AUTHOR'S NOTE

          "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has haunted me since I was first forced to read it in an English class during my childhood schooldays in Montana. I have often wondered who was telling the story, since the Mariner's narrative was a flashback story-within-a story; and who this Ancient Mariner was and what was he doing on the ship in the first place--and as far as that goes, just which ship was this anyway and where was it going? Why did he stop this particular man to tell his story to and whose wedding was it and just what was the name of the town? Who else was on board that ship and why didn't we get to know anything about them or a sailor's life at sea? Why did the Mariner kill the Albatross and what was so special about this bird that would warrant a man having to wander forever telling his tale to the unwary?
          "When I began to dramatize this poem as a benefit for the Southwestern Oregon Community College's new Performing Arts Center, I decided to answer these questions as best I could. I refuse to believe in a world where the lost cannot be found and redeem themselves, so I have changed the ending somewhat to reflect that belief. While researching this story and many of the legends and superstitions of old time sailor men (when sailing was still SAILING, by God!), I found how sea shanties permeated nearly every aspect of a seagoing man's existence and have tried here to incorporate them into the story which I and my departed collaborator have created. As any Shantyman worth his salt would do, I have changed and added new lyrics as necessary to accommodate the work at hand."
Contact Alda for more information. e-mail!
2300 Bruno Drive
Bosque Farms, NM 87068
call 1(505)869-9407 (after 10am Mountain Time)

SYNOPSIS

          ALBATROSS is a musical adaptation of the 18-19th century poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is the story of an Ancient Mariner who offends Nature by killing an albatross while on an ill fated sea voyage. Everyone on his ship, but he, is killed and brought back as zombies to man the ship; and he is cursed to forever wander the earth telling his story as penance.
          The show begins with an old Shantyman playing his squeeze box/concertina as he welcomes the audience to the sailing village of Port Cull where a wedding is about to take place. Before going into the church, Erica, the bride to be, and Polly her mother are both sad that husband and father was lost at sea when his ship went down with no survivors 20 years ago to the day in their own harbor. After the women exit three wedding goers enter, Ralph , Ira and Jack, a drunk brother of the of the groom who promises to disrupt the wedding; however, before he can enter the church he is stopped by an Ancient Mariner who tells him a story. . .
          The Shantyman leads the cast in a traditional shanty while a ship, the Aurora, is pieced together from the village set and the scene changes to 20 years earlier when a young farmer, Eric is bidding goodbye to his pregnant wife, young Polly as he boards the ship for a sea voyage around Cape Horn to Sunset Bay, his one and only trip at sea in which he hopes to make enough money to keep his struggling farm afloat. Also on the wharf are the cabin boy, Kip, his Grama Fran, Hazel, Winifred, Zoe and Miriam. On the deck of the Aurora, preparing to shove off are Captain Howell, 1st mate Benjy and Donny, the cook.
          With many a sea song to urge them along, the Shantyman and crew weigh anchor, raise sails and embark on a voyage that will see them repairing nets, holystoning the deck, pumping the bilge and singing forebitters in the fo'c'stle until a freak storm causes them to be frozen in place at the South Pole where they meet up with an albatross. When they are able to escape the frozen fingered grasp of Antarctica, Eric kills the following albatross and they become becalmed in a strange new sea and make the acquaintance of Death and his mate Life-in-Death who gamble for the lives of the crew. Later two sea sprites, Mistyhe and Mistyshe visit the ship and cause the Shantyman's music to reanimate the shipmates so that they can man the ship to get Eric, the only living member of the crew, to land where he can begin his penance.
          Audience members familiar with the original poem, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner will recognize many lines that were kept intact ("As idle as a painted ship on a painted ocean." "Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink." and others.) and be surprised at new ideas and answers to questions that were raised by S.T. Coleridge. It is a moving story with a surprising ending that is nicely filled out with many old sailing work songs; as one cast member put it: "Alda, is there any Shanty you didn't put into the show?"