Estelle Parsons and Mary Beth Peil to Star in Irish Rep's THE DEAD, 1904

Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons and Obie Award winner and Tony Award nominee Mary Beth Peil will come to The American Irish Historical Society townhouse as “Kate and Julia Morkan,” respectively, for the long-awaited return of The Dead, 1904 - an immersive adaptation of James Joyce’s classic story, “The Dead.” Adapted by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon (Joy in Service on Rue Tagore) and novelist Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Plot, The Latecomer, HBO's “The Undoing”), and directed by Irish Rep co-founder Ciarán O’Reilly (Philadelphia, Here I Come!), The Dead, 1904 will begins previews November 20, 2024, with an opening night set for November 26, for a limited run through January 5, 2025. 
 
The full cast & creative team for The Dead, 1904 will be announced at a later date.
 
Tickets to The Dead, 1904 include dinner and drinks. Four VIP premium tickets will be available at each performance, allowing audience members to be served dinner at the main table with the cast as they play the dinner scene-–a once in a lifetime experience for lovers of immersive theatre and James Joyce. Tickets are on sale now for members and are available at IrishRep.org. Tickets will go on sale to the public beginning September 19. The Dead, 1904 is also available for group bookings. 
 
James Joyce’s novella, “The Dead,” describes a holiday gathering on January 6, 1904, the Feast of the Epiphany, in the Dublin home of two elderly sisters, Kate and Julia Morkan, and their niece, Mary Jane. At the party are students, friends, a celebrated tenor, a lost alcoholic, and the couple, Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. Over the course of an evening, there are conversations, music, dancing, and dining. There are speeches and disagreements – polite and impolite – and when it is all over Gabriel learns something about his wife that changes his sense of who she is and who they are to each other, of what it actually means to be alive, and to be dead.
 
This exquisite recreation of James Joyce’s haunting story was the most sought-after theatrical event of New York’s 2016-2018 holiday seasons. We relish the opportunity to welcome you again, or for the first time.
 
The Dead, 1904 is staged in the c. 1900 townhouse of The American Irish Historical Society (991 Fifth Avenue, New York) on the Upper East Side for an audience of just 48 people per night. The production travels over three floors of the building, which has been restored to period decoration. Rooms used include the lobby, parlor, dining room and upstairs library.  
  
A holiday meal, inspired by descriptions of the feast in Joyce’s story, has been created by Great Performances, one of the city’s most celebrated caterers, to be served to cast and audience alike in the townhouse’s elegant dining room. Wine, stout, and spirits will be served with the meal.  
 
The menu for The Dead, 1904, prepared on-site daily for each show by Great Performances, features: Roast Turkey Breast Stuffed with Sprigs of Parsley & Herbs; Beef Tenderloin with Fig & Cocoa Glaze; Mashed “Floury” Potatoes; Cranberry & Pineapple Relish; Dried Figs; Artisanal Raisins served on the vine & Smoked Almonds; and Bread & Butter Pudding with Vanilla Custard. 
 
The performance schedule for The Dead, 1904 will be as follows: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7PM, and Saturdays & Sundays at 5PM & 8:30PM. Exceptions: There will be no performance on Thursday November 28, Tuesday December 24, Wednesday December 25, and Wednesday January 1. There will be additional performances on Monday December 23 and Monday December 30 at 7PM.