All Girl Moby Dick
Adapted by Bob Fisher and Sara Gorsky
Directed by Bob Fisher
Zoo Studio, 4001 N. Ravenswood (map)
thru May 26 | tix: $20 suggested | more info
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Fated to be a whale of a good time
The Chicago Mammals presents
All Girl Moby Dick
Review by Keith Glab
Local actresses often complain – with good reason – about the shortage of compelling female roles available around Chicago. The Mammals circumvent this unhappy circumstance by adapting works dominated by strong male characters for all-female stage plays.
All Girl Moby Dick opens their new studio space in Ravenswood. Herman Melville’s characters provide a good base that the company expands upon through the well-conceived adaptation and strong acting. Stubb (Christy Arrington) seems to be a marriage of the mates Stubb and Flask, giving Arrington’s character more dimensions. Erin Orr makes Ishmael more of a sullen loner than Melville’s narrator reads, while Liz Chase’s Queequeg tips the character’s scales heavily towards tribal rather than the
Chase’s performance highlights some inconsistencies in the show’s direction. Whereas she adeptly gives Queequeg distinctly masculine vocal and physical qualities, the majority of the cast does little to disguise the fact that they are women playing male roles. Pip (Shantelle Szyper) stands at the polar opposite end of the spectrum from Queequeg. Her blonde, braided pigtails and heart-on-sleeve emotion make her the most feminine of the all-white female cast. Pip also makes no pretense of being black as Melville’s character requires, but Queequeg and Fedallah (Krista D’Agostino) are portrayed as ethnic to the best of the Caucasian actresses’ abilities. If director Bob Fisher is attempting to play with the motif of whiteness found throughout Moby Dick by using a monochromatic cast to populate the notoriously-diverse Pequod, its impact is lost with this discontinuity.
Other inconsistencies include the sporadic breaking of the fourth wall. John Wilson’s marvelous set makes the audience feel as though they are passengers aboard the Pequod, so addressing the audience is an appropriate choice, just not one that is made consistently throughout the play. D’Agostino uses a headset to give Fedallah’s prophesies extra resonance, but this is probably unnecessary given her vocal talent and the size of the venue, and the headset looks completely out of place as the only modern prop in the show. Ishmael also brandishes a banjo for the first couple of scenes, but that suddenly (and mercifully) disappears.
Most of these elements could work if fully committed to in either direction, but going halfway creates some confusion for the audience. Setting this lack of clarity aside, the performances range from good to excellent. Amy E. Harmon stands out among this impressive group with her portrayal of Captain Ahab. She is able to make Ahab’s obstinate obsession sympathetic through an incredibly fierce yet nuanced performance. (I’d like to see more physical pain associated with her stumbling around with a whale bone for a leg, but the character’s mental anguish is realized to perfection).
Running over two hours long, All Girl Moby Dick rarely drags. In fact, some of the scenes are a little too short and episodic, lacking in continuity from one to the next. Perhaps creating that flow would put the run time past its tipping point. Missy Styles’ ambitious fight choreography keeps the pace cracking with whaling scenes moving full speed ahead. It’s a little odd that the smallest members of the cast are asked to portray the raging whales, but that quirk somehow works. Queequeg’s (lack of a) costume serves to keep the audience invested in the performance as well.
Most people read “Moby Dick” because they are forced to do so in high school. The Mammals succeed in creating a visually stunning work that people will want to choose to experience for themselves, which ties in nicely to one of the main themes of the piece. Call me impressed.
Rating: ★★★
All Girl Moby Dick continues through May 26th at Zoo Studio, 4001 N. Ravenswood Suite 205 (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are a suggested donation of $20, and seats can be reserved by calling 866-593-4614. (fyi: all performances are BYOB!) More information at ChicagoMammals.com. (Running time: 2 hours 5 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission)
All photos by Bob Fisher
