Dave Malloy is going conceptual with casting the title role in Moby Dick

[chanel]

Posted: 5/15/17 at 6:53pm

So, no jokes about who could play it. The show follows Malloy's Russian trilogy (which started with Natasha, Pierre...). Also, Laurie Metcalf on the Roseanne reboot, Bobby Cannavale on the Hairy Ape venue, Paula Vogel on her famous students.

Scroll down to Hanging Out With The Desk Set.

http://www.out.com/michael-musto/2017/5/15/drag-queens-cant-just-lip-synch-anymore-isnt-enough

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/15/17 at 8:00pm

I read an article recently where he went into greater detail about Moby Dick.  He said that it will be about 5 hours long and 4 acts long, with each act being a differently styled show.  It sounds absolutely incredible and I can't wait to see it.

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 12:26am

icecreambenjamin said: "I read an article recently where he went into greater detail about Moby Dick.  He said that it will be about 5 hours long and 4 acts long, with each act being a differently styled show.  It sounds absolutely incredible and I can't wait to see it."

He said something similar at the Strand panel that he gave with Rachel Chavkin a few months ago

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 2:55am

There was a workshop of his Moby Dick in Berkeley Rep this month (or it's coming up?). I know some of the actors involved and I understand it is pretty spectacular. 

[Fan123]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 5:36am

I'm guessing that this is the article icecreambenjamin references above: http://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/five-burning-questions-with-great-comet-creator-dave-malloy/. I'm a fan of Dave Malloy and all, but to me at least, this doesn't bode well: "With Moby Dick, duration and a sense of boredom have to be part of the story."

(By the way, for Great Comet fans, I can't remember if this has been posted before but Lucas Steele says some interesting things about his influences for Anatole on the same site: http://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/lucas-steele-reveals-how-he-created-his-great-comet-character/.)

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 5/16/17 at 9:22am

This sounds like the same vain as Ghost Quartet, but definitely broader and much longer. I cannot wait to see more about this project!

[schubox]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 1:20pm

Didn’t want to start a new thread, but I talked to Dave after the presentation for Octet at the Guggenheim on Sunday and asked him specifically about Moby Dick. He said it’s coming December this year. He knows where but could’t tell me. But he said somewhere else on December, then it would move to NYC

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 1:40pm

schubox said: "Didn’t want to start a new thread, but I talked to Dave after the presentation for Octet at the Guggenheim on Sunday and asked him specifically about Moby Dick. He said it’s coming December this year. He knows where but could’t tell me. But he said somewhere else on December, then it would move to NYC"

I certainly won't complain about more of Dave's work being produced  

Did any other details emerge about Octet? Tickets go on sale soon, and I'm wondering if casting will be released before then.

[MannPhan24601]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 1:47pm

Did any other details emerge about Octet? Tickets go on sale soon, and I'm wondering if casting will be released before then."

 

I know that Adam Bashian (Phantom Tour,In Transit ) will be in Octet. He announced it on IG a few months ago . 

  

[schubox]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 1:54pm

Kitsune said: "schubox said: "Didn’t want to start a new thread, but I talked to Dave after the presentation for Octet at the Guggenheim on Sunday and asked him specifically about Moby Dick. He said it’s coming December this year. He knows where but could’t tell me. But he said somewhere else on December, then it would move to NYC"

I certainly won't complain about more of Dave's work being produced

Did any other details emerge about Octet? Tickets go on sale soon, and I'm wondering if casting will be released before then."

Two actors were there and each sang a song. One was Starr Busby, I cant remember the other woman’s name. The whole thing is acapella, but with the lack of the full cast Dave played the piano. 

They showed pictures of the set. It’s set in an AA style group meeting in a church basement. There is a circle of chairs around the chairs the cast sits in where the audience sits. Then there looked to be a standard audience section as well.

I enjoyed both songs. One was a woman who was lying in bed while her husband ignored her and constantly looked at his phone. The other was a woman who found someone in the internet ands felt beautiful for the first time. 

I’m really bummed I won’t be in town to catch the show

[Impossible2]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 2:23pm

schubox said: "Didn’t want to start a new thread, but I talked to Dave after the presentation for Octet at the Guggenheim on Sunday and asked him specifically about Moby Dick. He said it’s coming December this year. He knows where but could’t tell me. But he said somewhere else on December, then it would move to NYC"

It could possibly be London re his Twitter post earlier this year, though I was hoping for Comet  

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 8:07pm

Moby Dick is being produced by The Public

[bungalowbob2]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 8:31pm

It's co-produced by Berkeley Rep and The Public. If it's not getting its premiere in NYC it'll probably be out in California I'd imagine.

[schubox]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 8:56pm

bungalowbob2 said: "It's co-produced by Berkeley Rep and The Public. If it's not getting its premiere in NYC it'll probably be out in California I'd imagine."

That was my thought as well. I asked him specifically if it was going to Berkeley but he said he wasn’t allowed to say 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 9:01pm

schubox said: "bungalowbob2 said: "It's co-produced by Berkeley Rep and The Public. If it's not getting its premiere in NYC it'll probably be out in California I'd imagine."

