After thirty years as a double-act (less 10 years in the middle when they went on hiatus and both pursued solo careers, and two years of Covid), you'd thikk that the Lano and Woodley formula (Colin wants to pursue some serious project, Frank is distractable and distracting) would have worn out your welcome. You'd be wrong, and this time, applied to a telling of Herman Mellville's classic 19th century whale-hunt novel, it functions gloriously as an entertainingly knockabout shambles that sorta vageuly relates to a classic novel.
Beginning with a retelling of the plot of the novel in song, surrounded by deep fog, Colin tries to take over telling a one man version of the story with the assistance of some classy projections and a nifty vaguely nautical set. Frank has a few ideas for how he can help, most of which Colin rejects. Things get weird, an offstage crew member named Nathan helps out with props, Colin's frustration ebbs and flows, and everything ends in disaster and yet also with a resolution of some of the plot threads. Woodley is a delightfully mischeouvous agent of chaos, mostly somewhat well meaning, and Lane is a great slow-burn straight man. It never falls too hard into pathos or contrivance, it feels fresh and delightful, and all in all it's a fine night of structured chaos, with a goofy selection of exit music.
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