In 2018, Bloomsday in Melbourne notches up 25 years of Bloomsdays, and many more original productions inspired by Joyce if one includes Bloomsdays in Kobe (Japan) and Dublin, and multiple gigs, many full-scale in Melbourne, in any given year. There are three events: a play, a seminar and a lunch.
The Play: Holy Cow! James Joyce Slaughters the Sacred Cows of English Literature
Directed by Jennifer Sarah Dean (who recently worked at the Globe in London and artistic director of Melbourne Shakespeare), this original play (based on Oxen of the Sun) takes up Joyce's challenge to the entire literary tradition, at the same time as it offers an hilarious commentary on matters obstetric, a topic close to Joyce's heart. Joyce is no slouch on the subject of gynaecology either, having studied in Dublin under the Jesuits, and begun a course in Paris. And this play is also a canter through English Literature: what does a virtuoso stylist do with his tradition? He slaughters, fillets, masticates, parodies and satirises, and turns other people's styles to his own purposes, and makes sure there's a lot of satirical fun to be had. The play, to be staged at fortyfivedownstairs, is set in the Holles Street Maternity Hospital tea-room, while Mina labours, and Bloom seeks to offer solidarity with her, while the angst-ridden Stephen finds himself at odds with the roistering medical students. Find out why Melbourne loves Joyce - 92% of last year's audience who rated it good to excellent can't be wrong.
When:13-17 June 2018. Show times: Wednesday to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday 4pm and 8pm; Sunday 3pm and 6pm. Running time is 90 minutes.
Where: Melbourne's leader in independent theatre: fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne (wheelchair access available by arrangement)
Cost:$35 - $45. Preview price on Wed. 13 June is $30
Bookings: Through fortyfivedownstairs
The Seminar: Joyce, Obstetrics, and Parody
Featuring two of Melbourne's outstanding Joyceans, James King (research gynaecologist) and Philip Harvey (poet and librarian), and Barry Jones AO, Bloomsday in Melbourne's Patron and Joyce advocate, will be in the Chair. This seminar is designed to fill out two very different contexts for reading Oxen.
When:Bloomsday, 11am, 16 June 2018 only.
Where: Imperial Hotel, Level 1, 2-8 Bourke St., Melbourne (top of Bourke, and opposite Parliament House; wheelchair access available)
Cost:$25. Concessions for pensioners (Commonwealth health card holders) and enrolled students - $25.
Bookings for Lunch and Seminar: Book separately or together, through Bloomsday
The Lunch: Bloomsday Lunch at the Imperial Hotel
Kick back with the Joyce community of Melbourne over an elegant two-course lunch, with entertainment, at the Imperial after the seminar.
The three events are designed to dove-tail. It's a short walk to the theatre from the hotel, or there's a tram to take you a block to Collins St.
When:Bloomsday, 1pm, 16 June 2018 only.
Where: Imperial Hotel, Level 1, 2-8 Bourke St., Melbourne (top of Bourke, and opposite Parliament House; wheelchair access available)
Cost:$50.
Bookings for Lunch and Seminar: Book separately or together, through Bloomsday
More information for all events at www.bloomsdayinmelbourne.org.au
