Full Cast Set For Simple8's Touring Production of MOBY DICK

Simple8 has announced casting for the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning stage adaptation of Herman Melville's leviathan masterpiece, Moby Dick.

Royal & Derngate Artistic Director, Jesse Jones directs an incredibly multi-talented ensemble of nine actors and actor-musicians: Mark Arends (Ishmael), Jonathan Charles (Ensemble), Hannah Emanuel (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'

As previously announced, this inventive staging has been reworked as a brand-new touring production in association with Royal & Derngate, Northampton. It will open at 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. In a post-pandemic age Moby Dick is more pertinent and vital than ever. The anguish of isolation, the pressure enforced inter-dependency brings, and the fear of unseen dangers swimming beneath the surface are tackled full tilt in this lively production. 

Tour Dates

Friday 5 to Saturday 13 April 2024
Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP
Tickets: 01604624811
www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tues 16 April to Sat 20 April 2024
Perth Theatre
Tickets: 01738 621 031
www.perththeatreandconcerthall.com

Tues 23 April to Sat 11 May 2024
Wilton's Music Hall
Tickets: 0207 702 2789
www.wiltons.org.uk

Tues 14 May to Sat 18 May 2024
New Wolsey Ipswich
Tickets: 01473 295900
www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Tues 21 May to Thurs 23 May 2024
Northern Stage, Newcastle
Tickets: 0191 2305151
www.northernstage.co.uk

Thurs 30 to Fri 31 May 2024
Old Town Inn, The Isles of Scilly
www.oldtowninn-scilly.co.uk/arts

Tues 4 to Weds 5 June 2024
Blackpool Grand Theatre
Tickets: 01253 290190
www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Thurs 6 June to Sat 8 June 2024
York Theatre Royal
Tickets: 01904 623568
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Tues 11 to Sat 15 June 2024
Malvern Theatre
Tickets 01684 892277
www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

Tues 18 to Sat 22 June 2024
Oxford Playhouse
Tickets: 01865 305305
www.oxfordplayhouse.com

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