CHICAGO - June 16 is the holiest day on the Irish literary calendar.
That's the day (and night) that Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus
journey their way through Dublin in James Joyce's epic novel "Ulysses."

"Ulysses" has spawned an academic industry that probably ranks second
only to Shakespeare. Joyce set the action in the year 1904, which means
that this is the 100th anniversary of the narrative (the novel was
published in 1922). Joyceans throughout the cultural world are
celebrating the anniversary, a ripe time for the world premiere of "A
Dublin Bloom" by the Irish Repertory.

Joyce modeled the events in "Ulysses" on the 19-year wanderings of the
Greek hero Odysseus after the end of the Trojan War as recorded by
Homer in "The Odyssey." But familiarity with "The Odyssey" is just the
beginning of comprehending the Joyce novel. Scholars have noted that to
get a decent grasp on "Ulysses," the reader should be steeped not only
in Greek mythology but in Roman Catholic theology, Irish legend,
European history, and languages like Hebrew, Latin and Gaelic.

Add into the mix Joyce's use of the elusive stream-of-consciousness
style and you have a book that created enormous controversy for its
alleged obscurity. And then there were the charges of obscenity that
led to the banning of the novel for a time.

Clearly, adapting "Ulysses" for the stage is a daunting task, though
it's been attempted in the past decades, notably an off-Broadway drama
called "Ulysses in Nighttown" in 1958. Dublin playwright Dermot Bolger
has successfully carved out a portion of the novel into "A Dublin
Bloom," aided immeasurably by a splendid production by the Irish
Repertory.

The production employs 19 actors to play dozens of roles as we trace
the troubled wanderings of Bloom and Dedalus through Dublin that
typical June day. The adaptation follows the scheme of "The Odyssey."
Each scene with its modern and ancient Greek parallels is listed in the
playbill. But unless the audience is fully versed in Homer, the scenic
breakdown will mean little.

Although "Ulysses" has a reputation of being a difficult book, the
writing is often extremely realistic and detailed. From scene to scene
the play is easy to understand. It's connecting the individual
components that may cause problems for the audience. But the play has a
cumulative force, and by the end of the evening attentive spectators
should leave the theater satisfied that they have enjoyed a full and
accessible dramatic experience.

The staging, under Matt O'Brien's creative and sympathetic directing,
flows from scene to scene much like the book. The basic storyline
follows Leopold Bloom, a mild mannered Jewish advertising salesman, as
he moves through Dublin's streets and pubs. The younger Dedalus is a
dissatisfied writer, lumbered with an unhappy teaching job and a burden
of a father. It's a portrait of a searching and uncompromising artist
trying to find his way.

Bloom is the eternal outsider, isolated from the Irish mainstream in
Dublin by anti-Semitism. He's a diffident man with slightly kinky
sexual tastes, unable to satisfy his lusty and unfaithful wife Molly.

Molly Bloom's long monologue is a central part of the novel, and its
sexual explicitness got Joyce in trouble with the censors. The play
divides the monologue into segments, but the play ends with Molly,
reclining on her bed as she's been throughout the play, lyrically
delivering her musings about her courtship and marriage to Bloom.

The play is filled with comic moments and colorful Irish characters
like Blazes Boylan and Buck Mulligan and Bella Cohen, the brazen madame
of a local brothel. The language is rich in poetry and Irish blarney
and many of the scenes are tumultuous in their action. This may not be
the definitive adaptation of "Ulysses." The novel is too expansive and
complex to be nailed down to any single stage version. But it gives
audiences, scholarly and novices alike, a fine sampling of Joyce's
masterpiece in a legitimately dramatic form.

The ensemble does a superior job of inhabiting the Joycean menagerie of
characters, though occasionally the Irish accents muddle the dialogue.
Will Clinger is outstanding as the self effacing Leopold Bloom, in his
dress suit and bowler hat and mustache, looking a little like Charlie
Chaplin. Andrew Carter is likewise excellent as the discontented
Stephen Dedalus. The difficult role of Molly Bloom falls to Laura Scott
Wade, who renders the final monologue beautifully, though Wade is a bit
young for the role (Molly and Leopold have a 15 year-old daughter and
Wade looks to be in her mid 20s).

The complementary actors are all first rate, with pride of place
perhaps going to Gary Houston and Scotty Rowe for their especially
fluid handling of the language. Alexandra Billings makes a feisty
impression in her cameo as the pungent Bella Cohen.

Michelle Tesdall earns high marks for her costume designs that vividly
re-create the look of Dublin's lower and middle classes 100 years ago.
The remainder of the design corps consists of Jaymi Lee Smith
(lighting), John Selden (sound), and Matthew J. York (sets).

The show gets a rating of 3 1/2 stars.

Irish Repertory
773/248-7700
www.irishrep.com