Molly Bloom

The obscenely brilliant Molly Bloom, starring acclaimed South African actress Jennifer Steyn directed by Nicky Rebelo, is set to steam up the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio from 14 September to 9 October at 8.15pm nightly.

The one-woman play, taken from James Joyce’s classic novel Ulysses, is best described as a ‘stream of consciousness’ monologue and is widely referred to as ‘Molly Bloom’s Soliloquy’. It is the 18th, and final, unpunctuated chapter of the novel which, if performed uncut, would run for over four hours.

Edited by director Rebelo, this version of Molly Bloom has a running time of 100 minutes but remains true to Joyce’s original text and intention and has not lost any of its poetic beauty, brilliant cyclical structure and erotic bawdiness. Ruy Filipe is responsible for costume and set design.

The story conveys Molly’s thoughts as she lies in bed next to her sleeping husband, Leopold Bloom, whom she affectionately refers to as Poldy. He returns home late at night after having spent a mundane day roaming the streets of Dublin - going to a funeral, having lunch, dropping by at the newspaper where he works selling advertising space, eyeing some young girls lasciviously, and visiting a pub, a hospital with young students, a brothel, and a late night-café. He enters the bedroom where she lies sleeping, knowing that she spent the day with another man in his bed.

Instead of being outraged and taking revenge, Poldy is stimulated by the idea that he has been cuckolded, and plants a huge kiss on his wife’s ample buttocks and then falls asleep. When Molly awakes, she begins her musings about life, love, death, her past, sex and everything else that all women think about at some point in their lives.

Real-life husband-and-wife theatre couple Steyn and Rebelo have collaborated on several theatre projects in the past, including Apparently ... or so I heard, What Annette said in her sleep last Night and an adaptation of Herman Charles Bosman's Street Woman.

Their production of Molly Bloom enjoyed a highly successful season at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, last year. The production was such a smash hit that it returned this year by popular demand with equal success. Cue, the festival newspaper, was unashamedly impressed and said, “.... leaves one breathless, the play is utterly riveting.  It’s enough to make a porn star blush, so astounding is Joyce’s use of the language.” The Star Tonight also raved, “Jennifer Steyn is again brilliantly directed by her husband Nicky Rebelo in an adaptation of a classic text. One doesn’t want to miss a second of that bawdy mind so cunningly portrayed by Steyn ...”

Rebelo performed at the Baxter in Steven Berkoff’s West, Chris Charles’s Walking Wounded, Paul Slabolepszy’s Making Like America and David Mamet’s American Buffalo. Steyn, a Fleur du Cap Best Actress winner, last performed at the Baxter in Mike van Graan’s Green Man Flashing, for which also received a nomination in the same category.

“Molly is a delicious, saucy, sexy, funny and, at times, poignant three-dimensional portrait of a woman,” explains Jennifer excitedly about the title character. “She is a woman carved so magnificently that she represents many parts of all women.”

Rebelo agrees. “Molly Bloom is more than just a bawdy roller-coaster ride. Joyce also delicately reflects on the futility of war, as Molly grieves the loss of a lover to the senseless slaughter.”

Joyce started writing Ulysses in 1914 and continued to work on it into 1921 before it was published in Paris in 1922. It corresponds, often approximately and strangely, to episodes in The Odyssey of Homer. Remarkably, the last chapter or episode, entitled Penelope, consists of eight enormous sentences, with only two punctuation marks throughout, and contains the longest sentence in English literature where Molly expresses 4391 words.

Originally the chapters of Ulysses carried Homeric titles which were published serially in The Little Review between 1918 and 1920, when the editors were charged with publishing obscene material. However, the final novel omitted them.

When the book first appeared it caused a scandal and was immediately banned in the USA and Britain. In fact, the ban was only lifted in England in the 1950s and the book has subsequently been hailed as the greatest novel of the 20th century and the most celebrated book in the English language.

Set in Dublin, the events unfold over 24 hours, beginning on the morning of Thursday, 16th June 1904, with some of the events chronicled in the narrative corresponding to actual occurrences in Joyce's life. Today 16 June is observed annually in Ireland to celebrate the author’s life and is known as Bloomsday, after the fictitious character Leopold Bloom.

Molly Bloom carries an age restriction and is not recommended for children under 18 years. The production previews at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio on Tuesday 14 September, opens on Wednesday 15 September and runs until Saturday 9 October, at 8.15pm nightly. Ticket prices range from R70 for the Baxter Monday special offer, which includes a light meal and show, to R130 at weekends.

Booking is through Computicket on 083 915 8000, online at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet countrywide. For discounted block, corporate or school bookings, charities or fundraisers contact Sharon on 021 680 3962, email [email protected] or Carmen on 021 680 3993, email [email protected].

Ends

For further media enquiries, interview or pic requests please contact Fahiem Stellenboom, Marketing Manager, Baxter Theatre Centre, on telephone 021 680 3971, email [email protected] or cell 072 2656 023.

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