Step Into The Dead, 1904: An Immersive Evening of Theater and Food Great Performances

Step Into The Dead, 1904: An Immersive Evening of Theater and Food

This holiday season, Irish Repertory Theatre’s The Dead, 1904 returns to the American Irish Historical Society, bringing James Joyce’s beloved story to life through theater, music, conversation, and a holiday feast prepared by Great Performances.

Adapted by Paul Muldoon and Jean Hanff Korelitz and directed by Ciarán O’Reilly, the immersive production invites audiences into the Morkans’ annual holiday party in Dublin in 1904. Rather than watching the story unfold from a traditional theater seat, guests move through three floors of the historic Fifth Avenue townhouse, following the characters from room to room before gathering together around the dinner table.

And dinner is very much part of the story.

Bringing Joyce’s Feast to the Table

Great Performances has been part of The Dead, 1904 since its original New York production in 2016, interpreting the abundant holiday table described in Joyce’s story for a contemporary audience.

Prepared on-site for each performance, the meal is served during the dinner scene, with cast and audience sharing the room, the food, and the experience.

The menu draws directly from Joyce’s famous feast, with roast turkey breast stuffed with parsley and herbs, beef tenderloin with fig and cocoa glaze, mashed “floury” potatoes, cranberry and pineapple relish, dried figs, raisins on the vine, and smoked almonds. Bread and butter pudding with vanilla custard finishes the meal, accompanied by wine, stout, and spirits.

It is food as more than an accompaniment to the performance. The meal helps create the world of the Morkans’ party, placing guests inside the warmth, abundance, and ritual of the evening before Joyce’s story moves toward its unforgettable conclusion.