Review: MOBY DICK at Loretto-Hilton Center

Mesmerizing is the only way to describe The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of Moby Dick. Captivating from start to finish, the fourth production of the 2023-2024 season offers audiences a gripping yet darkly humorous take on the Herman Melville classic.

Adapted and directed for the stage by David Catlin and based on a production first staged by Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, The Rep’s Moby Dick amplifies the book’s themes of madness, obsession, and bloodlust in refreshing ways.

Narrated by Ishmael, a naïve man who signs on for a three-year whaling tour aboard the Nantucket based Pequod only to find himself embroiled in its captain’s hellish quest for vengeance.

Joining him on board are Queequeg, the future king of a faraway island and a crew of hearty men who have left their families behind to hunt whales. Used for lamps and other resources, whale oil and bone are the gold of the 1850s.

Although gathering whale oil is a lucrative, it also is hazardous business. Between the harsh waters and the ferociousness of the whales, no sailor is certain to come home from such an excursion.

After losing a leg to the beast, the Captain Ahab, undoubtedly suffering from PTSD, becomes obsessed with hunting the great White Whale. Spanning oceans and ignoring the crew’s main mission of stocking up on whale oil, his quest places Ishmael, and the rest of his shipmates, in grave peril.

Completely immersive and thoroughly engrossing, The Rep’s Moby Dick combines interpretive dance, soaring acrobatics, and a dazzling use of costumes to create a bold spectacle unlike anything staged by the company in recent years.

Visceral and evocative, this staging of Moby Dick features a high powered and emotionally exhausting performance from Christopher Donahue as Captain Ahab. Despite entering the production late in the first act, he commands the show with a performance that finds him pouring every ounce of strength into the role.

Another fine actor leading the show is Walter Owen Briggs as Ishmael. His Rep debut finds his narration framing the angst from shore to sea, giving audiences an amiable, albeit troubled, companion for their journey.

Kevin Aoussou is another standout. Using dance, acrobatics, and physical drama, he gives Queequeg resonance and texture, making him an intriguing character. Initially serving as a foil for Ishmael, his future island king quickly evolves into the spiritual soul of the production.

The rest of the cast is undeniably talented as well. Felipe Carrasco shines as Starbuck, the moral compass of the crew who tests Ahab’s mental agility. Joining him Micah Figueroa as the emotionally bereft Cabaco.

Bethany Thomas, Maggie Kettering and Ayana Strutz are all exceptional as the Fates and in multiple roles. As a chorus their voices shimmer like the moonlight on the waves, adding atmospherics to the production.

Staged on a minimalist set with dark lighting and incredible sound effects, the ensemble’s tension unfurls with massive cloth sails ingeniously manipulated by stage curtain rigging. This creates an open space for the cast to move around as they climb, soar, and sway through the three-hour production.

The Rep’s Moby Dick isn’t just a cleverly staged reinvention of a stodgy classic, it’s an emotionally driven theatrical voyage that challenges, engrosses and captivates. This is breathtaking and jaw dropping theater.

Moby Dick plays at the Loretto-Hilton Center through February 25th. For showtimes and more information visit http://www.repstl.org

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