by Michele Markarian
“Moby Dick” by Plexus Polaire. Inspired by Herman Melville’s novel. Directed by Yngvild Aspeli. Presented by ArtsEmerson, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, through January 28.
“There are three types of men – the living, the dead, and those who go to sea,” Ishmael (a charismatic Julian Spooner) tells us at the beginning of Plexus Polaire’s 85-minute version of Moby Dick . At a directionless point in his life, Ishmael joins the crew of the Peqoud and lives to tell the tale. Gorgeous and disturbing, this production uses both humans and puppets, lighting, and live music to create an atmosphere that’s dense with mystery, death, and rebirth.
My loathing of this novel in high school was second only to Conrad’s “Lord Jim”. I thought it tedious, with its detailed descriptions of knots, and boring in its endless encounters with whales. David Malloy’s musical Moby Dick staged a few years ago at American Repertory Theater, made me appreciate some of the book’s larger themes in a way I hadn’t before. Watching Plexus Polaire perform their version last night got me thinking about rereading it.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, Moby Dick is the story of an embittered sea captain, Ahab, who lost his leg years ago to a great white sperm whale, Moby Dick, known for destroying ships. Ahab’s life mission is to seek revenge on the creature at the risk of his crew members’ lives. “It seems blasphemous to seek vengeance on an animal that acted on instinct,” says the ship’s first mate, Starbucks, an ethical Quaker. Ahab disagrees and forges ahead, buoyed by a prophecy that claims he would only be killed by hemp. In Ahab’s mind, this meant he would succeed in conquering Moby Dick. Shakespeare has taught us, however, that prophesies are in the ears of the beholder.
It’s a spooky and atmospheric production. Apparitions of death, played by both actors and eerily lifelike puppets, are ever present, boarding the ship with the rest of the crew and appearing as auguries. The lighting design of Xavier Lescat and Vincent Loubiere effectively hides the puppeteers so that sharks, fish, and mermaids appear to be suspended in the sea. Ahab is effectively portrayed by puppets of different sizes, as are some of the crew members. A trio of musicians onstage – a cellist, guitarist, and percussionist who all sing as well – provide an eerie, portentous backdrop that is almost a character in itself.
The staging is clever and suggestive. Lisabeth Holager Lund’s scenography is multi-layered; crew members rock in hammocks under the deck that Ahab snarls from; Ishmael and his friend and crew member Queequeg keep watch from the ship’s masts while seagulls fly underneath them. A big shoutout to puppet designers Polina Borisova, Yngvild Aspeli, Manon Dublanc, Sebastien Puech, and Elise Nicod for such vivid and remarkable creations brought to life by the actors and puppeteers. Whales that float vertically, suspended, resemble the pale white leg of the one that Ahab lost. When a large whale is captured and skinned, its baby hovers close by, not understanding. It’s a tremendously effective image.
I thought about death throughout, something I haven’t done since I was very small – the potential loss of people important to us. Such is the weight of emotion that the layers of this production carry, including the weight of water and of being submerged. I don’t know if there are tickets left to Moby Dick but you should try and get one as soon as possible. The grinning, exuberant cast during the curtain call after the enormity of what they’d all just been through – and put us through – was reassuring, a nice entry back into the real world. I’ve never seen Plexus Polaire before, but you can bet I will make a point to watch out for anything else they bring to Boston. For tickets and information, go to: https://artsemerson.org/events/moby-dick/
