Full cast announced for new production of Moby Dick at Royal & Derngate

Royal & Derngate’s Artistic Director Jesse Jones directs this fun, fast and joyous production, complete with sea shanties played live on stage, transporting you right to the heart of the hunt for the most famous whale on earth. The production takes to the Royal stage from Friday 5 to Saturday 13 April.

The cast comprises an incredibly multi-talented ensemble of nine actors and musicians: Mark Arends (Ishmael), Jonathan Charles (Ensemble and Musical Director), Hannah Emmanuel (Starbuck), Syreeta Kumar (Manx), Hazel Monaghan (Ensemble), James Newton (Flask), William Pennington (Stubb), and Tom Swale (Queequeg). Guy Rhys plays Captain Ahab.

Director Jesse Jones said “It is a great pleasure to bring together this supremely talented ensemble of performers that I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with. Together, as a company we will conjure the world of the play using their musical ability, dynamic physicality and powerhouse performances to breathe life into this poignant yet playful production. It will be a joy to see this production set sail on tour.”

The stage adaptation is by Sebastian Armesto. The production is designed by Kate Bunce, with lighting design by Johanna Town, and the Assistant Director is Lau Batty.

This inventive staging has been reworked as a brand-new touring production in association with Royal & Derngate, Northampton. It will open here in Northampton with a national press night in April ahead of a London press night at Wilton’s Music Hall as part of a UK tour which travels to Northampton, Perth, London, Ipswich, Newcastle, The Isles of Scilly (the first time a midscale tour has ever visited the Islands), Blackpool, York, Malvern and Oxford.

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, joining a company charged with one task: to wreak revenge on the white whale that lost Ahab his leg – the infamous Moby Dick.

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.

Moby Dick can be seen at Royal & Derngate from Friday 5 to Saturday 13 April. Tickets priced from £15* can be booked by calling the Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

* A non-refundable £4 per-transaction fee applies for bookings of £20 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Members and Access Patrons. Prices may change subject to availability.