Spymonkey's Moby Dick - An Unreliable Version

Synopsis

Four whalers find themselves trapped in the belly of a whale. As they ponder the irony of their fate, they recount a story of Moby Dick, sparkling with their own fantastical flourishes. The novel's epic examination of good, evil, fate and obsession is lost on them. And then, mysteriously, found on them again. Was their fate ?orca-strated'? Will Ahab's thirst for revenge be unhinged by a bitter middle-aged Pinnochio, the used-to-wannabe? What does a Bavarian cannibal harpoonist eat? Will the cameo appearance by legendary screen actor Awesome Whales scupper everything? And how exactly do you make a whale throw up?

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 7 October 2009

If what you want is a straightforward stage adaptation of a classic novel, then Jos Houben's take on Herman Melville's Moby-Dick for Spymonkey isn't for you. If on the other hand you're prepared to accept a brilliant piece of physical theatre wrapped around the original story, then you're in for two hours of magic.

It's a co--production with Northampton's Royal and Derngate arts complex, confronting its audience as we enter the theatre with an eclectic mix of songs with a connexion to the sea – and the soundtrack from Orson Welles's film. The stage is a jumple of sailcloth, ropes and crates which will reveal the deck of the Pequod in due course. All the parts are played by four actors with a bewildering variety of quick costume changes, a puppet to represent cabin-boy Pip, and a lot of special effects.

Somehow or other, the audience is cajoled into providing storm sound effects and appropriate movements; one hapless member is transformed into a sea...

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