Director: Marc Mac Lochlainn
James Joyce’s Ulysses is often regarded as unreadable, unstageable, and certainly unsuitable for children. Yet Galway-based Branar has crafted something extraordinary in You’ll See: an enchanting, witty and beautifully inventive show that distils Joyce’s epic into a family-friendly hour of theatre magic.
We are told from the outset that “everything happens and nothing happens” in Ulysses. One day in Dublin – June 16th, 1904 – becomes the stage for tall tales, fleeting encounters and characters who almost meet, until they finally do. With co-adaptor Helen Gregg narrating as guide, bobble hat perched jauntily and tweeds tucked in, we follow Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus through their day. Blazes Boylan, meanwhile, struts in with his own theme music, reminding us that every city has its rogues.
What makes You’ll See so captivating is its playful combination of forms. Maeve Clancy’s intricate paper engineering delivers three exquisite pop-up books, manipulated and revealed in ways that feel almost cinematic. Puppeteering from above ensures the stage remains alive with detail, while live sound effects and an original score add pace and atmosphere. The result is a sensory delight, full of warmth, humour and moments of real beauty.
Gregg’s performance is central to this success: a masterclass in accessible storytelling. With a twinkle in her phrasing and impeccable comic timing, she makes even the densest of Joyce’s material feel light, engaging and funny. At times it feels as if you’ve spent the day wandering alongside the characters yourself – emerging both satisfied and charmed. For those who have never read Ulysses (and never plan to), this is the perfect substitute: faithful in spirit, yet refreshingly simple.
If there is a drawback, it lies in the staging. Sight lines from the side do compromise some of the pop-up illustrations, which benefit most from a direct view. But that’s a small price to pay for such lovingly crafted cardboard landscapes and the ingenuity with which they’re deployed.
Originally commissioned as part of Ulysses 2.2 (a collaboration between ANU, Landmark Productions and the Museum of Literature Ireland), You’ll See achieves the near-impossible: it makes Joyce’s labyrinthine novel joyous, funny and accessible for audiences from 8 to 80. A rich, imaginative and warmly told slice of Joyce, You’ll See is theatre at its most inventive.
Runs until 24th August 2025
