THE MOBY DICK BLUES
A Blues-Rock Opera
A Blues-Rock Opera
WRITTEN & CREATED BY MICHAEL GORMAN | DIRECTED BY JOE JOHN BATTISTA | MUSIC DIRECTOR KAVI GASPER
Epic.."
Darryl Reilly--Theaterscene.org
The Moby Dick Blues had its World Premiere
JUNE 7-22, 2025 at The Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa, NYC
JUNE 7-22, 2025 at The Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa, NYC
"...a searing contemporary parable"
Steven Mintz--American historian at the University of Texas at Austin.
READ THE REVIEWS!
"THE AHAB INSIDE US— Reimagining Moby-Dick for Our Age of Addiction and Environmental Collapse"
Wonderful essay/review by American historian Steven Mintz where he takes a deep-dive into the
themes and metaphor behind The Moby Dick Blues.
READ HERE ON SUBSTACK.
Tony Marinelli - Theaterscene.net
Darryl Reilly - Theaterscene.org
Wonderful essay/review by American historian Steven Mintz where he takes a deep-dive into the
themes and metaphor behind The Moby Dick Blues.
READ HERE ON SUBSTACK.
Tony Marinelli - Theaterscene.net
Darryl Reilly - Theaterscene.org
Dancer Sevin Ceviker as "The White Whale"
Moby Dick Meets The Perfect Storm.
Playwright Michael Gorman’s epic new blues-rock opera begs the question
“What was Ahab, but an addict, really, and what was Moby Dick but an allusion to opium,
and heroin, its contemporary scourge?”
In a tale that stretches across generations and ancients—lost mariners, lost souls, lost lives—this iconoclastic working-class opera about a New England fishing community’s daunting quest for survival and transformation in the face of the opiate crisis calls for a reevaluation of Ahabs
vengeful obsession with the White Whale, and our own destructive relationship with
nature, the environment, and OURSELVES.
Told through lyrics and live music that span the spectrum from blues, spoken word, rap,
and rock, this enthralling theatrical experience and environmental installation takes us
down to “the crossroads" where the past and future collide in a dramatic struggle
for the soul of a community.
Playwright Michael Gorman’s epic new blues-rock opera begs the question
“What was Ahab, but an addict, really, and what was Moby Dick but an allusion to opium,
and heroin, its contemporary scourge?”
In a tale that stretches across generations and ancients—lost mariners, lost souls, lost lives—this iconoclastic working-class opera about a New England fishing community’s daunting quest for survival and transformation in the face of the opiate crisis calls for a reevaluation of Ahabs
vengeful obsession with the White Whale, and our own destructive relationship with
nature, the environment, and OURSELVES.
Told through lyrics and live music that span the spectrum from blues, spoken word, rap,
and rock, this enthralling theatrical experience and environmental installation takes us
down to “the crossroads" where the past and future collide in a dramatic struggle
for the soul of a community.
Read about the show in Broadway World!
"Bold, jagged, and emotionally raw, The Moby Dick Blues isn’t just a reinterpretation—it’s a reckoning. This is opera as social critique, myth as mirror, and theater as an urgent call to conscience".
- Tony Marinelli--Theaterscene.net
PHOTOS: Sabine Lola Stock
CREDLE (L) as "Fedallah" and MOONSKY (R) as a Phantom Harpooner—Member's of Ahabs stowaway crew aboard The Pequod.
"During two sweeping acts, Mr. Gorman’s humane characters battle their heartbreaking, personal demons through song, dance and spoken word, on an epic scale. Rock, pop, blues and bluegrass, characterize the often raw, and edgy score; shades of Guns N’ Roses abound. Gorman’s biting lyrics are matched with Joe John Battista and Kevi Gasper’s soaring original music." -Darryl Reilly--Theaterscene.org
Teddy Lytle and Gabbi Beauvais.
