Moby Dick Rehearsed
Encyclopedia
Moby Dick Rehearsed is the title of a play
written and directed by Orson Welles
. It was performed in London in 1955. A lost film of the play, directed by Welles, starred the original stage cast.
Welles used minimal stage design. The stage was bare, the actors appeared in contemporary street clothes, and the props were minimal. For example, brooms were used for oars, and a stick was used for a telescope. The actors provided the action, and the audience's imagination provided the ocean, costumes, and the whale.
theater. The play begins subtly as the audience arrives with the cast milling around an empty stage. The cast members generally fool around and complain about their boss and their forthcoming production of King Lear
. Then, making a big dramatic entrance and smoking a cigar, the actor manager of the time comes on stage and tells them they are going to rehearse another piece, Moby Dick.
The cast grudgingly performs the play, improvising scenery from items lying around, and gradually get more into character as the play develops.
said in a 1986 interview that the excerpt of the film he saw while Welles was reviewing the rushes one day was fantastic.
In The Fabulous Orson Welles, by Peter Noble, cameraman Hilton Craig reveals, "it was by no means merely a photographed stage-play. On the contrary, it was shot largely in close-ups and looked very impressive on near-completion."
Kenneth Williams
' autobiography Just Williams records Williams' apprehension at the project, as it was filmed by the play's cast in just one weekend at the then-abandoned Hackney Empire
theatre. He describes how Welles' dim, atmospheric stage lighting made some of the footage so dark as to be unwatchable. The entire play was filmed, but is now presumed lost. (Welles lost a great deal of material and footage when a portion of his house in Spain
burnt down, but it is unclear whether Moby Dick Rehearsed was among this lost footage).
The Moby Dick Rehearsed film is not to be confused with a later project wherein Welles filmed a 22 minute version of various scenes from the play, playing all the parts himself.
In 1962, a production was mounted on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre starring Rod Steiger
as "The Actor Manager/Father Mapple/Captain Ahab" and Roy Poole as "The Serious Actor/Starbuck" and directed by Douglas Campbell. The production ran for only thirteen performances (November 28 - December 8, 1962).
The play has since been performed numerous times on both sides of the Atlantic.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written and directed by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. It was performed in London in 1955. A lost film of the play, directed by Welles, starred the original stage cast.
Welles used minimal stage design. The stage was bare, the actors appeared in contemporary street clothes, and the props were minimal. For example, brooms were used for oars, and a stick was used for a telescope. The actors provided the action, and the audience's imagination provided the ocean, costumes, and the whale.
Plot
The setting is a mid-19th Century American repertoryRepertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
theater. The play begins subtly as the audience arrives with the cast milling around an empty stage. The cast members generally fool around and complain about their boss and their forthcoming production of King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. Then, making a big dramatic entrance and smoking a cigar, the actor manager of the time comes on stage and tells them they are going to rehearse another piece, Moby Dick.
The cast grudgingly performs the play, improvising scenery from items lying around, and gradually get more into character as the play develops.
The film
Because the film is lost, many people have speculated it was never created. However, evidence supporting the film was made can be found in the book, The Films Of Christopher Lee, by Pohle Jr. and Hart — Patrick McGoohanPatrick McGoohan
Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created...
said in a 1986 interview that the excerpt of the film he saw while Welles was reviewing the rushes one day was fantastic.
In The Fabulous Orson Welles, by Peter Noble, cameraman Hilton Craig reveals, "it was by no means merely a photographed stage-play. On the contrary, it was shot largely in close-ups and looked very impressive on near-completion."
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
' autobiography Just Williams records Williams' apprehension at the project, as it was filmed by the play's cast in just one weekend at the then-abandoned Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
theatre. He describes how Welles' dim, atmospheric stage lighting made some of the footage so dark as to be unwatchable. The entire play was filmed, but is now presumed lost. (Welles lost a great deal of material and footage when a portion of his house in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
burnt down, but it is unclear whether Moby Dick Rehearsed was among this lost footage).
The Moby Dick Rehearsed film is not to be confused with a later project wherein Welles filmed a 22 minute version of various scenes from the play, playing all the parts himself.
Productions
The original London production ran for only three weeks.In 1962, a production was mounted on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre starring Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger
Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the...
as "The Actor Manager/Father Mapple/Captain Ahab" and Roy Poole as "The Serious Actor/Starbuck" and directed by Douglas Campbell. The production ran for only thirteen performances (November 28 - December 8, 1962).
The play has since been performed numerous times on both sides of the Atlantic.
London Production
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Gordon Jackson Gordon Jackson (actor) Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE was a Scottish Emmy Award-winning actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals.... |
A Young Actor/Ishmael |
| Christopher Lee Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films... / Peter Sallis Peter Sallis Peter Sallis, OBE is an English actor and entertainer, well-known for his work on British television. Although he was born and brought up in London, his two most notable roles require him to adopt the accents and mannerisms of a Northerner.Sallis is best known for his role as the main character... |
A Stage Manager/Flask |
| Patrick McGoohan Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man , and The Prisoner, which he co-created... |
A Serious Actor/Starbuck |
| Wensley Pithey Wensley Pithey Wensley Pithey was a South African character actor who had a long stage career.Pithey was born in Cape Town, South Africa. A graduate of the University of Cape Town where he studied music and drama, he travelled to England in 1947... |
A Middle-Aged Actor/Stubb |
| Joan Plowright Joan Plowright Joan Ann Plowright, Baroness Olivier, DBE , better known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English actress, whose career has spanned over sixty years. Throughout her career she has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, an Emmy, and two BAFTA Awards... |
A Young Actress/Pip |
| Orson Welles Orson Welles George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio... |
An Actor Manager/Father Mapple/Ahab |
| Kenneth Williams Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February... |
A Very Serious Actor/Elijah and others |
| Joseph Chelton | A Manager/Tashtego |
| John Gray | An Assistant Stage Manager/Bo'sun |
| Jefferson Clifford | An Experienced Actor/Peleg |
Broadway Production
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Bruno Gerussi Bruno Gerussi Bruno Gerussi was a Canadian television actor born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, best known for the lead role in the CBC Television series The Beachcombers... |
A Young Actor/Ishmael |
| Max Helpmann | A Cynical Actor/Flask |
| Roy Poole | A Serious Actor/Starbuck |
| Hugh Webster | Actor with Newspaper/Stubb |
| Frances Hyland Frances Hyland Frances Hyland, OC was a well-known Canadian theatre actress.Hyland studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making her professional debut in London as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite John Gielgud. In 1954, she returned to Canada, becoming a regular at the Stratford Festival in... |
A Young Actress/Pip |
| Rod Steiger Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen "Rod" Steiger was an Academy Award-winning American actor known for his performances in such films as On the Waterfront, The Big Knife, Oklahoma!, The Harder They Fall, Across the Bridge, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, and Waterloo as well as the... |
An Actor Manager/Father Mapple/Ahab |
| Bill Fletcher | Member of the Company/Elijah |
| Louis Zorich Louis Zorich Louis Zorich is an American actor. He is well-known for his portrayal of Paul Reiser's father "Burt Buchman" in the NBC series Mad About You. He played the role from 1993 to 1999.-Life and career:... |
Middle-aged Actor/Tashtego |
| William Needles | Stage Manager/Peleg/Voice of The Rachel |
| David Thomas | An Old Pro/The Carpenter |
| John Horton | Member of the Company/The Mastheader/Voice of The Bachelor |
| Lee Morrison | Member of the Company/Queequeg |
| Melvin Scott | Member of the Company/Daggoo |