''Moby Dick'' is a musical with a book by Robert Longden, and music and lyrics by Longden and Hereward Kaye, first staged in 1990. The plot follows the anarchic and nubile girls of St. Godley's Academy for Young Ladies who, determined to save the institution from bankruptcy, decide to stage

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are ''Moby-Dick'' (1851); ''Typee'' (1846), a rom ...

's classic 1851 novel in the school's swimming pool. The musical is a mixture of high camp, music hall-style smut, and wild anachronism overflowing with

double entendres A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially a ...

; the lead role of

headmistress A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

Captain Ahab Captain Ahab is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in Herman Melville's ''Moby-Dick'' (1851). He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod''. On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab's leg, ...

is portrayed by a man in drag. Originally produced as ''Moby Dick: A Whale of a Tale'', and alternatively known as ''Moby Dick! The Musical'', or ''Moby!'', the show has proven to be a popular choice with regional theatre groups. Since 2003 a more

Americanized Americanization or Americanisation (see spelling differences) is the influence of American culture and business on other countries outside the United States of America, including their media, cuisine, business practices, popular culture, tec ...

version deleted the unfamiliar British references and played down many of the burlesque aspects.

Initial productions

Producer

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

, having become involved with the restoration of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Old Fire Station Theatre __NOTOC__ Arts at the Old Fire Station ('The OFS') is an arts centre in Oxford comprising a Theatre, Gallery and Shop. There are also studios available to hire for classes, rehearsals and meetings. The organisation focuses on three key things: ...

, sought a new musical to inaugurate the restored venue. Impressed by an audio tape sent him by Longden, Mackintosh offered £25,000 to stage ''Moby Dick: A Whale of a Tale''. Originally an intimate piece with a cast of twelve performing with an upright piano, it became a greatly expanded version featuring a troupe of thirty and a six-piece band. The end result was a madcap romp, with veteran

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...

star

Tony Monopoly Tony Monopoly (3 December 1944 – 21 March 1995) was an Australian-born cabaret singer and actor who enjoyed success in the United Kingdom. Born Antonio Rosario Monopoli in Adelaide, he was a regular on the national radio show, ''Kangaroos on ...

playing the headmistress/Captain Ahab in drag, that immediately developed a cult following among the

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

students. Following the stint at Oxford, the show was staged aboard the Old Profanity Showboat where after a slow start, the engagement quickly sold out.

West End transfer

Against the advice of his staff, Mackintosh decided the show was suited for a full-fledged

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

production, and in March 1992 he transferred it to the cavernous

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

, where it opened to almost universally scathing reviews. Despite an increasingly appreciative crowd and nightly ovations, the musical failed to find its audience quickly enough and the economics of the large venue forced it to close after four months. Such was its public appeal, Cameron later recalled, that the announcement of closure sent audience reaction into orbit and it barnstormed out of the West End as if it were one of the greatest hits of all time.Caught by the Tale - a foreword to the Moby Dick cast recording (DICKCD1)

American premiere

In 1993, Longdon directed the American premier in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where the original novel begins, and where Melville himself had worked as a whaler. The cast included Ed Dixon as headmistress/Ahab, Terri White as Ahab's wife, Cindy Marchionda as Ishmael, and Ellen D. Williams in the ensemble.

Characters

*Elijah: a wacky, one-armed crew member of the '' Pequod'' who is a gossipmonger spreading rumors; doubles as Pierre and Janitor. *Esta: a boy-crazy hussy and the smart aleck of the group; doubles as Ahab's wife. *Father Mapple / Flask: as Mapple, a flamboyant, revival-type preacher; as Flask, a crew member on the ''Pequod'' who tries to steal Queequeg's money. *Gardiner / Dagoo: as Gardiner, Captain of the ''Rachel'' with a penchant for classical comedy; doubles as Dagoo. *Headmistress / Captain Ahab: the Headmistress is a stern and uptight ruler over the academy (played in drag with fearless confidence); doubles as Captain Ahab. *Ishmael: the story's narrator, she is a goody two-shoes who everyone picks on; an earnest, but nerdy, musician and student. *Pip: the school's puny security guard and cabin boy aboard the ''Pequod'' who is smaller and weaker than the others. *Queequeg: the mystical, strange, savage harpooner who is tender and kind underneath it all; a cannibal of sorts. *Starbuck: the stern and strong girl that the others look up to; she is very Christian, upright and fair. The Ensemble play Sailors, Shrunken Heads, Wives, Heathens, and Ghosts.

Musical numbers

;Original song list ;Act I *Hymn *Parents' Day *Forbidden Seas *In Old Nantucket *A Man Happens *Ahab's Curse *Gypsy Dancer *Love Will Always *Primitive *Punish Us *People Build Walls *Pequod *At Sea One Day *Building America ;Act II *Living Shadows *Mr. Starbuck *Heave Away *Deck Dance *Can't Keep Out the Night *Ahab's Insomnia *A Whale of Tale *Daily Massacre *Ship Ahoy *Shadows of the Deep *Storm *Heave Away (Reprise) *The Whale's Revenge *Save the Whale ;2003 song list ;Act I *School Hymn *Moby Dick *I Live and Breathe *Old Nantucket Town *A Man Happens *Ahab's Homecoming *Love Will Always *Primitive *A Sinking Man *Jonah Fell *Pequod *At Sea One Day *Building America ;Act II *Moby Dick (Reprise) *Deck Dance/Death to Moby/Heave Away *Can't Keep Out the Night *Whale of a Tale *Love Will Always (Reprise) *The Rachel/Shadows of the Deep *Bones *Heave 2 *Ahab's Death *Death of Ahab *Finale!

Notes

References

* ''Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh'' by Sheridan Morley and Ruth Leon, published in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and in the US by Back Stage Books, 1998 *
Moby Dick! The Musical
' at the Music Theatre International {{Moby-Dick

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

Works based on Moby-Dick Metafictional plays British musicals