Sail Away was presented just a few weeks ago as a concert staged reading, a total of four Equity performances done by Musical Theater Guild (in Glendale, Thousand Oaks, and Long Beach, CA). (Only the second American production since its Broadway run.) The cast included Mary Van Arsdel (Mimi) as well as Broadway's Kevin Earley (shown with me after the Long Beach performance in my current avatar) as love interest Johnny and Susan Watson (the original Kim in Bye Bye Birdie!) as his mother. It was an excellent production which received a rave review from the LA Times. By the way, it was licenced by Bonard Productions, Inc. (The CD is available through Amazon.com.)
Here are the program notes by Les Traub:
After runs in Boston and Philadelphia, Noel Coward's "Sail Away" docked at the Broadhurst Theater in New York on October 3, 1961. During most of its out of town run the show had two leading ladies-a romantic and a comic one. Coward felt that the plot revolving around the romantic lead wasn't working and that the audience seemed to perk up during numbers by the comic lead, Elaine Stritch. While in Philadelphia, within a few short weeks of the Broadway opening, Coward dismissed leading lady, operatic soprano Jean Fenn. He proceeded with a major rewrite of the book while still in performance, combining the two leads into one. Now Stritch got the ballads, later remarking that it was the first time she ever got the laughs and the guy.
The title song "Sail Away" was actually taken from a 1950 Coward musical called" Ace of Clubs." The show was originally called "Later Than Spring," but the new title reflected the attitude of all of the musical's principal characters. This was the first Coward musical to be staged in America prior to its London run. Garnering mixed reviews, the show ran for 167 performances in New York and then went on to a London run of about six months. Stritch and Grover Dale repeated their roles in the London production.
America's first revival of "Sail Away" was a concert version at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 1999, for Noel Coward's centenary. Elaine Stritch recreated the role that made her a star. Tonight's production is the second. Apparently its only other worldwide productions were a 1963 Australian one in Melbourne and a 1998 revival in Woking, England. Tonight's script is from the Carnegie Hall concert version which restores a song cut from the Broadway run called "Bronxville Darby and Joan." It was felt that the Darby and Joan reference (a devoted couple in an 18th century ballad) would not be understood by an American audience.
The show's Broadway and London cast albums have been released on CD, as well as a recording of Noel Coward singing the "Sail Away" score accompanied by Peter Matz on piano. Coward was unhappy with the Broadway cast album and asked Matz to quickly do arrangements so he could record the score to his liking. One of his complaints had to do with censorship. In today's world of CD parental guidance labels as to language, it is difficult to think back to a time when the line from the song "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?" '...up to its ass in molten lava' comes out on the recording as 'up to its (blip) in molten lava.' This evening presents "Sail Away" with every delicious Coward lyric. It's quite a feast.
Updated On: 5/9/05 at 02:14 AM
