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Sail Away (musical)
Encyclopedia
Sail Away is a musical
with a book, music and lyrics by Noël Coward
. The show was the last musical for which Coward wrote both the book and music, although he wrote the music for one last "book" musical in 1963. The story centers around brash, bold American divorcee Mimi Paragon, working as a hostess on a British cruise ship. The musical ran on Broadway
(1961) and in the West End
(1962) and has been revived since.
started in the show in a "relatively minor role and was only promoted over the title and given virtually all the best songs when it was reckoned that the leading lady...although excellent, was rather too operatic for a musical comedy." During out-of-town tryouts in Boston, Coward was "unsure about the dramatic talents" of one of the leads, opera singer Jean Fenn
. "They were, after all, engaged for their voices and...it is madness to expect two singers to play subtle 'Noel Coward' love scenes with the right values and sing at the same time." Joe Layton
suggested "What would happen if ...we just eliminated [Fenn's] role and gave everything to Stritch? ...The show was very old-fashioned, and the thing that was working was Elaine Stritch...every time she went on stage [she] was a sensation. The reconstructed 'Sail Away'...opened in New York on 3 October."
According to Ben Brantley
, "Coward wrote in his diary that Ms. Stritch sang 'so movingly that I almost cried.' He went on to say about making her the show's star: 'There is no doubt about it. I made the right decision.' "
and closed on February 24, 1962 after 167 performances. Directed by Coward, Joe Layton choreographed, with scenic design by Oliver Smith
, costumes by Helene Pons and Oliver Smith, and lighting by Peggy Clark. The original Broadway cast starred Elaine Stritch
as Mimi Paragon, James Hurst as John Van Mier, and Margalo Gillmore
as Mrs. Van Mier.
The show was then staged at the Savoy Theatre
in the West End
in 1962, where it ran for 252 performances,directed by Coward. The original London cast starred Stritch and David Holliday
as John, and featured Grover Dale
, Sheila Forbes, Edith Day
, John Hewer
, Stella Moray
and Tony Adams
. The musical was then produced in Melbourne
in 1963, starring Maggie Fitzgibbon
.
It was revived at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking
, England in 1998. A staged concert version was performed at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall
in November 1999, starring Stritch and directed by Gerald Gutierrez
. A concert version played in July 2008 at Sadler's Wells' Lilian Baylis Theatre
, directed by Ian Marshall Fisher in the Lost Musicals series, starring Penny Fuller
as Mimi, Vivienne Martin as Mrs. Van Mier, and Rupert Young as John.
Not only did Coward write the book, music and lyrics, and also direct the show, he even designed the show poster. Some of the well-known songs include "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" "Useless, Useful Phrases", "The Customer’s Always Right" and the title song. The song "Sail Away" was first used by Coward in his 1950 musical Ace of Clubs
.
onboard the British luxury cruise ship Carolonia, bound for a Mediterranean cruise. Mimi is middle-aged and divorced. The younger Johnny Van Mier romances Mimi. During the course of their ship romance, they have to deal with annoying and troublesome passengers such as the Sweeneys. The Sweeneys confide that their long marriage is because they dislike each other ("The Bronxville Darby and Joan").
Act II
A song titled "The Bronxville Darby and Joan" was added for the London production.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with a book, music and lyrics by Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
. The show was the last musical for which Coward wrote both the book and music, although he wrote the music for one last "book" musical in 1963. The story centers around brash, bold American divorcee Mimi Paragon, working as a hostess on a British cruise ship. The musical ran on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
(1961) and in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
(1962) and has been revived since.
Background
Elaine StritchElaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
started in the show in a "relatively minor role and was only promoted over the title and given virtually all the best songs when it was reckoned that the leading lady...although excellent, was rather too operatic for a musical comedy." During out-of-town tryouts in Boston, Coward was "unsure about the dramatic talents" of one of the leads, opera singer Jean Fenn
Jean Fenn
Jean Fenn is an American soprano who had an active opera career in North America during the 1950s through the 1970s. An attractive blond with a statuesque figure, Fenn was a disciplined, well-schooled singer with an excellent technique, wide range, and a highly polished sound...
. "They were, after all, engaged for their voices and...it is madness to expect two singers to play subtle 'Noel Coward' love scenes with the right values and sing at the same time." Joe Layton
Joe Layton
Joe Layton was an American director and choreographer known primarily for his work on Broadway.-Biography:Born Joseph Lichtman in Brooklyn, New York, Layton began his career as a dancer in Wonderful Town , and he appeared uncredited in the ensemble of the original live TV production of Rodgers and...
suggested "What would happen if ...we just eliminated [Fenn's] role and gave everything to Stritch? ...The show was very old-fashioned, and the thing that was working was Elaine Stritch...every time she went on stage [she] was a sensation. The reconstructed 'Sail Away'...opened in New York on 3 October."
According to Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
, "Coward wrote in his diary that Ms. Stritch sang 'so movingly that I almost cried.' He went on to say about making her the show's star: 'There is no doubt about it. I made the right decision.' "
Productions
Sail Away had out-of-town tryouts for three weeks each in Boston and Philadelphia. The show opened on Broadway on October 3, 1961 at the Broadhurst TheatreBroadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
and closed on February 24, 1962 after 167 performances. Directed by Coward, Joe Layton choreographed, with scenic design by Oliver Smith
Oliver Smith
Oliver Prince Smith was a General in the United States Marine Corps and a highly decorated combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War...
