Moby Marathon

This year marks the bicentennial of the birth of author Herman Melville. Though he was actually born in August, November was the beginning of the narrator's journey in Moby-Dick, so it is this weekend that the Rosenbach Library and the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia will be sponsoring a marathon reading of the novel. And I'll be there.

Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.

Thus begins the unnamed narrator who asks us to call him Ishmael. I won't be reading those lines, but I am slated to read Chapter 10, "A Bosom Friend," about Ishmael and his shipmate Queequeg.

I wrote my own stage adaptation of Moby-Dick which premiered at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater on Cape Cod. This weekend, though, it will be a treat to experience the full text of the novel as part of a 25-hour marathon.

The reading will commence at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 9th inside the Independence Seaport Museum. We'll be on the deck of the Schooner Diligence, which is a full-scale replica of a historic ship and is located inside the main exhibition hall. Organizers estimate the reading will end at approximately 3:15 pm on Sunday, November 10th.

I'll actually be sneaking out for part of the marathon on Sunday to catch my friend Herb Moskovitz give a talk at the Philadelphia Branch of the Wodehouse Society about the stage and screen adaptations of A Damsel in Distress, a novel that is admittedly lighter fare than Moby-Dick, but did inspire a musical with songs by George and Ira Gershwin.

Anyway, the Moby-Dick marathon is free and open to the public, so stop by the Independence Seaport Museum sometime this weekend if you happen to be in Philadelphia. It should be a voyage to remember.

Happy Birthday, Herman Melville!

Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick, was born 198 years ago today.

I have a special attachment to Melville, since I adapted Moby-Dick for the stage. My play was developed through the Cimientos playwrights program at IATI Theater and later had a reader's theatre presentation at the Abingdon Theatre Company. Its world premiere was in 2015 at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

Below is a picture of Lee Seymour as Ishmael and Wesley Volcy as Queequeg in the production at WHAT. The photo is by Micheal and Suz Karchmer.

Two Chances Left to See MOBY-DICK at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater

My stage adaptation of Herman Melville's classic novel Moby-Dick closes on July 18th. That means there are only two chances left to see this amazing production at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater.

The production, beautifully directed by Christopher Ostrom, stars (pictured below from left to right) Lee Seymour, Joseph Pietropaolo, Freddie Biddle, James Marin, Wesley Volcy, and Gordon Stanley. (Photo courtesy of Michael and Suz Karchmer.)

Curtain is at 8:00 pm Friday and Saturday. For tickets go to:

MOBY-DICK at WHAT

Last weekend to see MOBY-DICK on Cape Cod!

All good things must end, and sadly, this weekend will be your last chance to see my stage adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater on Cape Cod.

Final performances will be this Thursday through Saturday, July 16th through 18th, at 8:00 pm. Christopher Ostrom did a wonderful job directing this production (not to mention designing the spectacular set), so if you haven't seen it yet, I hope you will soon.

Should you need any further incentive, check out these wonderful photos by Michael and Suz Karchmer of the production! First off, here's Gordon Stanley as Father Mapple (far right), delivering the famous sermon on the Book of Jonah:

Queequeg, played by Wesley Volcy (center with harpoon), signs up to ship with the whaler Peequod.

Stubb, played by Joseph Pietropaolo (far left), looks on as the crew lowers to hunt a whale:

Ishamael, played by Lee Seymour (center), narrates as the whale meets its grisly doom:

The old cook Fleece, played by Freddy Biddle, tries to speak to the murderous sharks:

The mad sailor Gabriel, played by James Marin (far left) delivers a chilling prophesy:

And here is the whole case assembled:

Remember, there are only three more performances, so catch this show before it sails away!

Aboard the Pequod

I've returned from Cape Cod, where Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater has now opened their wonderful production of Moby-Dick. The first weekend went well, and performances resume tonight. Moby-Dick runs at WHAT until July 18th.

The radio program Arts Week on WOMR earlier did an interview with Gordon Stanley and Lee Seymour who play Captain Ahab and Ishmael respectively. Of course the Boston Globe, not surprisingly, gave the show a less than stellar review, but they hate anything and anyone local. The Cape Cod Times gave a somewhat more balanced reaction.

What does the play look like? Well director Christopher Ostrom, who also designed the set, created some wonderful stage moments, utilizing Bailey Costa's lighting design and Nancy Leary's costumes, which appropriate modern clothing to invoke a mythic past.

Photographers Michael and Suz Karchmer took some wonderful photos during our dress rehearsal. Here is Lee as Ishmael confronting the Landlord (played by Joseph Pietropaolo) at the beginning of the play:

Ishmael then encounters Queequeg, played wonderfully by Wesley Volcy.

The two sign up with one of the owners of the Pequod, Captain Peleg (played here by James Marin), to join the crew of the ship.

Aboard the Pequod, the entire crew vows to hunt Moby-Dick, even the reluctant first mate Starbuck (played by Freddy Biddle) whose honest eye falls downright.

After many adventures, Captain Ahab sights the white whale!

The crew is off in hot pursuit.

Alas, the ill-fated Pequod has but one survivor.

Excited to see it? All performances are at 8 pm, except for a special 6 pm Independence Day showing on July 4th, so make sure you get your tickets!

And our first review is in!

Last night was the opening of my stage adaptation of Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. The folks at WHAT, led by director Christopher Ostrom, did a great job, and I'm very proud of our fabulous actors.