CREATIVE & PRODUCTION TEAM
WRITTEN, CREATED, & LYRICS by MICHAEL GORMAN
DIRECTED by JOE JOHN BATTISTA
MUSIC DIRECTOR KAVI GASPER
LIVE MUSIC BY THE B-FLAT BLUES BAND
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR MARI TOMPKINS
STAGE MANAGER SARA GIERC
LIGHTING DESIGN CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND
COSTUME DESIGN ANGELA WENDT
ASSOC. COSTUME DESIGN SARAH BOYDEN
SET DESIGN THE FORTY HOUR CLUB
INSTALLATION DONALD EASTMAN
LEAD CHOREOGRAPHER (The Whale) SEVIN CEVIKER
SONG CHOREOGRAPHER MACKENNA GOODRICH
SOUND ENGINEER IANN FINE
PRODUCTION MANAGER DONNA DALY
COLLABORATING ARTISTS GREGORY DE LA HABA, ANDY WHITE
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT SAMUEL WIEK
PRODUCED by: THE FORTY HOUR CLUB-MICHAEL GORMAN, DONNA DALY
DIRECTED by JOE JOHN BATTISTA
MUSIC DIRECTOR KAVI GASPER
LIVE MUSIC BY THE B-FLAT BLUES BAND
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR MARI TOMPKINS
STAGE MANAGER SARA GIERC
LIGHTING DESIGN CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND
COSTUME DESIGN ANGELA WENDT
ASSOC. COSTUME DESIGN SARAH BOYDEN
SET DESIGN THE FORTY HOUR CLUB
INSTALLATION DONALD EASTMAN
LEAD CHOREOGRAPHER (The Whale) SEVIN CEVIKER
SONG CHOREOGRAPHER MACKENNA GOODRICH
SOUND ENGINEER IANN FINE
PRODUCTION MANAGER DONNA DALY
COLLABORATING ARTISTS GREGORY DE LA HABA, ANDY WHITE
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT SAMUEL WIEK
PRODUCED by: THE FORTY HOUR CLUB-MICHAEL GORMAN, DONNA DALY
CAST
ALEX NOTKIN • TEDDY LYTLE • JIM O'BRIEN • ANDREW RYAN PERRY • DANIEL YAIULLO
SARAH MACDONNELL • SAM ROTHERMEL • SEVIN CEVIKER • MOONSKY • CHRISTIAN NEAL • GABBI BEAUVAIS
CREDLE • KRISTY ZORNES BEAUVAIS • JESSICA PHOENIX • SHUHEI KINOSHITO • ERICK ALONSO
TIERA LOPPER • HENRY MACDOWELL
SARAH MACDONNELL • SAM ROTHERMEL • SEVIN CEVIKER • MOONSKY • CHRISTIAN NEAL • GABBI BEAUVAIS
CREDLE • KRISTY ZORNES BEAUVAIS • JESSICA PHOENIX • SHUHEI KINOSHITO • ERICK ALONSO
TIERA LOPPER • HENRY MACDOWELL
CAST: The Moby Dick Blues. Ellen Stewart Theater at La MaMa (June 2025)
"Battista is among the most extraordinary directors working on the current New York City stage."
—Darryl Reilly, Theaterscene.org
Joe Battista-Director & Lead Guitar player with Michael Gorman, Playwright, outside La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, E. 4th St., NYC (June 2025)
THE B-FLAT BLUES BAND
KEYBOARD: KAVI GASPER
LEAD GUITAR: JOE JOHN BATTISTA
BASS/PEDAL STEEL & LAP STEEL GUITAR: RON RAYMOND
DRUMS: ZIANNI ORANGE
KEYBOARD: KAVI GASPER
LEAD GUITAR: JOE JOHN BATTISTA
BASS/PEDAL STEEL & LAP STEEL GUITAR: RON RAYMOND
DRUMS: ZIANNI ORANGE
(L-R) Kavi Gasper • Joe John Battista • Ron Raymond • Zianni Orange
Gabbi Beauvais as "Heroin"
A Working-Class Opera—for our planet...for our times.
Kristy Zornes Beauvais as "Billy The Crab".
"By calling The Moby Dick Blues a "working-class opera for our planet," Gorman situates his work in the tradition of both classical tragedy and radical protest theater."
Steven Mintz--American historian at the University of Texas at Austin.
Tiera Lopper (What The Fuck Century Are We Living In!?)
Watch The VIDEO.
Henry MacDowell and Sarah MacDonnell.
Daniel Yaiullo as "Ishmael"
"Gorman crafts a stage world where the epic and the intimate collide”- Tony Marinelli--Theaterscene.net
WATCH a Performance from The Moby Dick Blues!
VIEW MORE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS ON OUR VIMEO SITE:
Moby Dick Blues Testimonials by Peer Alliance & Recovery Center Participants—Queens NYC
(L to R) William Eddins, Team Leader, Vision Team Liaison & PARC/CORE Peer Professional, PARC Queens, NYC • Miriam Grill, La MaMa Community & Education Coordinator, NYC • Patricia Benecke, Assistant Director of PARC, Queens NYC.
"It was deep, I had to see it twice. There was so much in it! And then the talkback really helped to process that- we really got into the nitty gritty. We talked about our lives and what we had been through, even the actors talked about their own journeys (with recovery). We all shared what we've been through. It was raw, transformative, powerful." - Will, Peer Alliance Recovery Center, Queens/The Bronx, NYC
"I went to see it twice! I talked with Mike afterwards and my friends and I all said the same thing- This should be on Broadway! I mean, I never thought about it before. You know, the whale, what it actually meant. My favorite part was the flashback! We would love to do something like this here and our people, they sing and dance too. It should keep going. I wish it could come to us."
- Alaysha, Peer Alliance Recovery Center, Queens/The Bronx, NYC
Watch the Promo Video for THE MOBY DICK BLUES—An Opera!
The Moby Dick Blues premiered at La MaMa in June 2025 as part of their 63rd Season.
FOLLOW THE SHOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA