''Free as Air'' is a musical with lyrics by

Dorothy Reynolds Dorothy Reynolds (26 January 1913 – 7 April 1977) was a British writer and actress. She is mainly known for writing a number of musicals in collaboration with Julian Slade. The best known were ''Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean ...

and

Julian Slade Julian Penkivil Slade (28 May 1930 – 17 June 2006) was an English writer of musical theatre, best known for the show ''Salad Days'', which he wrote in six weeks in 1954, and which became the UK's longest-running show of the 1950s, with over ...

and music by Julian Slade. They are the same team responsible for the much better known musical ''

Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...

'', although ''Free as Air'' is said to be "more slick and professional by some critics". The musical is still performed, particularly by amateur companies with large casts and choruses.

Production

''Free as Air'' opened at the Opera House in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

before moving to the West End at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

on 6 June 1957, where it ran for 417 performances, quite a good run at that time.listing at guidetomusicaltheatre.com
accessed February 26, 2009 The musical was directed by Denis Carey. The original cast recording plus bonus tracks is available on CD from Sepia records.
sepiarecords.com Among the cast were

Gerald Harper Gerald Harper (born 15 February 1931) is an English actor, best known for his work on television, having played the title roles in ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' (1966–67) and '' Hadleigh'' (1969–76). He then returned to his main love, the theatre. ...

and

Gillian Lewis Gillian Lewis (born 1935) is an English character actress who, after a varied stage career in the 1950s and early '60s, appeared in a number of television drama series until the late 1970s. Her best known roles were probably as the runaway heir ...

, both of whom later became well known on television, and

Patricia Bredin Patricia Bredin (born 14 February 1935) is an English actress and one-time singer, who is best known as the first representative of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. She took part in the 1957 contest, held in Frankfurt and fini ...

who, also in 1957, represented the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. ''Free as Air'' is an original story of two days in May on Terhou, a minor "and totally fictitious"

Channel Island The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

, based on Jethou, the private island leased at the time by

Compton Mackenzie Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish independence, Scottish nation ...

Synopsis

The islanders arise early to prepare for their annual Independence Day (''I'm Up Early''). They discover there is no young lady to be the Queen in their Coronation Ceremony because everyone has played the part before. Parliament (Lord Paul, Mr Mutch, Mr Potter) proposes a new law but the members are glad of an excuse to stop work (''Let The Grass Grow''). The Terhou boat returns from its monthly visit to the mainland bringing the usual imports—and a stranger, Geraldine (''Nothing But Sea and Sky''). The Islanders meet her and unload the boat (''The Boat's In''). Geraldine is welcomed as a possible solution to the coronation problem but her presence disturbs Molly, an island girl. Molly gazes past the horizon and yearns for a man as handsome as Geraldine is beautiful (''A Man From The Mainland''). Albert, Lord Paul's nephew, shows Geraldine round the island. She tells him she is wealthy and has run away from a suitor, Jack Amersham, and from the paparazzi, which have made her unwillingly famous. The Islanders legally adopt her and teach her the Coronation song (''Free As Air''). Geraldine feels safe but on Jersey her absence has been discovered by Jack Amersham and by Ivy Crush, the press reporter who has been detailed to shadow her. Jack lightly mourns Geraldine’s escape and of all the other girls in his life (Her Mummy Doesn't Like Me Any More). Meanwhile, Lord Paul has run away in a frenzy to Jersey: he has tried to propose to Miss Catamole and been laughed at and humiliated. Easy prey, he is persuaded to take Jack and Ivy to Terhou. Geraldine's privacy and the peace of Terhou are threatened (''The Girl From London''). The Island girls, led by Molly, fall in love with Jack on sight (''A Man From The Mainland''). Geraldine tells Jack she can never marry him and there is a gently growing sympathy between her and Albert (''I'd Like To Be Like You''). Lord Paul, captivated by Ivy's admiration of him, shows her round the Island. The Islanders sing her a folk song which tells the story of the Roman occupation (''Testudo''). Jack half-responds to Molly's uninhibited advances and consents to take her to London (''I've Got My Feet On The Ground''). Ivy almost persuades the Islanders to turn Terhou into a lucrative pleasure resort; Geraldine, Jack and Albert point out what their life would be like (''Holiday Island'') and the Islanders realise that Ivy is a menace and imprison her. But it is too late: she reveals that she has already reported to her newspaper and Geraldine, broken-hearted, leaves the island to save it from publicity. She meets the reporters on

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

(''Geraldine''). The islanders appear, posing as Geraldine's relations among whom she has divided her money. The reporters think she is now penniless and lose interest. Geraldine is safe to return to Terhou. Mr. Potter, coached by Geraldine, has proposed to Miss Catamole after fifteen years' procrastination (''We're Holding Hands''). Ivy is forgiven and consents to marry Lord Paul. The Coronation Ceremony takes place with Geraldine as Queen (''Terhou''). Molly, after a glimpse of the mainland, decides to stay where she is; Jack leaves Terhou on his own.

Musical numbers

* I'm Up Early (Molly and Islanders) * Let The Grass Grow (Mutch, Potter and Lord Paul) * Nothing But Sea And Sky (Geraldine) * The Boat's In (Islanders) * A Man From The Mainland (Molly) * Free As Air (Albert, Geraldine and Islanders) * Daily Echo (high) * Her Mummy Doesn't Like Me Any More (Jack and Chorus) * The Girl From London (The Company) * A Man From The Mainland (Reprise) (The Company) ;Act 2 * A Man From The Mainland (Reprise) (Molly, Jack and Island Girls) * I'd Like To Be Like You (Albert and Geraldine) * Testudo (Mutch, Molly, Bindweed and Islanders) * Feet On The Ground (Molly and Jack) * Holiday Island (Ivy, Geraldine, Jack, Albert and Islanders) * Geraldine (The Reporters) * Free to Sing (Reprise) (Chorus) * We're Holding Hands (Potter and Miss Catamole) * Terhou (Molly and Company) * Finale and Reprises (The Company)

Original Cast

* Molly -

* Mr Mutch - Roy Godfrey * Mr Potter -

Howard Goorney Howard Jacob Goorney (11 May 1921 – 29 March 2007) was a British actor who starred in such programmes as ''Only Fools and Horses''. He was one of the founder members of Joan Littlewood's 'Theatre Workshop', and wrote ''The Theatre Workshop Story ...

* Miss Catamole - Dorothy Reynolds * Lord Paul Posthumous -

Michael Aldridge Michael William ffolliott Aldridge (9 September 1920 – 10 January 1994) was an English actor. He was known for playing Seymour Utterthwaite in the television series ''Last of the Summer Wine'' from 1986 to 1990 and he had a long career as a ...

* Albert Posthumous - John Trevor * Bindweed – Vincent Charles * Gregory - Donald Bradley * Connie - Joyce Carpenter * Tom Ferrier - Bill Tasker * Geraldine Melford -

* Ivy Crush –

Josephine Tewson Josephine Ann Tewson (26 February 1931 – 18 August 2022) was an English actress, best known for her roles in British television sitcoms, such as Edna Hawkins ("Mrs H") in '' Shelley'', Elizabeth "Liz" Warden in ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1 ...

* Jack Amersham –

* Reporters – Malcolm Farquhar, Len Rossiter, Raymond Parks

References

{{reflist

External links

listing
guidetomusicaltheatre.com

playbill.com, Oct 28, 2007 * ttp://www.filmreference.com/film/73/Julian-Slade.html Slade biofilmreference.com 1957 musicals West End musicals Original musicals British musicals