Moby Dick at Wilton’s Music Hall

Like Ahab’s doomed Pequod, Sebastian Armesto’s stage adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick runs like a well-oiled ship. Part dramatisation, part musical, the play imparts a unique perspective on a much-loved canonical work. Through a series of sea shanties, the multitalented ensemble cast bring Melville’s novel to life. The frenetic energy of the actors, switching instruments with impunity while erecting props and scenery, is mesmerising, as is the seamless choreography. Dizzying strobe lighting, clever use of props to convey the claustrophobia of life on deck, and a cascade of confetti blood splatter set the mournful tone of this visceral production.

But for all its grand proficiency, the storytelling feels needlessly regressive at times. Like Melville’s magnum opus, the play touches on homoerotic symbolism. However, such themes are inexplicably played for laughs; a gesture of affection that Queequeg (Tom Swale) extends to Ishmael (Mark Arends) results in ripples of titters from the audience. Such reactions were painful to witness and appeared inharmonious with this thoroughly modern adaptation. Likewise, this staging merely hints at the themes of imperialism, warfare and toxic masculinity that underscore its source material. Such obfuscation feels like a missed opportunity to inject the classic text with some pointed contemporary commentary. If one hadn’t read the book prior to stepping into Wilton’s Music Hall, much of the symbolism would be lost. But for those already familiar with the Melville classic, the stage production animates the tense atmosphere of the novel effectively.

Arends gives a majestic performance as the wide-eyed Ishmael, his sprechgesang bestowing a certain haunting beauty to the rustic backdrop. In the second act, he is truly sublime as he offers a didactic soliloquy describing the anatomy of a whale in painstaking detail. But it’s a powerhouse performance by Guy Rhys, playing the formidable Captain Ahab, which steers the show to its doom-laden finale. Rhys brings a transcendent humanity to Ahab, a character who at times bordered on grotesque in Melville’s novel.

Complete with stunning musicianship, flawless choreography and an outstanding cast, Moby Dick, much like its titular elusive whale, must be seen to be believed.

Antonia Georgiou
Images: Manuel Harlan

Moby Dick is at Wilton’s Music Hall from 23^rd April until 11^th May 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Watch the trailer for Moby Dick here: