At The Dead, 1904, the Actors Share a 'Delicious' Meal With the Audience

It's that time of year! Buddling up with our scarves and gloves to attend a friend or family member's holiday party. But what if you were able to attend a different kind of holiday party...back in time?!? Audiences of Irish Repertory Theatre's The Dead, 1904 get to experience a completely immersive production night after night.

Taking place at The American Irish Historical Society, an audience of 48 people a night are transported to a holiday gathering on January 6, 1904, at the Feast of the Epiphany, in the Dublin home of two elderly sisters, Kate and Julia Morkan, and their niece, Mary Jane. The show is an adaptation of James Joyce's short story The Dead. Among the cast are four of New York's favorite performers: Tony nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!), Úna Clancy (The O’Casey Cycle), Obie Award winner and Tony Award nominee Mary Beth Peil (Dawson’s Creek), and Christopher Innvar (To Kill a Mockingbird). Through the course of the sisters' (played by Clancy and Peil) party, drinks flow, songs are sung, and, like any typical family gathering...squabbles ensue. And by the end of the evening, Gabriel Conroy (Innvar) discovers his wife's (Baldwin) deep-rooted secret.

At each performance, not only are audiences moved from room to room (with actors performing a couple of feet away from them), they are also fed a delicious and traditional holiday dinner (provided by Great Performances). The Dead, 1904, is making a spirited return to New York after holiday runs in 2016 through 2018.

While guests get the opportunity to come face-to-face with the show's performers, we at Playbill were curious about what the production is like for its actors. What is it like conversing and improving every night with audience members during the show's party scenes? Do you like eating side-by-side with the show's guests? Do you like the food?

Playbill talked to Baldwin, Clancy, Innvar, and Peil about all that and more in the interview below. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Mary Beth Peil, Úna Clancy, Kate Baldwin, and Christopher Innvar Heather Gershonowitz

What is it like interacting with American audiences while playing a character from Ireland?
Kate Baldwin: Our audiences are all very different so it is an adventure every night. I've talked with Joycean scholars, authors, and people visiting New York for the holidays and were looking for something unique and festive to do, fabulous supporters of the Irish Rep who wouldn't miss a production, and beloved members of our theatre community. We always find some common ground to talk about like family, literature, or food.

We get a lot of people who know the story very well, so I've been asked a few times how far it is to The Gresham Hotel. Spoiler: We head to the second floor of the mansion and it serves as the setting for the final hotel scene. So, not very far at all.

Úna Clancy: I can’t describe the warmth and playfulness of so many audience members. Aunt Kate is fascinated by tales of life in New York—all the way across the ocean! Other guests transport themselves to Dublin 1904 and we chat away about that. I’m drawing on my upbringing in Dublin and my own "travel" to Dublin in 1904! And many guests have Irish family or a love of the story, so they bring a lot to the table.

Mary Beth Peil: My favorite so far has been an exchange with a woman from Dublin who wanted to talk about Ireland so much (I’ve never been). I finally had to break character and say I was from Iowa. When she said, “But I really thought you were Irish!” it made my night.

Nothing weird or awkward, but many silly times threading the needle between staying in 1904 Irish character and real life.

Is there anything interesting inside the American Irish Historical Society building that audience members should keep an eye out for while attending?
Baldwin: There is a portrait in the dining room that looks so much like Kevin Spacey. Come and check it out and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Clancy: All the portraits (who were those people? , all the dinnerware which all come from Jean Hanff Korelitz, the busts in the Christmas tree room, and the mistletoe of course!

Peil: I particularly like looking at all the portraits. There is one who looks like Kevin Spacey in costume. And all the China, crystal, silver, etc is authentic 19th century…just beautiful.

Innvar: When audiences enter the Irish American Historical Society on 5th Ave—the Beaux-Arts architecture, the beautiful paintings and sculpture, the rooms festively decorated for the holidays—they can’t help but feel like they are transported back in time!”

Many of the characters are asked to perform at this Christmas gathering, when was the last time you were asked to sing/perform at a party and what did you perform?
Baldwin: The last time I sang impromptu at a party, I was with my friend Andrew Lippa, who insisted we do songs from Big Fish. He is a fantastic singer so we did "Time Stops" and "Daffodils" together, and I did "I Don't Need a Roof." How he manages to sing and play at the same time is remarkable to me.

Clancy: Just a week ago, I was asked to sing at my Italian mother-in-law’s annual Christmas party—it’s been going without a break for at least 60 years! I sang a carol in Gaelic that they say goes back to the seventh century. It’s called "Don Oiche Ud i mBeithil," that night in Bethlehem. It’s one of the most touching carols I know.

Innvar: I grew up in a family where playing instruments and singing was always part of the family parties and certainly the holidays. I never thought of it as a performance but more as a robust way to celebrate and have fun with each other.

The production has been a huge success before and now. What is it (in your opinion), that makes this story and this production such a sought-after show to see for New York audiences during the holidays?
Baldwin: It is a 360 experience that is elegant and charming. It feels like everyone in the small 40-member audience is family.

Clancy: I find this story so profound. It asks me what it means to really live, to really love. There are so many "stories" within it that you can’t quite keep up. And yet, the story is acting on you all the time. The characters and the audience are in constant motion….and then it’s still. As still as Christmas night. I think audiences really respond to all the elements that conjure that magic—the music, the sharing a meal, the beauty of the costumes and settings. We all get to live in that together for a "brief moment," as Gabriel says.

Peil: It is such a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season in a warm, family, non-commercial way. Great food, entertainment, and a beautiful journey-in-time story.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Baldwin: I must hear "Last Christmas" by Wham! every day leading up to the holiday. I love that song and I will defend it. So come for me, haters.

Clancy: I’ve carried over the Irish tradition of a "Christmas drink." In the days before and after Christmas Day, I like to raise a glass with friends one-on-one. No meal required, bags of shopping in hand, a good old catch up in the good cheer of the season.

Peil: My favorite Holiday tradition: Christmas Eve morning at 10:00 am sharp, making my once-a-year Christmas morning coffee cake while listening to Kings College Cambridge candlelight service on NPR.

Innvar: I’m very grateful for the 50 turkey dinners we will eat during the run. But our family tradition is to have an Italian meal on Christmas when my sister Karen will make an incredible lasagna with meatballs and sausage. I look forward to the change… and real red wine!

What is it like eating the same meal 7 nights a week?
Baldwin: The food is downright delicious. I've had friends ask for the recipes. No notes. I'm serious.

Clancy: Do you know—I look forward to it! I thought I’d be so tired of it, but not so. We get to compare all the dishes to the night before!

Peil: I actually have lost a few pounds! Knowing there is this delicious meal (or two) coming up, I guess I just eat less during the day.

Innvar: The incredible meal by Great Performances is universally raved about by audience members. And after four weeks of performances, I have to say I am looking forward to it every night!

What is your must-have dish for your holiday dinner?
Baldwin: Cranberry sauce is very important. It is the acidic element in a meal that really needs it. Also, pecan pie is an absolute must, so says my husband (and I agree!).

Clancy: Brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce and a little ham.

Peil: Must have Mother Stamberg’s cranberry sauce (goes with anything). Sometimes roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (a family tradition).

To purchase tickets to The Dead, visit IrishRep.org.