What's On

Circe's Carnival of Vice
 

A person wearing a maskDescription automatically generated with medium confidence

TextDescription automatically generated with low confidence

A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE IN DUBLIN’S UNDERBELLY

Venture into James Joyce’s Monto, Dublin’s red-light district, a world in which fever dreams are more real than reality, men are turned into hogs, enchanted and unmanned by power-fuelled women. What is it to be so enthralled? This new play presents Joyce’s mischievous and comic riposte to the early sexologists who were ditching morality and proclaiming new definitions of ‘normal’ sexuality.  Discover his surprising take on it all.

‘As Joyce revised this episode in Paris in 1920’, says Bloomsday’s Artistic Director Frances Devlin-Glass, ‘amused but undaunted by the attempted censorship of Purity Snoopers  and also his literary agent, Ezra Pound, ‘he took more and more risks as a writer, provocatively taunting his persecutors and even jeopardising publication of his  novel. It’s a tour de force, blending body-wisdom with comedy and critique.  Good taste is emphatically off the table.’

Circe’s Carnival of Vice Director Wayne Pearn says: ‘I am astonished by Joyce’s range, from teasing pantomime,  to surreal gender-bending and the apocalyptic, and he doesn’t forget the ordinary rigours of love and its looming threat of loss’.

'A forceful reminder of how rich and psychologically astute Joyce was'

- Cameron Woodhead, The Age.

- 'Zachary Dixon’s delectably maximalist costuming is a delight to behold'. 

'the entire cast was phenomenal': Natalie Ristovski, Theatre Matters

Circe’s Carnival of Vice, a new play presented by Bloomsday in Melbourne, runs at fortyfivedownstairs, from Wednesday 11th-Sunday 22nd July 2025.

Links and Contacts: 

Book at fortyfivedownstairs: https://fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/circes-carnival-of-vice/

More Information about the play at www.bloomsdayinmelbourne.org.au 

Bloomsday proudly acknowledges support from:

A close-up of a black backgroundAI-generated content may be incorrect.

 

Event details

Venue: fortyfivedownstairs
Bookings: https://fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/circes-carnival-of-vice/
Start Date: Monday 16 June 2025

SHOW DETAILS:
11 – 22 June 2025

preview: Wednesday 11 June
opening night: Thursday 12 June
duration: 140 minutes including a 20 minute interval
times:
Thursday to Saturday 7:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 4:00pm
Monday 16 June (Bloomsday) 7:30pm
ticket price: $37 – $49
bookings: 03 9662 9966

 

Find more events in Melbourne»

Disclaimer: Australian Stage takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided in event listings. You are advised to confirm performance dates/times with the company and/or venue before purchasing tickets.

Most read reviews

  • MJ the Musical
    MJ the Musical
    MJ the Musical takes you on an immersive experience, like a montage of Michael’s memories and influences leading up to his ‘Dangerous’ tour.
  • A Mirror | Belvoir
    A Mirror | Belvoir
    Steeped in meta-theatricality, A Mirror prompts us to reflect on the status of storytelling, of its place in creating a culture, its manipulation into myth, its power to prick and to prod.
  • Mary said what she said | 2026 Adelaide Festival
    Mary said what she said | 2026 Adelaide Festival
    Going from that show to Mary said what she said was like going from a Mozart piano concerto to one of the more repetitive pieces by Philip Glass.
  • West Gate | Melbourne Theatre Company
    West Gate | Melbourne Theatre Company
    At 11.50am on October 15 1970, 35 men fell to their death as their place of work gave way from under them.
  • Stage Kiss | New Theatre
    Stage Kiss | New Theatre
    There’s a palpable playfulness to these performances, disciplined, drilled and delightful. There’s fire, bite and fun and lots of kissing.