Bloom's Theatrical Picks: Melodrama & Opera
While in the carriage headed to the Glasnevin cemetery, Leopold Bloom thought about spending the evening at a theatrical performance. He decided that if he went, he would see either the play Leah, which was at the Gaiety, or the opera Lily of Killarney, offered at the Queen's Royal Theatre. Showtime for both was 8:00 pm.
Ulysses (Gabler) 6:184-86.
He ends up not attending any performance as after discussing insurance with Paddy Dignam's widow, he indulges in girl-watching at Sandymount Strand. By the time Bloom leaves there, it is well after 8:00 pm as he notes that the "Liverpool boat [is] long gone."
Ulysses (Gabler) 13:1274-75; Gifford's Ulysses Annotated (1988), 404 n. 13.1274-75.
After Stephen Dedalus leaves 7 Eccles Street, Bloom tells his wife that he spent most of the night at the Gaiety Theatre where he saw Banndmann-Palmer in Leah. Molly, his wife, doesn't believe him.
Ulysses (Gabler) 17:2256-57, 18:81-83.
Leah, the Forsaken (play)
The English actress Millicent Bandmann-Palmer had the eponymous role in this popular melodrama. The production was mounted by her repertory theater company, The London Players.
n/ Irish Times, June 16, 1904.
Bloom recalls that his father, Rudolph (née Virag) Bloom, saw the play in its original, German-language form in Vienna, but can't recall that play's name (it was Deborah). Bloom believes the lead role was performed by Adelaide Ristori, an Italian-born, international stage star.
n/ Leah was one of Ristori's most famous roles. She appeared on the London stage in both English and Italian language versions of the play. Jonathan M. Hess, Deborah and Her Sisters (Philadelphia: Univ. of Penn. Press, 2018).
"Leah tonight. Mrs Bandmann Palmer. Like to see her again in that. Hamlet she played last night. Male impersonator. Perhaps he was a woman. Why Ophelia committed suicide. Poor papa! How he used to talk of Kate Bateman in that. Outside the Adelphi in London waited all the afternoon to get in. Year before I was born that was: sixtyfive. And Ristori in Vienna. What is this the right name is? By Mosenthal it is. Rachel, is it? No. The scene he was always talking about where the old blind Abraham recognises the voice and puts his fingers on his face. Nathan's voice! His son's voice! I hear the voice of Nathan who left his father to die of grief and misery in my arms, who left the house of his father and left the God of his father."
n/ Ulysses (Gabler) 5:194-205.
Adelaide Ristori
Poster Seen by Bloom
Bandmann-Palmer as Hamlet
Digitized by Luna Folger, Wikicommons License.
Plot Summary:
Leah, who is Jewish, is fleeing religious persecution in Hungary and on the way to America is passing through an Austrian mountain village. Rudolf, the son of the magistrate, falls in love with her and they plan to run off to the land of opportunity and religious freedom. Unfortunately, the intolerant Schoolmaster Berthold (who harbors a secret of his own) discovers this forbidden love and offers to prove Leah is not worthy with a bribe of money. The results of this betrayal and unmitigated bigotry lead to a series of tragedies. Only Madalena, also in love with her childhood friend Rudolf, stands up for Leah but cannot stem the tide against the ingrained centuries of ignorance and hatred of the town's people. Although the village's priest Father Herman calls for understanding and charity, the actual villain of the play is revealed to be Jewish which only inflames the villagers more.
n/ Victor Gluck, "Leah the Forsaken," TheaterScene.Net, February 26, 2017 review of a performance at the Metropolitan Playhouse, New York, NY.
History of Deborah, a Play by Mosenthal:
The most popular play of the nineteenth century was the melodramatic tear-jerker, Deborah. It was written in German by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal, born 1821 to Jewish parents in the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel. At age 21 he moved to Vienna where his uncle was an official of the Hapsburg Empire. Mosenthal's first employment there was as tutor for a banker's children. In addition to teaching, Mosenthal took up dramatic writing and his first performed play debuted in 1847. In his adoptive city Mosenthal was active in Jewish community life and served on the board of the Israelite Association for the Deaf and Dumb.
Mosenthal's fourth produced play was Deborah, which premiered 1849 in Hamburg. It was a smash hit and was soon performed throughout Germany and Austria. Productions later appeared in the rest of Europe, including the United Kingdom, then in North America. The German play was translated, or adapted, into fifteen languages and was a favorite among theater-goers, world-wide, for somewhat over 50 years.
n/ Hess, Deborah and Her Sisters.
