THE MOBY DICK BLUES To Have World Premiere At La MaMa In June

La MaMa will present The Forty Hour Club's world premiere of The Moby Dick Blues, an epic new blues/rock opera written and created by Michael Gorman, directed by Joe John Battista, with original music by Battista and lyrics by Gorman.

The Moby Dick Blues runs June 7 - 22, 2025 in a limited engagement at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street in New York City. Previews begin June 7 for a June 9 opening.

"Think Trainspotting meets The Perfect Storm" in The Moby Dick Blues-a working class opera for our planet...for our times. Told through lyrics and live music that span the spectrum from blues, spoken word, rap and rock, this epic opera begs the question, "What was Ahab but an addict really, and what was the white whale but an allusion to opium, and heroin, its contemporary scourge." The opera's metaphor calls for a reevaluation of Ahab's vengeful obsession with the White Whale, and our own destructive relationship with nature, the environment and ourselves.

The past and future collide in a tale that stretches across generations and ancients-lost mariners, lost souls, lost lives-in this iconoclastic opera about a New England fishing community's daunting quest for survival and transformation in the face of the opiate crisis.

When a troubled young sea captain cuts a Faustian bargain with a fisherman turned drug dealer, The Moby Dick Blues catapults us down to "the crossroads" where delusion becomes reality and livelihoods and traditions are tested in a high-stakes battle for the soul of a community.

Phantoms in America-Playwright Michael Gorman states, "In 1998, my oldest brother Kevin, a beloved New England commercial fisherman, died of a heroin overdose. The tragic event had a profound effect on me. It wounded me. And like Ahab, who lost his leg to the great White Whale, I instinctively sought revenge. I started chasing the 'New White Whale' of opiate addiction that was destroying the lives of so many working people, families and communities across America, like my own. I became obsessed with the opioid epidemic and the idea of invisibility-that there is a whole class and culture of people among us, that feels, for all intents and purposes, invisible. That there are real 'Phantoms' among us.

But much to my surprise, I discovered that the whale was innocent. And most consequentially, I realized that I had a major theatrical work on my hands, capable of changing the destructive myth of Moby Dick, while giving voice to those living in the shadows of working class America-all with the exciting potential to land on a Broadway Stage.

Where once there was a place for plays like Angels in America, and the victims of the AIDS epidemic, I believe the time has come to create the all important cultural space for the real life 'Phantoms of America'-living in the shadows of the ongoing opiate crisis: a space that's both highly entertaining and capable of inspiring constructive social change."

The cast includes Alex Notkin, Teddy Lytle, Jim O'Brien, Sarah MacDonnell, Andrew Ryan Perry, Gabbi Beauvais, Shuhei Kinoshita, Kristy Beauvais, Daniel Yaiullo, Sam Rothermel, Sevin Ceviker, Tiera Lopper, Jeff Dylan Garrett, Jessica Phoenix, CREDLE, MoonSky, Charles Jourdan, Christian Neal and Henry Salvatore.

Musicians include Kavi Gaspar (Music Director/Pianist/Keyboard), Joe John Battista (Lead Guitar), Ron Raymond (Bass, Pedal Steel & Lap Steel Guitar), Zianni Orange (Drums) and Charles Jourdan (Rhythm Guitar).

The Production Team includes Obie award winner Donald Eastman / The Forty Hour Club (Set Installation & Design), Tony & Obie Award winner Christopher Akerlind (Light Design), Angela Wendt (Costume Design) multi-award winner & original costumer designer for RENT, Sara Gierc (Stage Manager), Mari Tompkins (Assistant Director), Kavi Gaspar (Music Director), Sarah Boyden (Associate Costume Design), Sevin Ceviker (Lead Choreography), Mackenna Goodrich (Song Choreography), Ian Fineman (Sound Design), Donna Daly (Production Manager/Producer) and Gregory de la Haba (Collaborating Artist).

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