Moon Over Morocco
Encyclopedia
Moon Over Morocco is a 1974 radio drama
, the second in ZBS
's Jack Flanders
series. Originally broadcast as fifty twelve-minute episodes, the serial was written and directed by Meatball Fulton.
arrives in Tangier
on a search for sites that lie along "ley line
s", undercurrents of mystical energy described in ancient texts. He meets Kasbah Kelly, an expatriate bar owner, and Kelly's assistant Mojo Sam and befriends one of the bar's customers, Sunny Skies. He also visits the Comtese Zazeenia, an expatriate holdover from Morocco
's French colonial days and an old enemy of Kelly's.
Strange events begin to occur: Jack is pursued by owls, his hotel room crumbles away as the hotel disintegrates around him and a mysterious woman named Layla Oolupi warns him to leave Morocco immediately. Refusing to heed her warning, Jack instead travels to a music festival in Marrakech
with Kelly and Sunny. Caught up in a traditional dance, Jack begins to disappear into an invisible world straight out of Moroccan legend. This first night, Kelly tackles him and prevents his disappearance, but the next night, Jack succeeds in completing the transition into the land of legend. Kelly's intervention causes Jack to (seemingly) split into two rival figures in this alternate world, a usurper Emperor (Hassan Bizel) and an upstart claimant to the throne, known as the Son of El Kabah.
Kelly, Mojo and Sunny search for Jack in our world, while the two Jacks confront one another after the "Son of el Kabah" completes a long journey through the Sahara desert
, accompanied by Little Flossic (revisiting the "Little Frieda" role of The Fourth Tower of Inverness
).
The ambient soundtrack was recorded on location, in Morocco
. The traditional Moroccan music included in the festival scenes was originally recorded by well-known expatriate Paul Bowles
.
Originally made available on cassette, the series is now available from ZBS on CD or as a podcast
.
Crew
Production was made possible by Robert Durand. CD pressing made possible by John Romkey.
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, the second in ZBS
ZBS
ZBS stands for* ZBS Foundation* Zugbeeinflussungssystem S-Bahn Berlin...
's Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
series. Originally broadcast as fifty twelve-minute episodes, the serial was written and directed by Meatball Fulton.
Synopsis
Jack FlandersJack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
arrives in Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
on a search for sites that lie along "ley line
Ley line
Ley lines are alleged alignments of a number of places of geographical and historical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths, natural ridge-tops and water-fords...
s", undercurrents of mystical energy described in ancient texts. He meets Kasbah Kelly, an expatriate bar owner, and Kelly's assistant Mojo Sam and befriends one of the bar's customers, Sunny Skies. He also visits the Comtese Zazeenia, an expatriate holdover from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
's French colonial days and an old enemy of Kelly's.
Strange events begin to occur: Jack is pursued by owls, his hotel room crumbles away as the hotel disintegrates around him and a mysterious woman named Layla Oolupi warns him to leave Morocco immediately. Refusing to heed her warning, Jack instead travels to a music festival in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
with Kelly and Sunny. Caught up in a traditional dance, Jack begins to disappear into an invisible world straight out of Moroccan legend. This first night, Kelly tackles him and prevents his disappearance, but the next night, Jack succeeds in completing the transition into the land of legend. Kelly's intervention causes Jack to (seemingly) split into two rival figures in this alternate world, a usurper Emperor (Hassan Bizel) and an upstart claimant to the throne, known as the Son of El Kabah.
Kelly, Mojo and Sunny search for Jack in our world, while the two Jacks confront one another after the "Son of el Kabah" completes a long journey through the Sahara desert
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
, accompanied by Little Flossic (revisiting the "Little Frieda" role of The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness is a 1972 radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the first of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic...
).
The ambient soundtrack was recorded on location, in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The traditional Moroccan music included in the festival scenes was originally recorded by well-known expatriate Paul Bowles
Paul Bowles
Paul Frederic Bowles was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator.Following a cultured middle-class upbringing in New York City, during which he displayed a talent for music and writing, Bowles pursued his education at the University of Virginia before making various trips to Paris...
.
Originally made available on cassette, the series is now available from ZBS on CD or as a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
.
Credits
Cast- Jack FlandersJack FlandersJack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
/ King Hassan Bizel / El Kabah - Robert LorickRobert LorickRobert Lorick is an actor and lyricist, best known as a Broadway lyricist and for his work portraying Jack Flanders, a character in an ongoing series of ZBS Foundation audio adventures. In 1972, he made his debut as a lyricist with the Off-Broadway musical Hark! at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre... - Kasbah Kelly / The Gate Keeper - Robert Lesser
- Mojo Sam, the Yoodoo Man - Dave Adams
- Little Flossic - P.J. Orte (Billed as Spooner Duffy)
- Sunny Skies / Fatma Tajhem - Lee Berg
- Layla Oolupi - Chitra Neogy
- Queen Azora - Jane Traum
- Narrator / Grand Wazir - Dave Herman
- Storyteller Mustafa - Taurean BlacqueTaurean BlacqueTaurean Blacque is an American television and stage actor, best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on the series Hill Street Blues...
- Comtese Zazeenia - Valerie Mamches
- Abu - Meatball FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Taxi Driver - Mad Max
- Marmaduke - Michael Roach
- Others: Gail Turner, Bill Moskowitz, Richard Shanks, Charlotte Mason & Mark Stone
Crew
- Mojo's Piano - The Incomparable George Schutz
- Incidental Music - Randy Cohen, Dennis Colin
- Additional Music - Tim Clark
- Producer / Director - Tom LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Story & Script - Meatball FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Engineer - Bobby Bielecki
- Front Illustration - David Byrd
- Back Illustration - Alan Okamoto
- Moroccan environments recorded by M. FultonThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
- Moroccan Music recorded by Paul Bowles
Production was made possible by Robert Durand. CD pressing made possible by John Romkey.