Book and Lyrics: Mindi Dickstein
Music: Carmel Dean
Director: Tara Overfield Wilkinson
Life on the ocean has never been rendered more gently than in Maiden Voyage, the new musical currently playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Based on the first all-female crew to sail across the world in the prestigious Whitbread Race in 1989/90, Mindi Dickstein and Carmel Dean’s show features a couple of nice songs, but there is little drama over the 27,000 miles.
This lack of propulsion and a further lack of variation in the music make Maiden Voyage seem longer than its 90-minute running time, not helped by a 20-minute delay to proceedings on press night. It takes so long for the women to hit the water that you can’t wait for the race to begin, but once it starts, it becomes clear that the preparations for the competition are more interesting than the voyage itself.
After working as a cook on the King of Jordan’s yacht, Tracy Edwards decides that she wants to skipper a crew of female sailors to take part in the race around the world held every few years. As the King points out to her, Tracy’s experience is limited, and we later discover that Tracy can’t even swim. But with her friend Jo and manager Howard, they somehow find the money to rebuild a yacht and fund the trip.
Dickstein and Dean capture the sense of ebbing and flowing in their songs, but the slower ones sound too similar, and the lyrics and most of the dialogue are full of platitudes like “go forward”, “find your stride”, and other ideas about self-discovery. Fortunately, the jolly Wanted: Girl Sailors livens things up a bit as Tracy, Jo, and Howard advertise for crew members.
The other stand-out song is Approaching Australia, where each of the sailors has their own lines, and the singing is clear, featuring some lovely harmonies. But perhaps there are too many ensemble pieces in such a short show, reducing their impact. Interspersed among these songs are ones by male reporters who take glee in calling the Maiden’s crew “tarts”, but these comical songs just feel like filler.
As Tracy, Chelsea Halfpenny is in great voice, but her character lacks depth; we don’t really get a sense of her or her ambition at all. There is solid support from Naomi Alade, who plays Tracy’s best friend Jo, the Maiden’s cook. Sam DeFeo has fun playing the rowdy New Zealander while Daniel Robinson oddly appears to channel Norman Wisdom – hands always on the small of his back – in his portrayal of the hectic Howard.
Jack Baxter’s video design places us and the actors in the middle of the sea, and there are some handy maps, too, charting the journey of the Maiden. The stage is awash with ropes and sails, but nevertheless, there’s little adventure here. This musical is stuck in the doldrums.
Runs until 23 August 2025
