Sailing in on waves of light and laughter
The bubbly musical Sail Away, written by the incomparably witty Noel Coward, opened at 42nd Street Moon’s The Eureka Theater this past weekend. The theater and production are modest affairs, but that only adds to their charm. The actors who played the range of roles from the adolescent monster Alvin Lush to the back-up chorus of cruise ship swabbies to the ever optimistic lead Mimi Paragon, are all “on” – energetic, joyful and blessed with wonderful comedic timing. They never stop projecting the sense that they are having a great time performing this play and entertaining you, the viewer.
Sail Away was one of Coward’s last plays, and was essentially a star vehicle for an actress that Coward admired, Elaine Stritch. Her role is that of a beset entertainment director on a ship heading for the Mediterranean from New York. Mimi (Allison F. Rich) is a failed actress, but not a failed humanist. She shepherds her difficult flock with the equanimity of a saint, though a cheekily outspoken and wisecracking version of a saint.
The musical, however, is a standard romance: there are two couples who are destined to discover and fulfill their attraction. Barnaby Slade (Nathaniel Rothrock), a young single Californian (I ask you, have you ever met a Californian named Barnaby?) who falls for the inept young secretary Nancy Foyle (Khalia Davis). Rothrock and Davis are perfect in their roles – fresh, eager, innocent – and perform delightful song-and-dance numbers together.
The second and less predictable, but central, romance is between Mimi and Johnny Van Mier (Lucas Coleman), a 28-year-old who has taken a shine to Mimi, woman of a certain age. Her ethical niceness is further revealed in her negotiations with young Johnny. The development, if there is one, of the play is the persuasion of Mimi that age is not a factor in the realm of the heart.
Both Coleman and Rich are excellent singers. The former, a swoon-for tenor. And Rich, a belter without the stridence.
One of the plusses of the production is that there are no attempts to modulate or improve the acoustics, which are fine to begin with. What we hear are the actors’ voices. No electronics intercede and, since the actors have pleasant voices and good musical chops, this is a plus and a relief. They are backed up by a sterling band of two: Nick Di Scala on woodwinds and Music Director Dave Dobrusky at the keyboard. Proving how much two instrumentalists can achieve.
Supporting the romantic couples is a host of eccentrics, excellently achieved by the cast. And here is what divides Sail Away and Noel Coward from the many romantic comedies that pass through our lives (real and theatrical). Sure, the characters are stereotypes. But the language they use is inimitable.
The verbal wit that Coward douses us with achieves a lightness that is both playful and original. The novelist Elinor Spencer-Bollard, splendidly performed by Darlene Popovic, spouts literary references that are simultaneously shimmering and goofy. Two of the cleverer songs are on the fallibility of language. Mimi’s tribute to travel language guidebooks, “Useless Useful Phrases”, basically a patter song, is sunny in the accuracy of its absurdity. And “The Little One’s ABC”, sung by Mimi and Alvin, terror of the adults, mocks children’s abecedaries: “A. Stands for Absolutely Anything./ B. Stands for Big Brass Bands,/ C. Stands for Chlorophyll,/ D. Stands for Dexamil,/ E. Stands for Endocrine Glands.”
Honestly, how can you beat that?
– Jaime Robles
Sail Away continues at 42nd Street Moon’s The Eureka Theater until November 15. For tickets and information, visit www.42ndstmoon.org/sail-away.
Photo: Allison F. Rich as Mimi Paragon. Photo by David Allen.