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Of whales and men
Set in 1851 on Nantucket, the "Wake of the Essex" tells the story of retired whaling captain George Pollard, who now works as a night watchman on the docks. In a self-imposed exile and consumed by the tragic loss of his whaleship some 30 years prior, Pollard struggles with the guilt of having survived. "I was fascinated by why Pollard returned to the island, especially with his nephew being killed," said Rodgers, who grew up on Nantucket and went to Julliard before starting a career in opera and theater. "Why did he not go to the mainland or the midwest?" The play deals with Pollard's penance and his rage at God. When the Essex sank after getting stove by a sperm whale, 20 of the ship's crew set out in three small open boats somewhere about 2,000 miles west of South America. Ninety-five days later, only Pollard and one other shipmate remained alive in his boat and were rescued by another Nantucket whaleship. All those who survived the shipwreck had resorted to cannibalism. "The novelist Herman Melville came to interview Pollard," said Rodgers. "The story of the Essex is what inspired the story of 'Moby Dick.'" Captain Pollard will be portrayed by actor Robert Manzari, a New York City-based actor, director and producer. Manzari has appeared in theater and musicals across the country and in off-Broadway and opera productions in New York City. He has sung with the Metropolitan Opera Studio, appeared on several soap operas, as well as the "Conan O'Brien Show," as well as in many industrial films and commercials. Rodgers is a playwright, composer and producer. She is the founder and artistic producing artistic director of The Composers Chamber Theatre, now in its 29th year, which develops and produces opera and music theater works by emerging American composers. She has had numerous works performed off-off-Broadway and has written for the Children's Television Workshop and McMillan Records. I |
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