When Joyce Was Still Becoming Joyce
by Avery Anderson
Before Ulysses.
Before the myth.
Before James Joyce became James Joyce.
There was Nora.
This winter, freeFall Theatre brings Himself and Nora to its intimate St. Petersburg stage — a romantic, music-driven musical that traces the turbulent, decades-long relationship between literary giant James Joyce and his muse, partner, and eventual wife, Nora Barnacle.
Written by Jonathan Brielle, Himself and Nora resists the urge to turn Joyce into a monument. Instead, it leans into the mess: love, ambition, obsession, exile, illness, art — and the complicated ways those forces shape both a life and a body of work.
“This is partly about their romance, but also about him as a writer and how he was inspired by their love affair,” freeFall Artistic Director Eric Davis said.
For Davis and Resident Musical Director Michael Raabe, the choice fits squarely within freeFall’s ongoing mission: championing under-produced, literary-minded musicals that thrive in close quarters. Past audiences will recognize the throughline from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, John & Jen, and Road Show — shows that favor emotional proximity over spectacle.
“Often I think when we find a show like Himself and Nora, we can bring something to it that perhaps some larger productions haven’t been able to capture,” Davis said. “I think our space and the way that we present musicals brings a certain intimacy to the piece that I think some of these smaller musicals benefit from.”
That intimacy matters here. Himself and Nora unfolds as a kind of theatrical séance — a “somewhat magical wake,” as Davis describes it — where memory, myth, and reality blur. The storytelling bends time and truth, embracing embellishment as a feature rather than a flaw.
“There’s a lot of tall tale or bending of the truths of things,” Davis said. “But it absolutely captures so much of their relationship and the spirit of these two characters.”
That spirit is carried by a compact but muscular ensemble. Robert Teasdale stars as Joyce, returning to freeFall after God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, alongside Katie Davis, making her freeFall debut as Nora — a role that centers her not as a footnote, but as a driving creative force. Supporting performances come from Julia Rifino, Drew H. Wells, and Michael Gregory, who collectively portray figures ranging from Ezra Pound to Sylvia Beach to Joyce’s own family.
The production is directed and choreographed by Davis, with music direction by Raabe, who also anchors the show at the piano alongside a five-piece band. The score blends traditional Irish melodies with contemporary musical theatre sensibilities — a combination that critics have long noted for its accessibility and emotional immediacy.
The New York Times called the show “a lively, sometimes lusty, spin through the love life, troubles and literary times of the great Irish writer,” while The Huffington Post praised it as “smart, lively and tuneful… an intimate production that will inspire audiences.”
That word — intimate — keeps coming up, and not by accident. freeFall’s production leans into the idea that Joyce’s work, often framed as daunting or academic, was born from deeply human relationships.
“It does capture a lot of the historical details about them,” Davis said, “but Jonathan Brielle admits that there’s a bit of embellishment and exaggeration — perhaps something Irish writers in general, and especially Joyce, might be famous for.”
Himself and Nora runs January 30 through March 8, 2026, at freeFall Theatre, located at 6099 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Performances are at 7 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $55, with $25 preview tickets and youth pricing available, or included with freeFall’s $29/month subscription.
In a cultural moment obsessed with genius — and increasingly skeptical of it — Himself and Nora offers something quieter and more revealing: a portrait of how art is made not in isolation, but in relationship.