SONGS FROM MOBY DICK Composed and performed by Peter Thompson An Ubu Opera production

As I have written before, one person shows are the cornerstone of the Fringe festival movement. Most are storytelling pieces, often drawn from personal experience, while others rely on self-deprecating humour in the form of stand-up comedy. This production, however, is something entirely different.

It is a serious work of contemporary classical music. Peter Thompson, who composed the score and performs the piece, is a powerful baritone who has appeared frequently with the Brott Music Festival in Hamilton. A classically trained singer, he brings a rich, resonant voice and commanding stage presence to the performance.

Thompson has adapted one of the most admired works of nineteenth century North American literature, Herman Melville's MOBY-DICK. It is the story of Captain Ahab's all-consuming obsession with hunting and destroying the great white whale, Moby Dick. The novel has long stood as one of literature's greatest explorations of humanity's struggle against nature and the destructive power of obsession.

As in Melville's novel, the story is told through the eyes of the imperfect narrator Ishmael. Thompson fully inhabits the role, guiding the audience through the tale with precision and emotional restraint over the course of this sixty-minute performance.

The original song cycle is dark and uncompromising, using the stage as an arena of the imagination. The production is dominated by a towering mast and hanging sail, while lighting designer Sebastian Marziali creates an atmosphere that evokes the dim, oil-lit world of the nineteenth century. The lighting is intentionally subdued, reflecting the harsh northern seas where much of the story unfolds.

Dora Award-winning director Adam Paolozza stages the work with great imagination, combining carefully choreographed movement, mime, and the impressive technical resources of the venue. The word that kept returning to my mind throughout the performance was "atmospheric." Every theatrical element works together to create an immersive world.

Theatre Passe Muraille is serving this year as the home of original Canadian musicals, with all eight productions at the venue exploring different approaches to musical theatre.

This production stands apart, and that is very much to its credit. You will not leave the theatre humming the melodies. Thompson's score is closer in spirit to twentieth century composers such as Charles Ives or Dmitri Shostakovich than to Broadway. After all, no one walks out of a Mahler symphony humming the tunes.

Peter Bellamy's folk opera THE TRANSPORTS came to mind as I watched this production because both works are rooted in the seafaring world of the nineteenth century. The difference is that Bellamy drew upon traditional sailors' songs as his musical language, while Thompson remains firmly grounded in the vocabulary of modern opera.

Having said all of that, I highly recommend this production. It is an ambitious and serious work that deserves a wider audience. While it may not resemble what most people expect from a musical, it is an accomplished piece of music theatre. Toronto has a large and knowledgeable audience for classical music, and I hope they discover this remarkable production.