And now we have our first review! We've gotten a rave from international media juggernaut Wrong Side of the Camera! Okay, so WSOTC happens to be run by my friend Natalia, but the world-famous blog raves: "head over... to check out this wonderful cast"!

Here's a picture of that wonderful cast, photographed by Michael and Suz Karchmer. Pictured left to right are Lee Seymour, Joseph Pietropaolo, Wesley Volcy, James Marin, Gordon Stanley, and Freddie Biddle.

Moby-Dick runs until July 18th, so I hope you can make it!

We've Set Sail!

Last night was the first preview of Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. We had a small but enthusiastic audience. Tonight, we have our second preview at 8:00, and then tomorrow we open!

Also, Steve Desroches wrote a lovely article that appeared in Provincetown Magazine. Hopefully it will get lots of people to come see the show. He even interviewed yours truly. (Hopefully that at least won't keep people away!)

Moby-Dick plays through July 18th. The cast features Gordon Stanley as Ahab and Lee Seymour as Ishmael, along with an ensemble that includes Freddie Biddle, James Marin, Joseph Pietropaolo, and Wesley Volcy. Christopher Ostrom directed the production.

Theater on Cape Cod

Yesterday was our second day of rehearsal for Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. Before we had rehearsal, however, Gordon Stanley and Lee Seymour, who play Ahab and Ishmael, did a radio interview with our fearless captain, director Christopher Ostrom.

The interview was up in Provincetown. I had never been there before, so I snagged a ride with Gordon and Lee and walked around the place. The architecture is beautiful, and I was particularly struck by an old church that has been converted to a public library.

Apparently, the interview went well, as Lee and Gordon seemed happy afterward. We got some lobster rolls and clam chowder and headed to the theater. It was the second day of rehearsal, but I quickly had a couple of tweaks to make to the script. We mainly just did table work for Act One, but we'll be working on Act II today.

After rehearsal, the cast headed over to Moby-Dick's Restaurant. (Where else would we go?) There was more good seafood, and we got ready to see Seminar at W.H.A.T. Seminar stars Alan Campbell, but also features some of our housemates here in company housing, Satomi Blair, Rachel Casparian, and Jacob Heimer, as well as local actor Ben Berry.

Seminar was great. I missed this Theresa Rebeck play when it was on Broadway, so I was glad to see it here, wonderfully directed by Christine Toy Johnson. The production is only running until June 13th, so if you'll be out on Cape Cod anytime before then, make sure to check it out.

I'm looking forward to rehearsal for Moby-Dick today. Tomorrow, I head down to New York, and I won't be back on the Cape until tech week. Fortunately, the cast is excellent, so I'm sure it will be a great production!

Moby-Dick, Day One

Today was our first rehearsal of Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. I finally got to meet the director, Christopher Ostrom, in person, and to see his magnificent set design. Audiences are in for a treat!

We had our first read-through of the script, which has had a few changes since the last staged reading at the Abingdon Theatre Company. Fortunately, Gordon Stanley, who played Ahab in that reading, is back to play that role again.

The rest of the cast includes Lee Seymour as Ishmael, Freddy Biddle as Starbuck, Joseph Pietropaolo as Stubbs, Wesley Volcy at Queequeg, and James Marin as Gabriel. Of course, other than Lee, everyone is playing multiple roles, so it's great we have such a versatile cast.

Tickets are on sale now at W.H.A.T., so get them soon! The show runs from June 18th through July 18th.

One-Act at Gallery Players

Next month, Gallery Players in Brooklyn will be performing my short play The Trade as part of their Black Box New Play Festival!

This past weekend, I met the actors, who are fantastic. Dennis Gleason is directing. If you've never been out to Gallery Players, you should go. They have a lovely, intimate space, and they do good work.

The performances of The Trade will run from Thursday, June 4 to Sunday, June 7. Performances are at 8pm Thursday through Saturday and at 3pm on Sunday. You can find out more about the Black Box New Play Festival here:

Gallery Players

In addition to The Trade, this year's festival includes plays by Bara Swain, Lily Rusek, Natalie Bates, and Stephanie Keys. I won't be able to see all of them, as I'll be up in Massachusetts most of June for rehearsals of Moby-Dick at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. However, I will be coming back down to catch the performances of The Trade, so if you come, stop by and say hello!

Big News!

Now that Keep On Walkin' has completed its run at the University of New Hampshire, I want to announce some very big news: Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre will be premiering my adaptation of Moby-Dick this summer on Cape Cod!

Last year, Dev Bondarin directed two staged readings of the piece, one at IATI and the other at the Abingdon Theatre Company as part of their Sunday Series. Christopher Ostrom will be directing the production at WHAT. Chris is the managing director at the theatre and has extensive experience designing theatre and opera.

We have not cast the play yet, so check back here for cast announcements later. However, the theatre has now officially announced WHAT's 2015 season. Next month, they will present Mark Brown's adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days. They will follow that up with Theresa Rebeck's Seminar in May and June. Moby-Dick will begin performances on June 18th and run through mid-July.

Following Moby-Dick will be Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, which received a spectacular Broadway production last year. Rounding out the season will be Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies and Stephen Dolginoff's Thrill Me.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be a part of such an exciting season, and I'm looking forward to visiting Cape Cod for rehearsals. This will be a perfect venue for Melville's classic story. I hope many of you can come see the show!