Heggie and Scheer's Moby-Dick: A Grand Opera for the Twenty-first Century

Part 2. Libretto by Gene Scheer: Moby-Dick, An Opera in Two Acts

PART 2 Libretto by Gene Scheer: Moby-Dick, An Opera in Two Acts Based on the novel by Herman Melville Music by Jake Heggie Libretto by Gene Scheer First Production Conductor: Patrick Summers Director and Dramaturg: Leonard Foglia Scenic Designer: Robert Brill Costume Designer: Jane Greenwood Lighting Designer: Donald Holder Projection Designer: Elaine McCarthy Choreographer and Assistant Director: Keturah Stickann Fight Choreographer: Bill Lengfelder Wig and Make-up Designer: David Zimmerman Chorus Master: Alexander Rom Ahab: Ben Heppner Greenhorn: Stephen Costello Starbuck: Morgan Smith Queequeg: Jonathan Lemalu Pip: Talise Trevigne Stubb: Robert Orth Flask: Matthew O’Neill Gardiner: Jonathan Beyer The Dallas Opera Orchestra and Chorus Cast of Characters (in order of vocal appearance) Queequeg (bass-baritone), a native of Kokovoko, harpooneer for Starbuck Greenhorn (tenor), a young American crewman on his first whaling ship Flask (tenor), Third Mate on the Pequod, an American from Martha’s Vineyard Crew of the Pequod (male chorus), many nationalities , ethnicities and ages Starbuck (baritone), First Mate on the Pequod, a devout Quaker from Nantucket Stubb (baritone), Second Mate on the Pequod, an American from Cape Cod Pip (soprano), 14-year old African-American cabin boy from Tolland County, CT Captain Ahab (tenor), Captain of the Pequod, an American from Nantucket Tashtego (tenor, chorus role), a Gayhead Indian, harpooneer to Stubb Nantucket Sailor (tenor, chorus role) Spanish Sailor (baritone, chorus role) African Sailor (baritone, chorus role) Captain Gardiner (baritone), Captain of the whale ship Rachel 60 part 2 ACT ONE Prelude A starry night, a few hours before dawn. AHAB stands on the deck of the Pequod. He is very still as he stares at the ocean and the sky. Everything seems to be revolving and turning: stars, planets, the world. Scene One The light has changed. It is just before dawn. AHAB paces and exits. We hear the CREW asleep below deck (offstage). QUEEQUEG is chanting to his idol. Nearby, GREENHORN sleeps fitfully. QUEEQUEG Fune ala ... Fune, Fune ala ... ua sau nei le, Fune maimoaga, Fune Fune ala! Sao sao e le i’a lea ta’a i gatai a mea tipa mai nanei Fune ala! GREENHORN, trying to sleep, can’t abide the sound of the chanting. GREENHORN “Fune! Fune! Fune!” I’m sleeping! QUEEQUEG Samoa e, Sosola e ... GREENHORN I was sleeping. Listen! You! Keep quiet! QUEEQUEG ‘O le’a sau’o le va’a tau ‘O le Pualele o Funefe ai GREENHORN Be quiet! QUEEQUEG E toso lago, i tagata e, Fune! GREENHORN Ah! Religion. Of course! QUEEQUEG Ou faiva a tau Lulu au fulu ‘apa’ au, Fune ala! GREENHORN Lents, prayers and Ramadans have a way of making the world an uncomfortable inn to lodge in. QUEEQUEG Ma fa’ aolioli’e la’au I Toga mafitima nu’u mamao Fune ala! GREENHORN Lents, prayers and Ramadans. This prolonged ham squatting nonsense! We hear the sound of AHAB pacing above on deck. With that pounding above in my head, And this rolling below in my stomach, Now, no sleep with your chanting. I feel like I’m going to die. Digital whale ship emerging out of starry skies. libretto by gene scheer 61 Hell is the only idea nurtured by lents, prayers and Ramadans! QUEEQUEG finishes his prayer. He rises and reaches for a large and dangerous looking tomahawk . GREENHORN sees it and fears QUEEQUEG is going to kill him. Angels save me! The tomahawk is actually a pipe. QUEEQUEG sits and lights it to smoke. QUEEQUEG Queequeg is not angel. Queequeg is prince. From Kokovoko. Far from here. To south and west. GREENHORN Koko ...? QUEEQUEG Kokovoko. GREENHORN Oh. GREENHORN & QUEEQUEG Kokovoko. QUEEQUEG What are you, angel or prince? GREENHORN I? QUEEQUEG Aye. GREENHORN I’m no one. QUEEQUEG No one? GREENHORN From nowhere. QUEEQUEG Nowhere? Huh. GREENHORN Just a greenhorn. New to whaling. No money. Nothing to interest me on shore. I’m someone who found himself stopping at coffin warehouses. Attending the funerals of strangers. Someone who wanted to drive off the spleen, to see the world, and to chase away a dark November in my soul. QUEEQUEG Huh. You try smoke. Feel better. It work for Queequeg. He hands GREENHORN the pipe and encourages him to smoke. Scene Two It is now morning. From offstage, FLASK calls all hands on deck. The CREW begins to emerge. QUEEQUEG and GREENHORN suddenly realize they need to get on deck, too. FLASK All hands! CREW All hands! Hand...