"These pots we have to wear": A Report on the Zurich James Joyce Foundation Workshop, 31 July-6 August 2022

Abstract

sion; it evokes waves of shock among the guests and requests for more details, which Morkan is unable to provide. She does, however, have one more piece of information to convey: she has laced the evening’s dinner with Julia’s remains. This news stuns her guests for a moment, before Morkan adds that she is just joking. But the damage has been done. The joke has fallen flat; the dinner concludes with dessert left uneaten; and all but one of the guests quickly leave. As the play ends, Morkan is still seated with her remaining guest, and she remarks at how depressing life is. The snow, which has continued to fall outside, now begins falling inside as well. End of play. In sum, while Waiting for Godot as a play is acclaimed—intentionally cryptic, minimalist, and surreally successful—waiting for Gabriel in Epiphany is pretty much a snore. It is not a bad idea for a creative revision but is poorly executed, especially the dialogue. The audience, on the evening I attended this play, seemed to think it was a comedy; they laughed on and off during the performance. I did not find it funny, but it might, in fact, have worked better as a straight comedy. Sadly, there was no epiphany in Epiphany.