This response focuses on the performance of James Joyce’s The Dead, adapted from the James Joyce short story “The Dead.†There are two parts to this response.
A) Write in general terms about the changes that the musical stage production makes to the original story. Don’t simply describe the changes; instead, analyze their narrative and performative value. Don’t account for every change, just select two or three major changes.
B) Pick one of the characters from “The Dead†short story (e.g. Julia, Gabriel, Gretta, Miss Ivors, Freddy Malins, or others) and analyze the representation of that character in the play. What changes are made to that character, and to what effect? How do those changes affect the overall tone and theme of the text?
Conclude your response with one or two summative observations about the performance and the differences between Joyce’s original text and the musical version.
The response should be 2-3 pages long and is due Tuesday, March 7.