Herman Melville’s classic epic of the sea and obsession, in search of the great white whale, seems like something too difficult to adapt for the stage. But that assumption is proven wrong with “Moby Dick,” now on stage at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis. The Rep’s dramatic, acrobatic stage production of “Moby Dick” captures the feel of the sea so thoroughly that you can almost taste the salt air. With aerial acrobatics and superb acting, this gripping version of Herman Melville’s classic tale of obsession and the sea is surely the highlight of the Rep’s 2023-2024 season.
There is nothing stage-bound in any sense about this vibrant production, with actors soaring and clamoring above the stage on ship rigging-like ropes. The drama is remarkable but so is the fact that it is not just supporting cast but even some lead actors who demonstrate their acrobatic prowess in this show.
Opening with the famous line “Call me Ismael,” The wandering would-be sailor Ishmael (Walter Owen Briggs) appears on a wooden deck at center stage, with rope rigging arranged around it. the flexible space on which all the action takes place. Arriving late in the day, Ishmael seeks accommodations for the night with an innkeeper (Bethany Thomas), who tells him he must share a bed with another seaman, not yet returned for the night. Thus he meets Queequeg (Kevin Aoussou) in a dramatic acrobatic wrestling match. Ishmael is going to whaling for the first time but Queequeg is an old hand as a harpooner, the son of a dying king, who ran away to sea by hitching a ride on a whaling ship rather than embracing his fate as the next king of his island. The pair quickly bond despite their differences, and sign on to the whaler Pequod with wooden-legged Captain Ahab (Christopher Donahue), who is bent on vengeance against the white whale Moby Dick, the infamous, evil creature that reaped his leg “like a mower reaps a blade of grass.”
This “Moby Dick” is the creation of Chicago-based Lookingglass Theatre Company and Evanston, IL-based The Actors Gymnasium. The Rep’s production is directed by David Catlin, who adapted Melville’s novel for the stage. The show’s acrobatic choreographer is Sylvia Hernabdez-Distasi, who created the show’s impressive, athletic stage choreography, and who also is the artistic director of The Actors Gymnasium, an arts organization that trains performers in circus/theatrical performing arts. Members of the Lookingglass troupe are in this cast.
In this tale, first mate Starbuck (Felipe Carrasco) is the voice of reason against Ahab’s consuming obsession, while Micah Figueroa, Raymond Fox and Julian Hester play various roles of the ship’s crew and others. The drama is aided greatly by the casting of three women, who play various roles including the Three Fates, the Sea Fates, various women on shore and the forces of the sea itself gives a mythical touch to the drama.
Bethany Thomas, who plays the Innkeeper and Fate #1, is joined by Maggie Kettering as Fate #2, a Sea Fate and a Cetologist, who describes some of the novel’s whale lore (largely inaccurate), and Ayana Strutz as Fate #3, along with playing Mary Starbuck and the embodiment of St. Elmo’s Fire. Including a bit of the whale lore, a big part of the novel, evokes an aspect of Melville’s work rarely included in other Moby Dick adaptations.
While the famous Gregory Peck 1956 movie has as a Biblical feel to it, this stage show “Moby Dick” leans more Shakespeare. There is a bit of Lear, and maybe MacBeth, in this Captain Ahab, who also is more charismatic than scary here, which better explains his ability to recruit his crew to his obsessive quest. Christopher Donahue is marvelous in the role, and similar praise goes to the rest of the cast. Kevin Aoussou is particularly striking as Queequeg, who is more of a lead character in this production than is sometimes the case, and Walter Owen Briggs is also strong as Ishmael. The two actors’ ability to combine excellent dramatic acting with acrobatic feats truly impressive.
Praise is also due the the three women playing the Three Fates, particularly Bethany Thomas, who has a powerful stage presence. Their acting performances and acrobatic feats are both equally powerful.
The staging and costumes are also standouts. Creative, immersive moments abound in this strenuous production. There is one scene where Bethany Thomas wears a huge skirt that covers most of the stage, undulating to simulate the rolling sea. In another, a drowning sailor (Micah Figueroa) descends a rope has he sinks into the depths, to be embraced by a seductive Sea Fate (Maggie Kettering). When he is rescued on the brink of death by Kevin Aoussou’s Queequeg, with the two sailors climb back up the rope together.
The Rep’s production features the show’s original scenic design by Courtney O’Neill, rigging design by Isaac Schoepp, and costumes by Carolyn “Sully” Ratke.
There are other gripping moments. The crew harvesting a whale, and later Moby Dick’s final attack on the Pequod are breathtaking – brilliantly, inventively staged scenes that are among those not to be missed. Powerfully dramatic, acrobatically impressive and immersive staged, “Moby Dick” is a definite must-see. “Moby Dick” is only one of the literary theatrical production from Lookingglass/Actors Gymnasium, and it may be hoped we will see another of these immersive, moving productions on the Rep stage in coming seasons.
The Repertory Theater of St. Louis’ “Moby Dick” is on stage at the Loretto Hilton Theater in Webster Groves through February 25.
© Cate Marquis
