“It’s true. It’s all true for Moby Dick. He’s a killer, he’s a fury, he’s an angel of hell. Why if the white whale could talk he’d talk like Ahab”
October 1839. The Pequot is due to sail out of Nantucket and her skipper, one Captain Ahab, is in need of a crew. Seeking fortune and adventure, a humble schoolmaster named Ishmael ships aboard, joining a company charged with one task: to wreak revenge on the white whale that lost Ahab his leg – the infamous Moby Dick.
With theatrical flair and thrilling invention, the spirit of the novel – romantic, ambiguous and rich with allegory – is gloriously captured by Simple8. This critically-acclaimed and award-winning theatre ensemble specialise in creating worlds out of nothing – producing bold new plays that tackle big ideas using large casts.
Complete with sea shanties played live on stage, planks of wood, tattered sheets and a battered assortment of musical instruments, the ensemble bring the production ingeniously to life.
Guy Rhys plays Captain Ahab and in the ensemble of actors and actor-musicians are Mark Arends (Ishmael), Jonathan Charles (ensemble), Hannah Emanuel (Starbuck), Syreeta Kumar (Manx), Hazel Monaghan (Ensemble), James Newton (Flask), William Pennington (Stubb) and Tom Swale (Queequeg).
Director Jesse Jones said: “It is a great pleasure to bring together this supremely talented ensemble of performers. Together, as a company we will conjure the world of the play using their musical ability, dynamic physicality and powerhouse performances to breathe life into this poignant yet playful production.”
Moby Dick, York Theatre Royal, 06 – 08 June.
Box office 01904 623568 | yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
