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 AHAB, A MUSICAL
ODYSSEY, is the story of the formative years in the life of the hero
of MOBY DICK.
Inspired by HERMAN MELVILLE'S writings and correspondence,
it breathes life into the hardscrabble world of early, nineteenth
century Boston, a
busy whaling seaport and oasis of conventionality for the adventurous
seafarers. No locale is immune to the darker side of human nature and
it is that dichotomy of normal and depraved that festers in AHAB'S soul,
creating the mad, embittered Captain of the Pequod known to most students of
American Literature.
AHAB is the illegitimate child of a prostitute. When she dies shortly
after childbirth, his care is entrusted to her Madam who will eventually
become the proprietor of Boston's most successful house of
prostitution. The HAT SHOP is run as a respectable millinery
establishment catering to the blue-nosed Boston Ladies by day, but by
night the clientele changes.
MADELINE, the Madam, tries to insulate herself from her young charge by
depositing him in a Quaker Boarding
School at the earliest opportunity. He
has been told and accepts that his father perished at sea but believes
MADELINE to be his mother. During his 12 year tenure at the School he
is tortured by bizarre dreams, leaving him obsessed with finding the remnants
of his natural roots. When AHAB's search brings him to Boston he is a tentative yet
tormented youth. As he becomes more aware of the true nature of his
'mother's work', shame and sexual fury enter the mix. Only ADDY, his
childhood nanny and now the wise and funny maid, earns his trust. Even
she is put to the test when AHAB questions her moral standards.
AHAB lashes out at MADELINE, who discovers the intensity of her feelings for
him as he becomes increasingly discontented and disruptive. MADELINE'S
only ally is her favorite 'patron of the house' who agrees to assist in
dealing with AHAB'S hostility and frustration. The GENTLEMAN arranges a
meeting between AHAB and his niece, EMILY, who unlocks the repressed
love and vulnerability that lay dormant for so long. At the outset they
agree to be merely friends but ultimately they both succumb to a deep and
abiding love.....the only true love AHAB will ever know.
AHAB, A MUSICAL ODYSSEY, ends as AHAB summons his crew for the last, fateful
voyage of the Pequod.
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