the Julian Theatre Company, Julian Town Hall, 2129 Main St., Julian, 760-765-2119, April 8, story of Allan Felix and his post-divorce dating comeback as directed by the spirit of Humphrey Bogart. $15-$20.
REVENGE OF THE DRUNKARD presented by GB Productions at North Park Vaudeville & Candy Shoppe, 2031 El Cajon Blvd., North Park, 619-647-4958, April 8, story of Edward, who finds the strength to give up the bottle and thwart the villains. $12-$14.
VINCENT IN BRIXTON at Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619-23-GLOBE, April 7, story of Vincent van Gogh and the romance in his early life. $19-$55.
WOMAN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD presented by Playhouse on Plaza, 500 East Plaza Blvd., National City, 619-339-1169, April 10, story of a Filipina immigrant in New York who denies her heritage until a nanny from her hometown stirs up spirits from the past. $12-$17.
Now Playing
* ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA presented by Poor Players at Academy of Performing Arts, 4580-B Alvarado Canyon Rd., Mission Valley, 619-255-1401, through April 10, Shakespeare's story of Tony, Cleo and the infamous love affair that drives the latter over the edge. $12-$15.
CRAZY LOVE at Carlsbad Village Theatre, 2822 State St., Carlsbad, 760-458-7036, through April 9, comedy about men and women and what ensues when they try to relate. $15-$18.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF presented by Westview High School at Westview Theater, 13500 Camino del Sur, Rancho Penasquitos, 858-780-2000, through April 9, story of Tevye, a milkman who tries to maintain the traditions of his heritage in pre-revolutionary Russia. $6-$10.
FROM BED TO WORSE at Patio Playhouse, 201 E. Grand St., Suit 1-D, Escondido, 760-746-6669, through April 24, story of a psychologist who suspects her husband is having an affair and sets a trap in which everyone, including herself, is caught. $12-$14.
HIMSELF AND NORA at Old Globe Theatre mainstage, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619-23-GLOBE, through April 24, musical story of author James Joyce and his life with Nora Barnacle, his muse. $19-$55. See review on this page.
KING LEAR presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre at the Lyceum, 79 Horton Plaza, 619-544-1000, through April 17, Shakespeare's tale about a king, his kids and a tragic monarchy. $26.50-$41.50.
NUNSENSE at Welk Resort Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr., Escondido, 760-749-3448, through June 5, musical spoof of life on a convent and the mysterious deaths of its nuns. $33-$55.
* PAGEANT at Cygnet Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., College Area, 619-337-1525, through May 22, musical beauty contest for drag queens, whose fates are determined by the audience. $26-$31.
REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights, 619-220-0097, through April 16, farce about a husband-and-wife psychiatrist team having clandestine affairs with husband-and-wife patients. $12-$15.
TEN LITTLE INDIANS at Coronado Playhouse, 1335 First St., Coronado, 619-435-4856, through May 8, story of Mr. Owen, who invites 10 people-each with a secret-to Indian Island, where they're offed one by one. $10-$20.
* THE WAVERLY GALLERY presented by New Village Arts Theatre, Jazzercise studio space, 2460 Impala Dr., Carlsbad, 760-433-3245, through April 30, story of an art dealer forced to surrender her gallery amid advancing age. $12-$18. See review on this page.
Ongoing Productions
READERS THEATRE at the Scripps Ranch Theatre, Alliant International University campus, 10455 Pomerado Rd., Scripps Ranch, 858-578-7728. The play, Talley's Folly, depicts a pivotal evening between Ozark daughter Sally Talley and her rich Jewish suitor. $5 donation requested.
SAN DIEGO THEATRESPORTS at The FunHouse, 6822 El Cajon Blvd., College Area, 619-465-SHOW, improvisation games, scenes and songs through audience suggestions. $10-$15.
THE MALE INTELLECT: AN OXYMORON? at the Theatre in Old Town, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town, 619-688-2494, pinpoints and celebrates the differences between the sexes. $25-$40; call about discounts.
TRIPLE ESPRESSO at the Horton Grand Theater, 444 Fourth Ave., Downtown, 619-234-9583, escapades of three wannabe nightclub stars who resurrect the act they got fired for staging 25 years ago. $33.50-$36.50.
Dinner Theater
ACT 2: HOMICIDE at Shirley's Kitchen, 7868 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa, 619-561-8673, a psychic solves a befuddling murder with your help. $16-$32.
CHALK IT UP TO MURDER presented by HIT Productions, Fireside Steakhouse, 439 W. Washington Blvd., Escondido, 619-561-8673, featuring a cavalcade of new clues for a terrible crime. $16-$29.50.
KILLER REUNION at the Mystery Café Dinner Theater, Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia St., Bankers Hill, 619-544-1600. A murder takes place at a high-school reunion, and it's up to the former classmates (that's you) to help solve the mystery. $48.50-$52.50.
IT'S MY PARTY (And I'll Die If I Want To) at Shirley's Kitchen, 7868 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa, 619-561-8673, the story of Ted's surprise birthday party-only the surprise isn't just for him. $16-$32.
JOEY & MARIA'S COMEDY at the Culy Theatre, 344 Seventh Ave., Downtown, 619-338-0526, the fortunes and foibles at the heart of an Italian wedding. Call for prices.
MURDER ON THE TRAIL at Shirley's Kitchen, 7868 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa, 619-561-8673, Texas ranger Granite Hardpiece solves a homicide with your help. $16-$32.
SOPRANO'S LAST SUPPER at the Culy Theatre, 344 Seventh Ave., Downtown, 619-338-0526, features the Baritone family in a send-up of the HBO series The Sopranos. Call for prices.
