Theater Review: ‘O Captain! My Captain!’ An Enthralling History Lesson

 In a setting worthy of the tales — the meticulously restored South Harwich Meetinghouse — “O Captain! My Captain!” reveals the lives of seven Harwich sea captains through monologues, song and incredible visual effects on a stage resembling the deck of a ship. 

The meetinghouse sits in the middle of a cemetery where possibly a captain or two rests, which lends an added layer of authenticity to the production. It’s not hard to imagine that some of the sea shanties this talented ensemble sings once echoed in the area long ago. 

Playwright Judith Ford, who is also the force behind the restoration of the meetinghouse, is passionate about the captains that inhabited Harwich long ago. 

“The play is all about the captains and their ships,” Ford told me last year. “It ends with the most famous one of all, Captain Jonathan Walker, the abolitionist. People were crying and laughing last year when we did the show.” 

In the 2025 show, she said, they added a captain and a couple other twists. So if you saw it last year, you might want to see it again. 

The opening night audience was totally engaged and enthralled with the stories. And the special effects created the feel of being on a ship, even on a ship in a storm. I especially loved the image of the wharf that ran out into the ocean off Red River Beach conjured up on the walls all around us. 

The performers played the captains and the folks in their lives in all the different decades. They entered and exited all around the audience, sometimes even projecting their voices from behind, making you feel like you’re part of the show. Kudos to director James Byrne for making it all work with music directors Joseph Marchio and Nat Wordell. 

The cast and crew is comprised of community actors, singers and musicians. Standouts were Christopher Marchio’s talent on the organ and piano, soloist Diana Toscano’s operatic tone and Shiloh Pabst’s fervent delivery. But really the entire ensemble struck all the right chords: Warren Harrington, Ken Joy, Nat Wordell, Kai Brimdyr, Brayden Carlson, Jonathan Ford (fiddle and whistle), Thomas Marchio (guitar and banjo), Evangeline Bonwit, Rachel Marchio, Mark O’Leary (guitar and bones!), Bobby Parr, Joseph Theroux, Lynne Zalesak and Byrne as Capt. Walker. Everyone was so good, in both the musical numbers (of which there are quite a few) and in the telling of the stories. 

 Also integral to the production were Jay Sheehan (audio), Tristan DiVencenzo (videographer), Maeve (videographer) and Lars Michelsen of Cygnet Painting (prop master and Master Paintings contributor). 

There’s one more weekend to catch the production, which is about two hours long with an intermission. Grab your tickets today!