‘Moby Dick’ at Arcola Theatre

Rousing accordions, remote peg-legs and mime, Simple 8’s Moby Dick, has achieved new heights of creative storytelling.

In a rather perilous move, the naive and hatefully boyish Ishmael decides to hop on a boat. So frivolous is his decision-making that certain vessels are playfully dismissed because their names contain a sexual pun. In finding a boat whose name (The Pequod) is sufficiently vanilla, he trundles unwittingly on board. Unhappily for him, the crew of white-knuckle whalers are in pursuit of sea-beast, Moby Dick.

Ishmael’s decision to go whaling leaves him feeling like a fish out of water. His initial experience on board The Pequod is reminiscent of today’s teenagers who, throwing themselves into a gap year in India, then cry about getting diarrhoea.

However, Ishmael joins so lovable and well-delineated a bunch of comrades that his own repugnance is suitably neutralised. And together this group of exceptionally talented actors, sing, mime and throw themselves into telling a rollicking tale.

It is appropriate that Simple 8, known for their dedication to ensemble performance, have chosen a production about seafaring fraternity. A tale of team-pursuit suits their interests in creating novel moments of ensemble physical theatre, rousing choral songs and impressive technical experimentation. It was the singing in particular, the brewery-style folk ballads that were most effectively transporting. I felt overwhelmingly determined to exchange my glass of wine for some strong ale in the interval.

Complete with accordions and tankards, the lovably crafted characters, David Brett’s Bildad in particular, were starting to resemble that traditional band of dwarves. And when Captain Ahab and his worshipful followers haul ass into a skivvy to pursue Moby Dick, it all started to feel very Hobbit-esqe. But rather than being self consciously epic (‘how many fighting mountains can we throw in?’) Simple 8 were, well, simple. This was polished, pared down theatre at all times.

It is Joseph Kloska’s gritty Captain Ahab whose tunnel-vision leads his crew in pursuit of the beast. Obsessive and beady-eyed, Kloska brings the right amount of hip-flask swigging debauchery to the Captain without providing us another archetypal pirate figure. The RSC veteran steers their ship, and the production, without falter until he *spoiler, spoiler, spoiler*, of course.

But it is the exciting, young actor, Leroy Osei-Bonsu, who is the man to watch. As the enigmatic Queequeg, Osei-Bonsu makes the ‘strong and silent’ stereotype work to his advantage. My favourite moment came when Queequeg’s intention to join the ship’s crew is initially challenged. In response to the sailor’s scepticism, Queequeg hurls a spear Olympic-style, in a show of African power and grace.

I could continue to single out every company member for bringing character definition to a doomed shipmate but this is already a much-touted strength of Simple 8. No man, or actor, is left behind. Each is given his time to tell a portion of the tale on a superbly lit stage that transforms the actors into living shadow puppets. It is, quite simply, spellbinding. Moby Dick has something to suite all theatrical tastes, whatever floats your boat.

Moby Dick runs until Saturday 4 May at:

Arcola Theatre
24 Ashwin St
Dalston
E8 3DL

Tel: 020 7503 1646

Image by Idil Sukan