The United States Vs Ulysses – Pavilion Theatre – Review

This production tells the story of the legal case surrounding the release of Ulysses in the United States of America. The book arrived with quite a reputation and was banned when initially published for its obscene language and images. It took a young and dynamic publisher in the form of Random House along with its legal team to test this verdict in court, arguing the case on several topics, such as the quality of its writing, along with an analysis of various aspects of the text.

The play is written by Colin Murphy, who is known for works such as Haughey/Gregory, Bailed Out! and Guaranteed! A number of these plays were quite topical in nature, explaining complex legal and business ideas of the day to the audience. While it is unlikely there would be much interest today in analysing the intricacies of the last financial crash, this work will have a longer shelf life. This court case’s events are still fascinating, almost 100 years later.

The production takes the form of a radio play on the court case “United States v. One Book Called Ulysses“. This allows the actors to explain the history surrounding the case, without being accused of clunky exposition. The device of a play within a play is often used and is perfect for a wide-ranging story such as this.

One of the most interesting parts of the story is where they discuss the value of the book; the quality of the writing and its importance. It is an interesting discussion on the value of art and how it can change the world around it. Random House was looking for more than financial gain from the release of the book. While there are several books on the court case, this is the first time it has been on stage.

The surprising thing about this production is the amount of comedy in the text. I was expecting a serious production where the various aspects of the court case are slowly teased apart, and while it does achieve this, it does so along with many humorous moments. The cast assembled includes several actors who are known for comedic roles such as Helen Norton and Jonathan White. By the nature of the radio play, all the actors play more than one role, with Ross Gaynor and Mark Lambert playing the opposing lawyers, and Morgan C Jones the judge presiding over the case, one John M. Woolsey. Janet Moran gets the role of Molly Bloom, waiting in the background to shock both sides of the legal teams with her explicit language about sexual desire. There are also moments where aspects of the book come to life, with short sections played out in front of the audience. This is a bright and lively production on a fascinating topic and brings the whole story to life.

Written by Colin Murphy
Directed by Conall Morrison

CAST:
Ross Gaynor
Morgan C Jones
Mark Lambert
Janet Moran
Helen Norton
Jonathan White

Set Design by Liam Doona
Costume Design by Catherine Fay
Lighting Design by John Comiskey
Composition & Sound Design by Simon Kenny

Image: Róisín Nolan
Photography: Patricio Cassinoni