The classic story told anew in this radiant visual feast
Herman Melville’s immeasurably influential novel is brought to life in this radiant stage production featuring seven actors, fifty puppets, video projections, a drowned orchestra and a life-sized whale. Renowned director Yngvild Aspeli stages this eye-popping visual adaptation of Melville’s classic book with the help of the endlessly inventive Norwegian theater company, Plexus Polaire.
Moby Dick is, on its surface, the simple tale of a whaling expedition, but the story’s haunting themes of unparalleled obsession lead us all to question the unexplained mysteries of life and of the human heart. In this groundbreaking production, the classic is reborn with a freshness and urgency that makes it truly unforgettable.
Info
Venue
Emerson Paramount Center
Robert J. Orchard Stage
559 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
Dates
Jan 23, 2024 - Jan 28, 2024
Tickets
Single tickets are available now along with Group Sales and Season Packages.
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Audio Description
Sun, Jan 28 2:00 pm
Supertitles
Tickets
Artists
Directed by
Yngvild Aspeli
Assistant director (on tour)
Benoît Seguin
Assistant director (creation)
Pierre Tual
Inspired by
Herman Melville's novel
Actors and puppeteers
Pierre Devérines, Sarah Lascar, Daniel Collados, Alice Chéné, Viktor Lukawski, Maja Kunsic and Andreu Martinez Costa.
Alternating with
Alexandre Pallu, Madeleine Barosen Herholdt, Yann Claudel, Olmo Hidalgo, Cristina Iosif, Scott Koehler, Laëtitia Labre.
Music
Guro Skumsnes Moe, Ane Marthe Sørlien Holen and Havard Skaset
Puppet makers
Polina Borisova, Yngvild Aspeli, Manon Dublanc, Sébastien Puech, Elise Nicod
Scenography
Elisabeth Holager Lund
Light Designer
Xavier Lescat and Vincent Loubière
Video Designer
David Lejard-Ruffet
Costume Designer
Benjamin Moreau
Light Technicians
Vincent Loubière or Morgane Rousseau
Video Technicians
Hugo Masson, Pierre Hubert or Emilie Delforce
Sound Technicians
Raphaël Barani, Simon Masson or Damien Ory
Stage Technicians
Benjamin Dupuis, Xavier Lescat or Margot Boche
Dramaturg
Pauline Thimonnier
Production Director and Tour Booking
Claire Costa
Administration
Anne-Laure Doucet and Gaedig Bonabesse
Producer
Noémie Jorez
Yngvild Aspeli
Artistic director of Plexus Polaire, Yngvild Aspeli, develops a visual world that brings our most buried feelings to life. The use of life-sized puppets is at the center of her work, but the actor’s performance, the presence of the music and the use of light and video are all equal elements in communicating the story. Director, actress, puppeteer and puppet-maker, Yngvild Aspeli studied at Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris (2003-2005) and at ESNAM (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette) in Charleville-Mézières (2005-2008). Within her French-Norwegian company Plexus Polaire, she has directed six shows: Signals (2011), Opera Opaque (2013), Ashes (2014), Chambre noire (2017), Moby Dick (2020) and Dracula (2022). She is currently working on an adaptation of A Doll’s House that will premiere in Autumn 2023.
Gallery
Photo Credit: Main Character Hand Raised - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus Polaire - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Main Character - Credit: Ådne M. Gulbrandsen
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus Polaire - Credit: Ådne M. Gulbrandsen
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus Polaire - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus surrounded by men - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus Polaire - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Plexus Polaire - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Moby Dick Puppet - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Whale Tail - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: The Fog - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Resting in a hammock - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Photo Credit: Handing papers to the whaler - Credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage
“A creation of great poetic power, melancholic, visually stunning”
— UN FAUTEUIL POUR L'ORCHESTRE
“A stunning work of art”
— The New York Times
“Yngvild Aspeli’s work is magnificent. The atmosphere created by the lights, video and music is magical. The voice of the actors brings out beautiful passages from Melville’s text, the puppets bring the boat, the crew, the world of the depths to life. They are splendid, disturbing, foolish and bearers of death like Ahab.”
— SNES