Full Tour Dates and Director Set For Simple8's MOBY DICK

Simple 8's Moby Dick, the critically acclaimed, and multi award-winning staging of Herman Melville's leviathan masterpiece is being re-worked in a brand-new touring production in association with Royal & Derngate, Northampton. As previously announced Moby Dick will open at Northampton in April 2024 ahead of a London press night at Wilton's Music Hall before embarking on a UK tour.  Full casting will be announced shortly.  

First mounted in 2013, this new version of Simple8's Peter Brook Award-winning adaptation of Melville's classic will be directed by Royal & Derngate Artistic Director, Jesse Jones, and will travel to Northampton, Perth, London, Ipswich, Newcastle, The Isles of Scilly, Blackpool, York and Malvern. 

October, 1839. The Pequod is due to sail out of Nantucket and her skipper, one Captain Ahab, is in need of a crew. Seeking fortune and adventure, a humble schoolmaster named Ishmael ships aboard, undeterred by the most dangerous of industries – hunting whales. Ishmael joins a company charged with one task: to wreak revenge on the white whale that lost Ahab his leg – the infamous Moby Dick. Ahab's single-minded pursuit ends up consuming Ishmael, the crew and the Pequod itself. 

With theatrical flair and thrilling invention, the spirit of the novel – romantic, ambiguous, and rich with allegory – is gloriously captured by Simple8.  Complete with sea shanties played live on stage, planks of wood, tattered sheets and a battered assortment of musical instruments, the 9-person ensemble will bring this wonderfully vibrant production ingeniously to life. 

In a post-pandemic age Moby Dick is more pertinent and vital than ever. The anguish of isolation, the pressure enforced inter-dependency brings, and the fear of unseen dangers swimming beneath the surface are tackled full tilt in this lively production. 

Tour Dates

Friday 5 to Saturday 13 April 2024

Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP

Tickets: 01604624811

www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tues 16 April to Sat 20 April 2024

Perth Theatre

Tickets: 01738 621 031

www.perththeatreandconcerthall.com

Tues 23 April to Sat 11 May 2024

Wilton's Music Hall

Tickets: 0207 702 2789

www.wiltons.org.uk

Tues 14 May to Sat 18 May 2024

New Wolsey Ipswich

Tickets: 01473 295900

www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Tues 21 May to Thurs 23 May 2024

Northern Stage, Newcastle

Tickets: 0191 2305151

www.northernstage.co.uk

Tues 4th to Weds 5th June 2024

Blackpool Grand Theatre

Tickets: 01253 290190

www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Thurs 6 June to Sat 8 June 2024

York Theatre Royal

Tickets: 01904 623568

www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Tues 11 to Sat 15 June 2024

Malvern Theatre

Tickets 01684 892277

www.malvern-theatres.co.uk