June 07, 2019

Rosenbach's annual Bloomsday festival includes daylong reading of 'Ulysses'

Celebrate James Joyce's novel on June 16

By Sinead Cummings
PhillyVoice Staff

Courtesy of The Rosenbach Museum & Library/PhillyVoice

Bloomsday takes place on June 16.

James Joyce's "Ulysses" has been called everything from masterfully moving to hilarious obscene, and was once banned in the United States.

Since 1924, the manuscript has been at Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum and Library, so naturally, the museum goes big for Bloomsday, the annual international celebration of the novel about the fictional Leopold Bloom in Dublin, Ireland.

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On Sunday, June 16, the traditional daylong public reading of "Ulysses" in front of The Rosenbach will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Singers will bring the novel's tavern songs and arias to life, actors Michael Toner and Mal Whyte will perform a humorous adaptation of "Ithaca," and Drucie McDaniel will close out the evening with a moving rendition of Molly Bloom's soliloquy.

Special guests this year include Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, who will read a passage from "Cyclops."

Also, Grey Lodge Pub's Bloomsday Beer Garden will return. On tap will be brews inspired by "Ulysses" famous pub scenes. In addition, there will be several local food trucks, including Wok Works, The Icery and Authentic Byrek, plus a pop-up shop and a silent auction.