Playwright: David Brendan Hopes
At: Bailiwick Repertory, 1229 W. Belmont
Phone: 773-833-1090; $20-$25
Through Oct. 19
The news of Bailiwick Repertory's impending departure from its Arts Center warehouse space is a bit of a shocker. After 15 years of being a gay-friendly theatrical stalwart on Belmont Avenue, Bailiwick will become an itinerant company you'll have to seek out in other Chicago venues.
So it's a pity that the world premiere of Anna Livia, Lucky in Her Bridges—one of the last home-base shows in Bailiwick's 2008 Pride Series—is a disappointment. Playwright David Brendan Hopes clearly had some lofty ideas to explore in his 'Irish Ghost Story,' but his ultimate execution fails.
Things certainly start promisingly in Dublin on June 16, 2004. James Joyce fans will recognize this date as Bloomsday, an anniversary celebrated by legions of literary fans marking when Joyce first met his future wife, Nora Barnacle, in 1904.
Before the city gets besieged with tourists reading from and portraying characters from Joyce's Ulysses, American tourist David ( Sentell Harper ) gets cruised by a tall, suave and good-looking local named Desmond ( Timothy Martin ) while crossing the Anna Livia Bridge over the River Liffey at dawn.
In this situation, most American gay men I know would go home with the Dubliner, just for the Irish accent alone. But David ditches Desmond and goes on a Bloomsday journey that ends up metaphysically spanning the century.
You heard that right. Somehow the magic of Bloomsday has created a love and time continuum for David and the characters he encounters, almost all who have a familial connection to Desmond ( sister Ellen, played Julie Burt Nichols, has a tangential connection to Joyce ) .
Why Bloomsday? Playwright Hopes doesn't elucidate exactly how and where the magic comes from. As far as I know, Joyce didn't have any special leprechaun powers.
Hopes doesn't build the tension or suspense well, merely presenting facts as David strangely recognizes places and people he's known before on his journey through a pawn shop, a restaurant and a gay sauna ( apparently where he was overheard by Michael J. Dunbar's cheeky Barry ) . The dearth of laughs also makes the show a slog to get through.
Director Kevin D. Mayes can't really spruce up the ponderous material, though he makes a game attempt at it. Nor does the acting company bring the text to any real life, especially with their wayward Irish dialects sticking out ( only Martin and Nichols are consistent at keeping up the Celtic lilt ) .
With Anna Livia, Lucky in Her Bridges, Hopes shows just how enamored he is of Joyce and Irish history. Hopes also seems to be saying, 'Seize the day and be brave to love.'
It's certainly a noble sentiment, but not enough when the play containing it is so dire.