Robert Louis Stevenson--appointment on Molokaʻi

by Aldyth Morris

Stevenson spent a lifetime journeying across the seas - in search of love, work, and always a milder climate to stave off "Bloody Jack," his nickname for the violent hemorrhages brought on by consumption. In this one-man play, we accompany Stevenson on his many journeys, including a visit in 1888 to the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i - undertaken not for the sake of his fragile health but to pay his respects to Father Damien, the Belgian priest who had gone to Moloka'i to minister to the lepers and who died as one of them. Inspired by stories of the priest's unbounded charity and kindness, Stevenson was determined to visit the leper colony and subsequently became one of the most ardent and eloquent defenders against slanderous attacks on Damien's reputation.