Storyteller Jay O'Callahan is up to his old tricks, once again riveting
audiences with the aid of nothing more than a chair, a glass of
water, and the perfect word, perfectly delivered.
This time it's a new work, "Tell Them," now playing at the Gloucester
Stage Company. The characters, message and tone of the story may
have changed from the last time O'Callahan was in Gloucester delivering
his tour de force "The Dance," but the man, his method and his
magic are the same.
"Tell Them" is based on the true story of Richard Wheeler, who
kayaked about 1,500 miles from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod. The journey
started as an attempt to recreate the migratory path of the Great
Auk, the legendary fisher bird that after 50 million years on
this planet was literally beaten into extinction by profit-hungry
hunters. But the adventure became a spiritual awakening for Wheeler,
as he saw first hand the slow death of the ocean.
O'Callahan wisely starts by magnificently recreating the majesty
of the Great Auk, and thereby making us feel the tragedy of its
loss. He hooks us with a roaring, mesmerizing description of it
as a bird that could dive tremendous depths and skillfully fly
[under] the seas in search of fish.
O'Callahan also captures the physical rigors of the trip, particularly
the first leg of Wheeler's journey - a harrowing 40-mile trek
through 12-foot seas in a 17 foot kayak. By the time this segment
is over, you'll share the ache in Wheeler's muscles, legs and
arms.
As Wheeler paddles down the coastline, he meets a hospitable
assortment of fishermen who have heard about his trip, admire
it, and welcome him into their homes. They take that chance to
tell him their personal,up-close views of the death of the fishing
industry, and the problem with regulations that allow them to
catch immature fish. "Tell Them" becomes the refrain of the fishermen,
who know that Wheeler will be able to use his new celebrity to
send a message.
Of course, it works. The beautiful symmetry of "Tell Them" is
that as we sit in the theater listening to O'Callahan, we are
fulfilling the prophecies of the fishermen. As O'Callahan observes,
we, the audience, are "them."
O'Callahan's grand performance hits the core of the theatrical
experience, a core that sometimes gets obscured by the accouterment
of the stage. His technique is lean and honed. One of his stories
should be required viewing for students at every serious college
theater program, because O'Callahan captures something elemental
about the theater.
Wheeler was wise to hunt down O'Callahan, and ask the storyteller
to create a tale based on his journey. Although PBS'S "Nova" documented
his adventure, Wheeler knew only an artist could take his story
out of the realm of the educational or sensational, and invest
it with a vital emotional energy. Intellectually, we all bemoan
the slow death of the ocean, but it's not until we feel it in
our bones that we'll do something about it. O'Callahan brings
the tragedy off the chilly Northern Atlantic seas, into our theaters,
into our lives.
On the Gloucester stage, O'Callahan begins the evening with
two other ocean-oriented tales - "The Magic Mortar," a Japanese
folk talk, and "The Herring Shed," the story that inspired Wheeler
to contact O'Callahan. But these are merely warm-ups for the wonder
and spectacle of "Tell Them."
May 11, 1997
Reprinted from North Shore Sunday, Community Newspaper Company.
Reprinted by permission
Jay O'Callahan describes "The
Spirit of the Great Auk" ("Tell Them") in his Newsletter.
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