Courtesy of Off the Wall
“Call me Ishmael” is the renowned first sentence of Moby Dick, although the narrator, Ishmael, often disappears behind the story he tells. Off the Wall Theatre’s Dale Gutzman put him back in the center of the stage in his retelling of Herman Melville’s story. While remaining faithful to the book, Call me Ishmael highlights the homoerotic aspects of it, such as the bond and the “marriage” uniting Ishmael and his companion, Queequeg, a Pacific Islander.
Jake Russell as Ishmael is the perfect image of wide-eyed innocence, crashing against Ahab’s (James Strange) single-minded obsession for the white whale, the mythical beast Moby Dick. To accompany him on his trip aboard the Pequod, Ahab’s whaling ship, is Queequeg, played here by Nathan Danzer. A “savage” who chose to travel the world, Queequeg exudes strength and confidence as he spends the play essentially naked; he operates outside of all norms, be they social, sexual, moral or even linguistic. Queequeg barely speaks English, but his tender affection for Ishmael carries the young man away like the tide, plunging him into this new world aboard a ship.
The whole production is deeply melancholic. The stage is constantly shrouded in darkness; clever use of lights directs the viewers’ attention to a character or a detail, then bathed in an orange glow. The ship is brought to life with very little: a few boxes, barrels, ropes and drapes, constantly moving to transport the story to different locations, while lighting makes the set appear otherworldly. Original music creates a soundscape perfectly fitting the story.
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“This is probably one of the most unusual productions you are going to see,” Gutzman promised. By digging into Moby Dick’s never-ending stream of meaning and symbolism, it found a thread to follow, a story to tell to lead audiences through Melville’s narrative in a captivating manner. Gutzman kept his promise.
Through April 28 at Off the Wall Theatre, 127 E. Wells St. For tickets, call 262-509-0945 or visit offthewallmke.com.