, costumes by Helene Pons and Oliver Smith, and lighting by Peggy Clark. The original Broadway cast starred Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
as Mimi Paragon, James Hurst as John Van Mier, and Margalo Gillmore
Margalo Gillmore
Margaret Lorraine "Margalo" Gillmore was an English American film, stage and television actress....
as Mrs. Van Mier.
The show was then staged at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 1962, where it ran for 252 performances,directed by Coward. The original London cast starred Stritch and David Holliday
David Holliday
David Holliday was an American broadway actor and voice actor.Holliday's longest-running role on Broadway was that of Richard Kiley's alternate as Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, being Don Quixote in matinees and Dr Carrasco in the evening performances, from 1965 to 1971...
as John, and featured Grover Dale
Grover Dale
Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer and theatre director.-Early years:Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur, and Emma Bertha Ammon...
, Sheila Forbes, Edith Day
Edith Day
Edith Day was an American actress best known for her roles in musicals.-Life and career:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Day made her Broadway debut in Pom-pom in 1916...
, John Hewer
John Hewer
John Hewer was an English actor. He was born in Leyton, London.A stalwart of London's Players Theatre throughout his career, he appeared in many musical theatrical productions, including Sail Away and Six of One in London's West End theatre, but the highlight of his theatrical career was starring...
, Stella Moray
Stella Moray
Stella Moray was an English character actress who appeared on stage, film, and television in dramas, comedies, and soap operas....
and Tony Adams
Tony Adams (actor)
Tony Adams is a Welsh actor, best known for his performances in two British television soap operas.Adams was born in Anglesey, Wales, and he trained as an actor at the Italia Conti Stage School...
. The musical was then produced in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1963, starring Maggie Fitzgibbon
Maggie Fitzgibbon
Maggie Fitzgibbon, an Australian actress and singer, was born in Melbourne on 30 January 1929. Coming from a show-business family, Maggie is the sister of the late Smacka Fitzgibbon. She began her career as operatic soprano Margaret Fitzgibbon with the Tivoli Circuit in 1946 before graduating to...
.
It was revived at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre in Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, England in 1998. A staged concert version was performed at Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in November 1999, starring Stritch and directed by Gerald Gutierrez
Gerald Gutierrez
Gerald Gutierrez was an American Tony Award-winning stage- and film director.-External links:...
. A concert version played in July 2008 at Sadler's Wells' Lilian Baylis Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
, directed by Ian Marshall Fisher in the Lost Musicals series, starring Penny Fuller
Penny Fuller
Penny Fuller is an American actress.Born in Durham, North Carolina, Fuller attended Northwestern University in Illinois. She then went to New York City to make a name for herself on Broadway...
as Mimi, Vivienne Martin as Mrs. Van Mier, and Rupert Young as John.
Not only did Coward write the book, music and lyrics, and also direct the show, he even designed the show poster. Some of the well-known songs include "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" "Useless, Useful Phrases", "The Customer’s Always Right" and the title song. The song "Sail Away" was first used by Coward in his 1950 musical Ace of Clubs
Ace of Clubs (musical)
Ace of Clubs is a 1950 musical written, composed and directed by Noël Coward. The show is set in a 1949 London nightclub called "Ace of Clubs". Nightclub singer Pinkie Leroy falls in love with a sailor. Pinkie and her lover get mixed up with gangsters, a lost package and a missing diamond necklace...
.
Plot
Mimi Paragon is the American cruise directorCruise director
A cruise director is a high ranking officer of a cruise ship, usually reporting to the Executive Purser. The cruise director has responsibility for all onboard hospitality, entertainment and social events and usually has a deputy or assistant cruise director, supported by a team of entertainment...
onboard the British luxury cruise ship Carolonia, bound for a Mediterranean cruise. Mimi is middle-aged and divorced. The younger Johnny Van Mier romances Mimi. During the course of their ship romance, they have to deal with annoying and troublesome passengers such as the Sweeneys. The Sweeneys confide that their long marriage is because they dislike each other ("The Bronxville Darby and Joan").
Songs
Act I- "Come to Me" – Mimi Paragon and Stewards
- "Sail Away" – John Van Mier
- "Where Shall I Find Him?" – Nancy Foyle
- "Beatnik Love Affair" – Barnaby Slade, Nancy and the Passengers
- "Later Than Spring" – John
- "The Passenger’s Always Right" – Joe and Stewards
- "Useless, Useful Phrases" – Mimi
- "Go Slow, Johnny" – John
- "You’re a Long, Long Way from America" – Mimi and Company
Act II
- "The Customer’s Always Right" – Ali and the Arabs
- "Something Very Strange" – Mimi
- "The Little Ones’ ABC" – Mimi, Alvin Lush and the Children
- "Don’t Turn Away from Love" – John
- "When You Want Me" – Barnaby and Nancy
- "Why Do the Wrong People Travel" – Mimi
- "When You Want Me" (Reprise) – The Company
A song titled "The Bronxville Darby and Joan" was added for the London production.