By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Tim Fuller
The whaling crew aboard their ship Pequod, onstage at the Rogue Theatre.
Taking a bold leap into pure stagecraft, the Rogue Theatre has created a swirling theatrical adaptation by Cynthia Meier and Holly Griffith of Herman Melville's “Moby Dick.” This is play-making powered by imagination, driven by one's own love of literature, rather than Hollywood's elaborate show-me-everything-in-slo-mo digital special effects.
Meier is the play's director, as well, while Griffith joins the cast as one of three willowy Fates, the Rogue's novel addition that serves the story well as a kind of Greek Chorus connecting those scenes that nourish the consuming obsessions of these seagoing adventurers as Death's constant companion.
There is a Shakespearean spectacle to it all, with complex layers of moving parts that easily convey the twisted metaphors of society's own struggles today. There is more to absorb here than just the self-destructive nature of Captain Ahab (Joseph McGrath).
Standing toe to toe against the Captain is Starbuck (Ryan Parker Knox), the ship's First Mate. In the rigid pecking order of every ship at sea, including the Pequod, we feel the authority of both men.
The whaling work of killing animals larger than the sailors' own ships, so the seamen can draw out each whale's treasured oil reserves, can stir mixed feelings in today's culture attuned to helping the helpless.
But the extreme difficulty of this work to get the oil meant whalers the world over who could do the job were accepted by each other without regard to race or religion. Each ship was an indelible mix of all colors and faiths, whaling men who pitched in together, free of prejudice when each man's survival depended on all the others surviving, too.
Representing all of this integration is the Polynesian dignity of Jeffrey Baden as Queequeg, his muscular body covered with intimidating tattoos, his position secure as a warrior who has chosen to kill whales instead of people. More than even Ahab or Starbuck, Queequeg brings an intimidating presence to the stage.
By intermission, this notion of being at sea to kill schools of whales feels real and runs deep through the audience. We get it, the shared danger, the close quarters, the need to know your own mate's boiling point, the futility to resist destiny in the face of those portentous Fates.
Ishmael (Aaron Shand), the story's narrator, has already met the fearsome-looking but extra-ordinarily polite Queequeg, a harpoon master who rarely misses.
The second act belongs to McGrath, giving life to the broad-shouldered struggle of Captain Ahab aching to have his personal revenge for losing a leg to Moby Dick in a previous encounter.
Captain Ahab was a hard taskmaster but devoutly fair in the beginning, as their ship made ready to set sail from Nantucket.
But the equally ethical Starbuck could see that lurking in Ahab's obsession was an addiction that could end the lives of these innocent men – hardened sailors willing to stay at sea for years on end just so they could get paid an honest wage to bring home for their wives and children.
Meier gives tremendous attention to getting the feel of the ocean, reflected in the moves of the sailors. Every scene is practically a crowd scene, everyone except Shand and the three Fates in a cast of 17 has several roles.
Daniel Precup, Ballet Master of Ballet Tucson, is listed as the choreographer here. He is joined by movement coach Patty Gallagher, who also plays one of the Fates. Bryn Booth is the third Fate.
It isn't far-fetched to say the spirit of Moby Dick, that Great White Whale of such enormous influence in English literature, is clearly defined in the faces and body language of this entire cast. We believe they saw it, and so we see it, too.
A giant creation of God, massive beyond belief, more angry and relentless than the darkest soul of any seaman. And yet wondrous, too, in reminding us that all Moby Dick ever wanted was the freedom to freely roam the Seven Seas.
“Moby Dick” continues at the Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd., through Jan. 26 with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Tickets are $42, with various discounts available. For further details and reservations, 551-2053.
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