Whale Of A Tale

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St. Thomas More theater students are in the final weeks of rehearsing for what many are calling the funniest musical they've ever performed, Moby Dick the Musical! Even the name illicits chuckles. How can Melville's revered tale of Captain Ahab's quest for the great white whale be in the same sentence with comedy? That absurdity, of course, is what makes the production so hilarious.

It all takes place at the St. Godley's Academy for Young Ladies where the students, in a last ditch effort to raise funds and keep their school afloat, are putting on a musical. All the girls have parts, and even their headmistress helps out. Her part, by the way, is played by a young man in drag.

"What could be funnier than a boy in fishnets and heels playing a 55-year-old woman playing a crazed captain of the sea who is out to kill the biggest creature in the world?" asked Senior Sergio Diaz-Delgado who relishes the lead role. Eva Glisczinski, who plays Stubb, the second mate, said her character is "like a Valley Girl, playing Popeye the sailor man." Both added that the songs are the best part of the show. "I've been in almost every production that St. Thomas More and put on and this is the best," added Ms. Glisczinski who graduates this year.

The play, written by Robert Longden and Hereward Kaye, was first performed in London in 1992 and is, today, considered something of a cult classic.

The troupe at St. Thomas More High School will perform their version of Moby Dick the Musical 7 p.m. on March 11th and March 12th and at 2 p.m. on the 13th. Tickets are between $5 and $10. The school is located at 2601 E. Morgan Ave. For more information, call 414-481-8370.