Kate Bateman as Leah
The best-known, English language adaptation of Deborah, is Leah, the Forsaken, by the New York theater critic, and struggling playwright, Augustin Daly. Daly's somewhat altered version of Mosenthal's play, commissioned by Kate Bateman, premiered in Boston, 1862. It's this English-language adaptation of Deborah that Bloom contemplated seeing on June 16, 1904.
n/ Hess, Deborah and Her Sisters.
Written by Alex Roe, artistic director of the Metropolitan Playhouse, New York City. The essay is on the website of that non-profit, off-Broadway, theater company. "The Metropolitan Playhouse explores America's theatrical heritage to illuminate contemporary American culture." Click on the above link and the essay page will open in a new browser window. Click on the icon to the right for the home page of the Metropolitan Playhouse's website.
Millicent Bandmann-Palmer
Millicent Bandmann-Palmer, born September 12, 1845 in Lancaster, made her London debut after having won considerable repute in Liverpool. For her first London appearance, in Delicate Ground, the Standard called her "one of the most accomplished actresses whom the London stage has witnessed for many years." In 1867, she was seen as Juliet, to a female Romeo, in Miss Vestvali, at the Lyceum.
In 1869, she married Daniel Bandmann, a noted German-born, Shakespearean actor who made his career in the United States. He first appeared on an English stage February 17, 1863 in Narcisse at the Lyceum, in which Miss Palmer had a role. After the marriage, she adopted the double-barreled name and performed with her husband on American and Australian tours. Most of their performances were Shakespearean. After those tours, in 1880, the Bandmann-Palmers separated with Daniel living in New York and Millicent and their son Maurice, in London. They divorced in 1893 in Missoula, Montana where Daniel had a cattle ranch.
In 1873, in London, Bandmann-Palmer played Lady Macbeth and afterwards had numerous starring engagements in the provinces, where she became an established favorite. She toured for some twenty-five years with a mostly classical repertory, of which Hamlet, in which she played the title-role, was a leading feature. She portrayed Denmark's prince over 500 times. In the 1890s, her son was a member the touring company; mother and son appeared together on stage.
Bandmann-Palmer made a late return to the London stage in 1903, where she appeared in The Man and His Picture, an unsuccessful adaptation of Hermann Sudermann's Sodom's Ende. In 1904, she was a theatrical anachronism; an actress of the "old school" who enjoyed great popularity with unsophisticated, provincial audiences. Daniel Bandmann, Millicent's former husband after they divorced in 1893, died in 1905 and her son, Maurice, also predeceased her, having died of typhoid fever in Gibraltar at age 49. Millicent Bandmann-Palmer died in January 1926, age 78, of complications of an earlier stroke.
n/ Obituary, The Stage, January 14, 1926; Christopher Balme, "Maurice E. Bandmann and the Beginnings of the Global Theatre Trade," Journal of Global Theatre History 1, no. 1 (2016): 34-45; Helena Independent, December 14, 1893.
The Lily of Killarney (opera)
Presented at the Queen's Royal Theatre by the Elster-Grime Grand Opera Company. Music by Julius Benedict, libretto by John Oxenford and Dion Boucicault. Story from Boucicault's play The Colleen Bawn. The opera premiered at London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, February 8, 1862.
"Julius Benedict was one of the long list of musicians who came to Britain to work, stayed here, and became naturalised. In his case he was perhaps more a pianist and conductor than a composer, though he was successful in that sphere, with an excellent piano concerto to his credit. Before reaching London, he worked extensively in Vienna and Naples (where he produced three operas). Dion Boucicault was one of the most popular playwrights of the period, and The Colleen Bawn one of his most popular plays. Of the large number of British operas which achieved success in the Victorian period, The Lily was only outshone by The Bohemian Girl and Maritana, (both of which Benedict had conducted at their Drury Lane premieres), and it was still revived regularly between the wars. Today, even Boucicault is remembered largely for his early comedy London Assurance and his last popular Irish play, The Shaughraun. The Colleen Bawn has not yet returned to popularity, any more than has The Lily of Killarney."
