Soon after his most famous work was published in 1922, James Joyce began work on his most mystifying, "Finnegans Wake." It took 17 years to complete. One Little Goat Theatre Company's version of "Finnegans Wake" won't take quite that long, but by doing three chapters a year, it plans on finishing up by 2029 to mark the novel's 90th anniversary.
One Little Goat said that the "notoriously gnarly dream-novel is oddly, absurdly, obsessively funny. It is, in short, a comedy, a comedy that, in Joyce’s words, 'is all so simple. If anyone doesn’t understand a passage, all [they] need do is read it aloud.'"
The filmed readings of the book star Irish-Canadian actor Richard Harte, who reads each chapter in front of audiences of varying sizes, in unique locations in multiple cities. This first-of-its kind filmed audio book is directed and edited by Adam Seelig. Another Irish-Canadian performer, Pip Dwyer, reads Chapter 8 with its nearly all-female cast of characters.
Performed and filmed in Toronto, Chapter 1 premieres at the Bloomsday Festival in Dublin on June 16. With a running time of 86 minutes, Chapter 1 includes folksinger Kevin Kennedy’s rendition of the “Finnegan’s Wake” folk song, as well as filmed montages echoing themes in the novel.
For tickets and information about the project, visit www.onelittlegoat.org.
