Review: MAIDEN VOYAGE, Southwark Playhouse Elephant
Photo credit: Pamela Raith
Maiden Voyage sets sail with ambition, promising a rousing tale of female empowerment, high-seas adventure, and underdog triumph. Inspired by real events, the musical charts the journey of Tracy Edwards and the first all-female crew to compete in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race.
To begin with the positives: the set design is imaginative, filled with sails, ropes and cleverly integrated video projections. The maps projected onto the stage evoke more atmosphere than the CGI ocean, with the pastel-toned costume design adding a visual flair. At the centre of the show is Chelsea Halfpenny, whose energy and enthusiasm as Tracy carries much of the production.
Carmel Dean’s score is repetitive but finds some moments of inspiration, especially when the full company comes together for soaring ensemble numbers like ‘Approaching Australia’. Unfortunately, Mindi Dickstein’s lyrics are often flat, leaving many songs feeling forgettable, despite the cast’s obvious vocal talent.
Where the production falters most is in its book and character development. The dialogue is often awkward and glib, with few moments of genuine emotion. One rare exception comes when the crew learns over the radio that a rival sailor has died after falling overboard. It’s a moment that hints at the emotional stakes the show could have explored more deeply.
There is far too much exposition, especially early on, and one wonders whether the piece might be better served beginning with the team assembled and the race already underway. And while the piece celebrates female perseverance, the early revelation that the voyage is being bankrolled by King Hussein of Jordan (Shahaf Iftar) undercuts the narrative of self-made triumph. Even in a dramatic storm scene, when Tracy must navigate treacherous waters, her decisive action comes only after a vision of the King guides her, which undermines the overall message of the piece.
One of the biggest problems with Maiden Voyage is the neglect for character development, particularly those women who supported Tracy with her endeavour. A story about women undertaking something unprecedented together should be rich in character dynamics and personal motivations but here, every character feels like a caricature. A line about Tracy being “bitch of the leg” is allowed to hang awkwardly in the air, emblematic of the production’s struggles to define tone or depth.
The male characters fare no better. The team’s manager Howard (Dan Robinson) fails to deliver much-needed comic relief, and the journalists, though intended as satire, come across as tired clichés. A musical number branding the crew as “tarts” falls flat, neither sharp enough to be biting nor clever enough to be funny.
Tara Overfield Wilkinson’s direction and choreography is equally underwhelming. Aside from one inventive number involving crew members passing buckets in rhythm, the choreography lacks variation, largely relying on the cast rocking back and forth. The direction also leans too heavily on broad comedy that rarely lands.
Ultimately, this musical never quite finds its course. Though the cast gives it their all, audiences may well feel cheated that it never really scratched beneath the surface of the story. Maiden Voyage just never catches light, musically or narratively and, as a whole, feels flat when it ought to have been rousing.
** Two stars
Reviewed by: Tom Ambrose
Maiden Voyage plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 23rd August, with further information here.