Plot Summary:
"Hardress is secretly married to Eily, though even his mother is unaware of this. Mrs Cregan is visited by Corrigan, who gives her two options - either that Hardress obtain the money owed by marrying the heiress Ann Chute, or that Mrs Cregan herself marry Corrigan. He tells her of Hardress's infatuation with Eily, and they watch as Danny rows Hardress over the lake to visit his love. Eily's friends, including Myles and the priest, try to persuade her to make her marriage public. Hardress tries to persuade her to repudiate it. She decides to do neither, but to keep quiet and hold on tight to the marriage certificate. Hardress, consumbed by feelings of guilt, pays court to Ann. Danny sows in his mind the idea of killing Eily. Corrigan applies more pressure to Mrs Cregan, which angers Hardress to the point that he agrees to marry Ann. Danny asks Mrs Cregan to fetch him Hardress's glove, which she does not know is a pre-arranged signal which authorises Danny to kill Eily. Later, he invites Eily to come in his boat to visit Hardress. Against the advice of Myles she does go, and Danny rows her into a cave where he attempts to drown her. However he is himself shot accidentally by Myles, who is hunting nearby. Father Tom and Myles save Eily from drowning. As the marriage of Ann and Hardress approaches, Corrigan announces that Danny, in a deathbed confession, has implicated Hardress in the murder of Eily, and he is arrested. However Eily and Myles arrive and Mrs Cregan is able to exonerate her son by saying that she had taken his glove without asking him, and without knowing what it was for."
Main Characters:
Eily O'Connor (soprano) The Colleen Bawn.Hardress Cregan (tenor) Secretly married to Eily.Mrs. Cregan (contralto) Mother of Hardress.Mr. Corrigan (bass) Mortgagee of the Caregan lands.Myles na Coppaleen (tenor) In love with Eily.Danny Mann (baritone) A boatman, devoted to Hardress.
Miss Ann Chute (soprano) An heiress.
Father Tom (bass) Parish priest of Kenmare.
n/ Irish Times, June 16, 1904; "Lily of Killarney," website of Opera Scotland, www.operascotland.org.
From the 1934 musical film starring John Garrick, Gina Malo, and Stanley Holloway.* © Park Circus Group Ltd.
Record sleeve, Broadcast recording, BBC Radio 3, July 18, 1968.
* Stanley Holloway created the role of Alfred P. Doolittle in the Lerner and Lowe musical My Fair Lady which premiered in New York, March 15, 1956.
The story of Ellen Hanley, County Limerick, who at age 16 was murdered by her husband of only a few months. On her gravesite Celtic cross was inscribed "Here lies the Colleen Bawn, Murdered on the Shannon, July 14, 1819. R.I.P." Click on the above link and the Colleen Bawn page on the County Clare Library website will open in a new browser window.
The Victorian Opera Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge
Elster-Grime Grand Opera Company
This touring opera company was founded in 1900 by Marie Elster (soprano) and Edward Grime (bass). The Elster-Grime was known for performing in "fit-ups," small halls and assembly places which had to be transformed into theaters. It's small repertoire consisted of popular works that would attract a good-sized audience. Among the operas it performed were Maritana, Daughter of the Regiment, and The Lily of Killarney, all mentioned in Ulysses.
Appearing in The Lily of Killarney on June 16, 1904, were F. Hargrave (as Hardress Cregan), Payne Clarke (as Myles-na-Coppaleen), Michael Kemble (as Danny Mann), Gilbert King (as Father Tom), and Faithe Laborde (as Eily O'Connor). The Irish Times' theater critic wrote "Some of the members of the company found obvious difficulty with the Irish accent, but, except for this little defect, the performance merited high approval."
n/ John Simpson, "Elster and Grime and the Grand Old Opera," James Joyce Online Notes 1 (September 2011); Irish Times, June 17, 1904.
Theaters of Dublin, 1904
Bacon's Plan of Dublin, 1905 - New York Public Library
Source: Ordnance Survey of Ireland, 25-inch Map, 2nd Revision.
1 The Abbey
2 The Tivoli
3 Theatre Royal
4 Queen's Royal Theatre
5 The Gaiety
6 Empire Palace
The Abbey Theatre (opening December 1904 at 27 Lower Abbey Street)
The Abbey was Ireland's "serious" theater and offered mostly works by Irish playwrights, many of which had nationalist, political overtones. It was founded by William Butler Yeats and Isabella Augusta Gregory (Lady Gregory). Joyce, a playwright himself (Exiles), took interest in works premiered at the Abbey such as The Playboy of the Western World (J.M. Synge), and The Shewing up of Blanco Posnet (G.B. Shaw). Joyce submitted to Yeats for staging at the Abbey, translations of two German plays, as well as his own play, Exiles. Yeats rejected them. In February 1922, the month that Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare & Company published Ulysses, the Abbey presented The Revolutionist (Terence MacSwiney), The Serf (Stephen Morgan), Meadowsweet (Seamus O'Kelly), An Imaginary Conversation (Norreys Connell), and The Courting of Mary Doyle (Edward McNulty). www.abbeytheatre.ie (click on the link and the website will open in a new browser window). For a short article from History Ireland on the Abbey Theatre, click here (page on the magazine's website will open in a new browser window).
