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Plexus Polaire: Moby Dick

MimeLondon 2025

puppet grey-haired man reading, skeleton puppet in black cloak pulling the man's arm back

A spectacular stage adaptation of Herman Melville's great novel about ambition, obsession and the power of nature, featuring large-scale puppetry, live action, video projection and music.

‘Thar she blows!' Yngvild Aspeli directs this 'exquisite' (New York Times) production, critically acclaimed for its ability to capture the epic scale and emotional depth of Melville's famous work, while offering a fresh, contemporary perspective on the famous tale of redemption, and one man’s ultimately fatal pursuit of the great white whale.

Featuring seven actors, fifty puppets and a whale-sized whale, Plexus Polaire's award-winning show is a expedition into the inner storms of the human heart and the unexplained mysteries of life. 

Plexus Polaire is a French-Norwegian theatre company who, through the use of life-sized puppets, acting, music, light and video, develop visual worlds that bring our most buried feelings to life. 

 

Age guidance: 12+

Running time: 85 minutes, no interval

The production contains depiction of whaling.

Performed in English

Post-show talk, Fri 24 Jan
Free to same-day ticket holders. BSL-interpreted. 

Audio described performance, Fri 24 Jan
Touch tour at 5.45–6:15pm

Due to popular demand, an additional performance of Moby Dick has been added on Saturday 25 January at 2.30pm.

Presented by the Barbican

Supported by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in London.

Photography credit: Christophe Raynaud de Lage

‘It is impossible to ruin with mere description the experience of the French-Norwegian company Plexus Polaire’s exquisite Moby Dick… the wondrousness of this show lies in its spectacle and ambience‘
New York Times
‘A celebration of pure artistry and a demonstration of the magic of puppetry‘
The Chicago Maroon
‘This isn’t your average puppet show... dark, sophisticated and immersive... billowing silks create stormy waves and starry skies move side to side to give the impression of a rocking ship‘
The Arts Desk
‘Pure theatrical magic… I’ve never seen anything like this show, and I don’t imagine I will again until Plexus Polaire returns‘
Intermission Magazine

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A black and white logo with the text 'Institut Francais, Royaume-Uni' inside a box.
A logo with black text that reads 'Norwegian Embassy'