By Sara Castillo
The Rogue Theatre is its 15th season in Tucson, Arizona and it is known for theatre that challenges and expands audience’s views, and it surely has with its premiere of Moby Dick. The Rogue may have taken on one of its greatest challenges yet, with an original adaption of the classic novel Moby Dick. Moby Dick was written by Herman Melville in the mid-1800s about a sea captain’s obsession with a white whale that took his leg. Melville is considered by many to be one of the greatest American novelists and his story of Ahab hunting the elusive Moby Dick to be his crowning achievement. It would be a challenge for anyone to take Melville’s 213,481 words and adapt it to a script for the stage, but it was the love of the text that was the inspiration to have it included in The Rogue Theatre’s season with its focus on obsession.
The Rogue Theatre does an admirable job of keeping the spirit of the work without drowning in the excessive language. The work was adapted by Cynthia Meier and Holly Griffith, where they kept the overall story arch but added in elements to guide the audience through a dream-like interpretation of Melville. The creation of the three fates, played by Bryn Booth, Patty Gallagher, and Griffith, brings to mind great Greek tragedies. Was Ahab destined to his tragic end or was he the captain of his own destruction? This question hangs in the air as you watch the skillful performance of Joseph McGrath as Captain Ahab. It is generally thought that Captain Ahab is an insane man whose obsession with an animal was what ultimately destroys everything around him. McGrath’s performance sheds new light on the over simplification of Captain Ahab’s reputation. McGrath layers in a performance of obsession, yes, but also of a leader. Someone you want to join on this grand adventure; that you want to see success in their great endeavor. This performance brings to mind great Shakespearean characters like King Lear where their tragedy is brought about by their choices, but oh, how you wish it could have been different for them.
The audience is lead through the story by Ishmael (Aaron Shand) as he joins the ship and is greeted by his fellow shipmates, including his strange “bedfellow’ Queequeg played by Jeffrey Baden. Baden wears Queequeg like a proud lion as he struts about the stage, mysterious and powerful. Ryan Parker Knox plays Starbuck, one of the voices of reason aboard the ship, and gives a strong performance as leader and skeptic. Another strong performance is from Owen Saunders who plays The Boy, where at the end he gives one of the most tender moments of the play. The Rogue Theatre made a bold choice to cast Gianbari “Debora” Deebom as one of the male ship’s crew, it would have been nice to have seen even more gender fluidity within the cast.
Each crew member steps into the spotlight in the show, whether it’s a full telling of their backstory, taking the lead in a retailing of a different story, or having a moment to shine within the crew. However, it is the ensemble work that is the strongest on stage and is shown through movement. The movement of the crew fills in visual gaps the audience might have while watching the show. When the crew moves together as the ship gently sways that’s when the magic of theatre happens.
The shows starts with live music by music director Russell Ronnebaum on piano and Paul Gibson on percussion. Interweaving slow classical pieces with upbeat sea shanty songs to punctuate moments with the crew, the music almost acts as another member of the cast. Without Ronnebaum‘s delicate hand some of the strongest moments of the show would have fallen flat. Live sound effects are created before the audience as storms rage and is accompanied by a strong lighting design by Don Fox. Costumer Nanalee Raphael decks out her crew of 17 in authentic vests and billowing-sleeved shirts, Greek chorus fashioned dresses for the Muses (or are they sirens?) and Ahab in the ubiquitous black.
This is not a passive show. Moby Dick asks and expects a lot out of its audience. Just as in the time of Shakespeare, the audience must have a suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy the show fully. In this spirit, fabric becomes whales (set design Amy Novelli), the ground becomes the ocean waves, and a small thrust stage is turned into a whaling ship. If the audience is willing to take the journey and give into the dream-like setting they will be rewarded with a deeply moving retailing of a classic. Taking a novel that is set in the large expanse of the ocean and transporting it into a small theatre in the middle of the desert is no easy task. The Rogue Theatre has fulfilled their mission statement of creating challenging theater and the challenge was well met.
The Rogue Theatre presents Moby Dick, by Cynthia Meier and Holly Griffith, based on the novel by Herman Melville.
January 9–26, 2020, Thursday–Saturday 7:30 PM, Saturday & Sunday 2:00 PM (Discussion with the cast and director follows all performances.) Tickets: $42 General admission
Contact: 520-551-2053
Rogue Theatre Website
Rogue Theater Facebook Page
Moby Dick Facebook Event
Thank you for an observant review. I would only add, after seeing the matinee on Sunday, that the performance pulls at emotions and provokes introspection. The play, the fine actors, and the music, combined to create something simply marvelous. Impossible to think it could have been done better. Hurray–