The Tivoli 12 & 13 Burgh Quay
This theater was a typical Edwardian music hall where variety (vaudeville) was presented. On June 16, 1904, the Tivoli offered two evening shows. The headliners were "The Mysterious Lilith, the Greatest Sensation of Modern Times" and the "inimitable" comedian, W.J. Churchill.
Theatre Royal 15 Hawkins Street
This was a legitimate theater that offered light fare. On Bloomsday, the Theatre Royal presented the "world-renowned" comedian Eugene Stratton as an opening act, and the musical-comedy Fun on the Bristol as the main attraction. The narrator of the "Hades" episode mentions, by name, both offerings. Ulysses (Gabler) 6:184-88.
Queen's Royal Theatre 210 Great Brunswick Street
The Queen's Theatre was primarily an opera house though it presented other forms of theatrical works. As noted above, on the evening of June 16, 1904, the theater offered the opera The Lily of Killarney.
The Gaiety 46-49 King Street South
This theater offered plays and musicals that appealed to a general audience. As noted above, on the evening of June 16, 1904, the theater presented the play, Leah, the Forsaken. The Gaiety, located just off the south end of Grafton Street, remains a popular theater and continues to present crowd-pleasers. www.gaietytheatre.ie (click on the link and the website will open in a new browser window).
Empire Palace 1-8 Sycamore Street, patron entrance on Dame Street
Like the Tivoli, the Empire Palace was a music hall. On Bloomsday, the theater presented its usual fare of variety. The headliner was the "Great" Marie Kendall and the evening's bill included a juggler and a "beautiful Famous Lady Mimic." In 1904, this theater was owned by Dan Lowry, son of the former owner. In the "Wandering Rocks" episode of Ulysses, M'Coy and Lenahan "passed Dan Lowry's musichall where Marie Kendall, charming soubrette, smiled on them from a poster a dauby smile." Ulysses (Gabler) 10:495-96.
Renamed the Olympia Theatre in 1927, the facility is currently a legitimate theater and concert hall for popular music. www.olympia.ie (click on the link and the website will open in a new browser window). The Olympia was the theater setting in the 1995 motion picture adaptation of Beryl Bainbridge's coming-of-age, theater novel: An Awfully Big Adventure. Though the novel is set in post-war Liverpool, the motion picture was filmed in Dublin (in the docklands scenes, the Poolbeg Chimneys are visible).
n/ Sources: Irish Times, June 16, 1904; Thom's Directory, 1904; Freeman's Journal, June 16, 1904; website of the Abbey Theatre, www.abbeytheatre.ie; Richard Ellmann, James Joyce, Rev. Ed. (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1982); Matthew Lloyd, The Music Hall and Theatre History Website, www.arthurlloyd.co.uk; IMDB, s.v. An Awfully Big Adventure, www.imdb.com (webpage will open in a new browser window).
Documents on Other Websites
All these documents are in .pdf files and are fully readable. To download the file click on the document name or its website icon. The file will open from the other website in a new browser window.
Augustin Daly (London: French, 1862). From the Internet Archive. You may download the entire book.
J. Oxenford and Dion Boucicault (London, 1862). Music was composed by J. Benedict. From the Hathi Trust. You may download the entire book.
The Music Hall and Theatre History Site
Website on British and Irish music halls and theaters, past and present. Created and maintained by Matthew Lloyd and dedicated to his great-grandfather, Arthur Lloyd (1839-1904). Arthur Rice Lloyd was born into a theatrical Scottish family living in Edinburgh. He became a well-known musical-hall singer and a prolific songwriter. Lloyd's performing career began in 1861 and endured for over thirty years. He also had his own theatrical company, "Arthur Lloyd's Musical Company." That company toured North America, 1893-94, performing the musical Our Party, written by Lloyd.
Click on a theater's link and the page on the Music Hall and Theatre website will open in a new browser window. Click on the large Arthur Lloyd's icon to the right for the website's home page. For a hyper-linked list of Dublin theaters and music halls, click here.