That was my thought as well. I asked him specifically if it was going to Berkeley but he said he wasn’t allowed to say"

Oooh - as a Bay Area resident, this would be exciting!!

I go to New York a few times a year, but I'm always really excited when shows come to *me*

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 9:14pm

I hope Dave Malloy ends up as like Stephen Sondheim or something. None of his shows are successful financially, but they are forever ingrained in the American musical theatre canon and are just technically the best, but just not loved as much. Compared to his counterparts Pasek&paul and Lin who are the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s of this current generation of musical theatre writers and write decent shows that just become way too overrated.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 9:21pm

Thank you, everyone, for these reports. They've made my week!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 9:53pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I hope Dave Malloy ends up as like Stephen Sondheim or something. None of his shows are successful financially, but they are forever ingrained in the American musical theatre canon and are just technically the best, but just not loved as much. Compared to his counterparts Pasek&paul and Lin who are the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s of this current generation of musical theatre writers and write decent shows that just become way too overrated."

You owe apologies to P&P, Lin AND Sondheim.

Updated On: 3/7/19 at 09:53 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 9:57pm

Fan123 said: "I'm guessing that this is the article icecreambenjamin references above:http://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/five-burning-questions-with-great-comet-creator-dave-malloy/. I'm a fan of Dave Malloy and all, but to me at least, this doesn't bode well: "WithMoby Dick, duration and a sense of boredom have to be part of the story."....

Arthur Miller said something similar in his stage directions to Act I of ALL MY SONS. He wanted the audience to get a feeling for life in the MidWest. He did NOT mean the audience should be bored; he was talking about the characters.

John Heggye dealt with the tedium of a long voyage in his recent opera of MOBY DICK. It wasn't at all boring to see or hear, but it motivated the crew's growing impatience with Captain Ahab.

[reginula]

Posted: 3/7/19 at 10:48pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I hope Dave Malloy ends up as like Stephen Sondheim or something. None of his shows are successful financially, but they are forever ingrained in the American musical theatre canon and are just technically the best, but just not loved as much. Compared to his counterparts Pasek&paul and Lin who are the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s of this current generation of musical theatre writers and write decent shows that just become way too overrated."

This is my favourite comment on this board ever. I love Dave's work and I can't help but feel he's WAY ahead of his time. 

[bear88]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 4:15am

My guess all along, given that the show is being co-produced by the Public Theater and Berkeley Rep, is that it would start in Berkeley.

schubox's question made sense. Malloy was probably being coy because nothing is official yet, and you never know when things get delayed. It's obviously an ambitious project, with a director who's busy at the moment getting a musical ready for Broadway.

But the Berkeley Rep is debuting two musicals this season, one of which started in December, so that fits too.

Also, for a show as sprawling as this one, it certainly makes sense to work things out in Berkeley and then come to New York.

All of this may just be me hoping for something that will turn out differently, but it fits. I'm excited about this one, daunting length notwithstanding, as I've heard a few songs perfomed on YouTube and really liked a majority of them (small sample size notwithstanding). I still don't know how they will pull this off, but I'm eager to see them try. 

[schubox]

Posted: 3/10/19 at 8:44pm

GavestonPS said: "Fan123 said: "I'm guessing that this is the article icecreambenjamin references above:http://www.broadwaybox.com/daily-scoop/five-burning-questions-with-great-comet-creator-dave-malloy/. I'm a fan of Dave Malloy and all, but to me at least, this doesn't bode well: "WithMoby Dick, duration and a sense of boredom have to be part of the story."....

Arthur Miller saidsomething similar in his stage directions to Act I of ALL MY SONS. He wanted the audience to get a feeling for life in the MidWest. He did NOT mean the audience should be bored; he was talking about the characters.

John Heggye dealt with the tedium of a long voyage in his recent opera of MOBY DICK. It wasn't at all boring to see or hear, but it motivated the crew's growing impatience with Captain Ahab."

I asked him about runtime too. I thought I had once heard it was 4+ hours and I asked iof that was ture, and he said more like 3.5 hours

[DuoSonic]

Posted: 3/21/19 at 7:12pm

 

 

http://www.playbill.com/article/check-out-the-cast-for-dave-malloys-new-a-cappella-musical-octet-including-margo-seibert-jd-mollison-and-kim-blanck

Casting for Octet was announced and tickets are in sale today. Only $35. I’ll be in town near the end of previews, so I’m tempted.

Updated On: 3/21/19 at 07:12 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 3/22/19 at 2:49am

Call_me_jorge said: "I hope Dave Malloy ends up as like Stephen Sondheim or something. None of his shows are successful financially, but they are forever ingrained in the American musical theatre canon and are just technically the best, but just not loved as much. Compared to his counterparts Pasek&paul and Lin who are the Andrew Lloyd Webber’s of this current generation of musical theatre writers and write decent shows that just become way too overrated."

wtf Lin Manuel is nothing like Andrew Lloyd Webber, you need to retract that statement

 

also i cannot wait for this show... what is taking it so long??

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/22/19 at 6:23am

Pretty sure he means....no, i dont know what he neans by that.