The Moon of the Caribbees

S.S. Glencairn Play

English · Drama, Nautical & Marine Fiction

Eugene O’Neill’s The Moon of the Caribbees is a one-act play set aboard the tramp steamer S.S. Glencairn. In the ship’s forecastle, a group of sailors gather during a tropical night, sharing stories, songs, and talk as they wait out their time at sea.

The play draws its drama from the men’s contrasting temperaments and the confined life of the ship. Their conversation moves between rough humor, longing, and reflections on the places and people they have left behind, while the surrounding sea gives the gathering an atmosphere of distance and unease.

Listeners can expect an ensemble drama shaped by vivid dialogue and character interplay rather than a conventional narrator-led story. O’Neill’s early maritime setting offers a close, atmospheric portrait of sailors living together far from shore.

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.