One of Milwaukee’s smallest theater companies, Off the Wall Theater, takes on one of American literature’s greatest challenges, the monumental epic, Moby Dick. And here’s the good news: thanks to a talented cast and cleverly produced special effects, the whale has landed.
There is so much to be said about the intricacies of Herman Melville’s most famous pre-Civil War novel, it almost doesn’t matter that the whale is absent until the play’s final moments. Even the story’s vengeful madman, Captain Ahab, fails to show up until about a third of the way into the play. He is heard, rather than seen, by the thump, thump, thumping of his wooden leg on the deck of the Peaquod, the 19th century whaling ship that is either bound for a three-year journey to fill its hull with whale oil (according to the crew) or hunt down Moby Dick, the whale that took Captain Ahab’s leg (according to him).
In his world premiere, Dale Gutzman condenses the narrative in order to focus more clearly on Ishmael, the novel’s young, adventurous narrator, and Ishmael’s physical and emotional attachment to Queequeg, a heathen who joins forces with Ishmael prior to their sailing on the Peaquod. The two are inseparable: Queequeg (played with a great depth of feeling by Nathan Danzer) announces at one point that he is “married” to Ishmael (an impressionable, intellectually bright Jake Russell). Perhaps their union was predestined: As the play opens, Ishmael delivers his opening lines while sitting in Queequeg’s unused coffin. In any case, the two seem to have plenty of time to cuddle below decks as the Peaquod pushes on to attack the white whale.
Whether this aspect of their relationship is really the case or not is somewhat in question, as Gutzman labels the play “a hallucination on Moby Dick.” During the sequences in which Queequeg pulls out his pipe, the set is transformed into a river of blazing colored lights and the effects of a fog machine. One must figure out for oneself what is reality and what is fantasy aboard the Peaquod.
In addition to the actors playing Ishmael and Queequeg, strong performances abound. James Strange is a mean-spirited, bellowing Ahab, offset by his more reasonable right-hand man, Starbuck (a solid Mohammad N. ElBsat). As Mr. Stubb, a grizzled Jim Feeley captures the essence of an old sea salt, veteran of many voyages. The other whalers, notably Teddi Gardener, also do an excellent job with their characters while they simultaneously execute difficult set and lighting changes. (Credit goes to David Roper for the technical direction and lighting, enhanced by Jake Russell’s sound design). In a final, cinematically climactic scene, the Peaquod is torn to shreds by the angry Moby Dick. Canvas, flashlights, a strobe light, stage lights and mariners are tossed about in this unforgettable scene. As the mayhem subsides, only Ishmael is left to tell the tale of their great quest. Upon being rescued by another whaling ship, he ends the play with the famous sentence that begins Melville’s epic novel, “Call me Ishmael.”
Gutzman’s version is compelling, spiritually uplifting and well-told. It is a 160-year-old adventure story but offers so much more about the American condition, then and now. As for its relevance in today’s world, one need only point to the name “Starbucks” (the coffee-selling giant) to see evidence of this novel on almost every main street in America.
