Keaton and the Whale

Book & Lyrics by molly reisman
book & music by Emily chiu

https://www.keatonandthewhale.com

Keaton and The Whale is a whimsically irreverent musical for all ages based on the real life 52-hertz whale, also known as The Loneliest Whale In The World, who sings at 52-hertz, a frequency no other whale in the world can hear. The Whale has been swimming alone and singing only to his shadow since forever, until one day a mysterious voice responds. He sets off on a journey to find the source of this voice, and in doing so unwittingly brings together three unlikely kindred spirits, each lonely in their own way: Keaton, a pretentious PhD candidate who is not pretentious enough for Academic Arte; Riley, marine biology eco-warrior/delinquent who skips period 3 English to track whales at the docks; and the lonely Whale himself, who wakes up every day, asking, “Can anyone hear me?”

At one point, these characters ask “What if some of us were born to be happy and some of us were born to be alone?” In response, the show asks “What if everyone is asking the same thing?” Keaton and The Whale is a story about loneliness and the beauty of being vulnerable and brave enough to connect to the world around you. It features a freewheeling, ensemble-driven score that draws inspiration from indie-folk pop, and the ocean.  

(1 hr 20 min)

LISTEN

After hearing a response for the first time, The Whale vows to find the source of this mysterious voice.

Development History

• (Summer 2021) Production (Educational Version)
  Ghostlight Theater Camp, Oakland, ME

• (Spring 2021) Public Pitch
  THEatre ACCELERATOR, Apples and Oranges Arts, Virtual

• (Fall 2020) Shortlist
  Playwrights Guild of Canada Tom Hendry Musical Award, Canada

• (Fall 2019) 29 Hour Reading
  Amas Musical Theatre at A.R.T, New York, NY

• (Summer 2019) Residency
  Fingerlakes Musical Theatre PiTCH Festival, Auburn, NY

• (Spring 2019) Eric H. Weinberger Award for Emerging Librettists
  Amas Musical Theatre, New York, NY

• (Winter 2019) 29 Hour Reading
  NYU Institute of Performing Arts, New York, NY

• (Spring 2018) 29 Hour Reading
  NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, New York, NY

• (January 2018) Writing Residency
  Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam, CT

• (2017)
  Conceived at NYU Tisch Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, New York