INTERVIEW: Michael Gorman sings the blues for his new ‘Moby Dick’ opera
Photo: Jim O’Brien stars in The Moby Dick Blues, written by Michael Gorman. Photo courtesy of Bill Axell / Provided by DARR Publicity with permission.
The Moby Dick Blues, the new opera by Michael Gorman, is a show that confronts the myth that is inherent in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick. Gorman, who wrote the book and lyrics of the opera, considers that maybe Captain Ahab should simply be seen as an addict exhibiting signs of depression, and the white whale that he yearns to kill is a substitute for a drug that he can’t say no to. This thesis comes to life at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, where The Moby Dick Blues continues through Sunday, June 22.
Joining Gorman on this expedition is director Joe John Battista, who also wrote the music for the piece. The style of the opera is quite unique, blending everything from blues to spoken word to rap and rock, according to press notes. The story is modernized to offer commentary on a New England fishing village that is struggling with the opiate epidemic. For Gorman, this show about addiction is quite personal and defines the playwright’s quest to better understand the so-called Phantoms in America, as he mentions in the below interview with Hollywood Soapbox.
Gorman uses many titles in his biography. In addition to playwright, he bills himself as producer, experimental theater artist and advocate, and all of these roles come to bear in The Moby Dick Blues. His theater company is called The Forty Hour Club, and his work has often been staged at La MaMa. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What did day one of this project look like? When did inspiration strike?
Day one of this project began with a challenge issued to me by a legendary downtown director, George Ferencz, to turn my trilogy of plays, The Honor and Glory of Whaling, into a blues opera.
George had staged the title play in the trilogy and felt strongly that the best way to get the trilogy to the next level and for it to have its greatest impact and success (Broadway) was to focus on the title play, write lyrics and turn it into one synthesized, producible piece.
That’s also when inspiration struck. I had never done it before — write an opera — and the thought thrilled me in the way that only a daunting challenge can. I didn’t know if I could do it, but George, who had staged blues and jazz operas and musicals for such legendary figures as Amiri Baraka and Sam Shepard, certainly thought I could. So it gave me the courage and motivation to give it a try, and as it turns out, it came quite naturally to me. And I’ve been excited about it every step of the way.
Could you explain your concept of the “Phantoms in America”?
My work, and the work of The Forty Hour Club, focuses on the economic, environmental and systemic challenges facing working communities — most notably, the devastating consequences of the opiate epidemic.
My concept of “Phantoms in America” is that there is a whole class and culture of people in America who feel, for all intents and purposes, invisible. This phenomenon is even more striking as these people were once some of our most prominent and noble. They’re the ones that go out to sea, build things and work the land. Somehow, we tie their existence and their work to some … ideal of honesty. They’re important to our identity, and their demise through the opiate epidemic is nothing short of a national tragedy.
In the opera, I use “Fedallah and the Phantoms” — Ahab’s mythical stowaway crew — along with three modern-day commercial fishermen to create a chorus that represents the marginalized and unseen among us across time.
Do you believe the “myth” of Moby Dick is a destructive one?
I do believe the myth of Moby Dick is a destructive one — that Moby Dick is destructive and evil — when he’s actually an innocent whale “that simply smote thee out of blindest instinct after being chased,” as Starbuck declares to Captain Ahab. Ahab is the destructive one, causing the unnecessary loss of a whole boatload of men due to his wounded pride.
How would you like audiences to reevaluate Ahab as a character?
I would like audiences to reevaluate Ahab as someone who hasn’t made an effort to address his own mental illness, or “madness,” as Starbuck calls it, and, in so doing, draw attention to the destructive havoc caused by untreated mental illness.
Untreated mental illness (depression, anxiety, mood disorders) is often the root cause of addiction, which, if untreated, results in so much pain and destruction in families and communities. If Ahab had just dealt with his own issues, rather than project them onto an innocent whale, things might have turned out a lot differently for both himself and the crew under his command.
The metaphor that I use to draw this parallel is, “After all, what was Ahab but an addict, really; and what was the white whale but an allusion to opium, and heroin, its contemporary scourge.” After losing his leg, Ahab chases the white whale with the same futile obsession as an addict chases the euphoria of that first fatal high.
Is obsession of Ahab’s kind a human quality that most of us suffer from?
Unfortunately, obsession of Ahab’s kind is a human quality that all too many of us suffer from, particularly men suffering from loneliness, isolation and depression. Depression is often described as “anger turned inward,” and if untreated, it metastasizes and is projected out as destructive rage. This psychological dynamic is the inspiration for the song “The Ahab Inside Me” in The Moby Dick Blues, as an addicted fisherman confronts the rage that’s inside him.
What’s it like to work with Joe John Battista?
Working with Joe Battista is the opposite of depression! Just like the recovery saying, “Connection is the opposite of addiction,” Joe is all about connection. It’s what makes him a great director. He has a tremendous amount of energy and is endlessly imaginative and inventive. He has his own open approach and style, and infuses music effortlessly — he “Joes it up!” as a mutual friend and collaborator likes to say. He’s fond of sayings like, “incredible,” “put some sugar on it” and “we’re going to blow it up and put it through the roof!” which might seem hyperbolic until you see him do it. You might not see him coming, but when he plugs in that guitar, you’ll never forget him!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Moby Dick Blues, written by Michael Gorman, continues through Sunday, June 22, at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
