Molly Bloom's robust sensuality is made physical and musical in a piece of theatrical magic by Theatre Cryptic (Scotland-based, with strong Irish connections) at the Project. Four women - an actress (Muireann Kelly), a singer (Colette McGahon), a cellist (Anthea Haddow) and a clarinettist (Jenny Scott) - embody the restless ribaldry of Joyce's Molly. Each complements and reciprocates the work of the others, forming an articulate and harmonious quartet.
David Paul Jones's music begins in electronics - distorted and disturbing - but moves into the melodic. Often it is a counterpoint to Molly's no-stays-tied stream of assertive sexuality; it also encompasses the poignancy of the woman's solitude and her grief for a lost child.
Molly loves the roundness and the richness and the power of her body - Kelly conveys this with warmth and vivacity. The range and complexity of her emotions finds expression in the music, the lighting and the sprung surprise in the set. Rich fare for the eye and the ear - the word lives, both in meaning and seductive sound. Question: is Joyce enhanced by Colette Boyd's arresting staging? Yes . . . Yes . . . and Yes!
Runs until Saturday