“Call me Ishmael” is one of the most popular lines in American, perhaps even world, literature, which is taken from the classicHerman Melville novel Moby Dick.

With its epic scope, and slow-burning narrative (if one can even call it that), it could be argued that the book is rarely read from cover to cover by the masses anymore – often assuming a place on a ‘to do’ list that will never be attended to.

Using this as a starting point, theatre company Spymonkey present its own efforts of tackling Melville’s sprawling text, under the direction of Jos Houben and by using a cast of four. The result is a raucous event of absurd high jinks, melded together with ephemeral instances of camp spectacle and outrageous slapstick.

Lovers of the original novel (or those wishing to be acquainted with it) should steer clear of this work, as it becomes evident from the initial minutes on stage that the playmakers are more keen to parody the archaic narrative clichés, forming caricatures out of the story’s metaphorical language. For example, the characterisation of the fictional boat Rachel comes to life as a series of figures from a spermicidal mermaid to the chortling stereotype of a Scottish rough neck. Performed with gusto by Petra Massey, the portrayal pokes fun at the masculine overtones within the original text, without getting bogged down by the inherent political baggage.

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Whats On Stage (Northwest), 2009.