Review: Maiden Voyage (Southwark Playhouse Elephant)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️

A new musical is making its maiden voyage in London with the world premiere of the fittingly named Maiden Voyage in a limited run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Coinciding with the Lionesses' Euro 2025 win in a case of perfect timing, would it be smooth sailing for this historical reminder of women making waves decades earlier, or would turbulent tides sink its debut?

Maiden Voyage tells the true story of the first all-female crew who sailed around the world in the biannual “Round The World Whitbread Race” from 1989 - 1990. Led by Tracy Edwards and featuring a crew of women from around the world, the musical charts the highs and lows spent on board the “Maiden”.

Reading up on Maiden Voyage in the programme after, the writers mention their aim to write about women facing challenges, and thought this true story would be the perfect fit. Unless I am mistaken, I don’t believe anyone involved in the original story has been involved with this musical. That isn’t a necessity, of course, and the writers do mention that liberties have been taken with the creation of characters and timelines, creating what they call a work of fiction. The question of is this a true story or a work of fiction is part of what makes the narrative of Maiden Voyage so confusing, leaving me wondering how this story came together and what was done in preparation for it.

I’m not saying any writer needs to do an abundance of research before attempting to put on a show, but if your subject is a true story, you would expect a certain level to be carried out, and it does feel like not enough was done in this case. Maiden Voyage gets lost along the way in a story that feels jumbled, not having a clear beginning, middle, and end. The writing lets the story down significantly, with one-dimensional characters and unnatural dialogue, giving a sense of inauthenticity to the story, with a real lack of subtlety found throughout. There seemed to be a struggle in writing these characters with no motivations explored when it comes to the lead, Tracy, and a particular low when amplifying misogynistic caricature male reporters. The tone also gets lost, with several attempts at comedy falling flat and an overall lack of energy.

The songs fare slightly better, with ‘Move Forward’ a potential highlight in need of a few tweaks, and closing number ‘Make Waves’ the strongest of the lot, showing the clear talent the writers have. The music does run the risk of getting repetitive, however, and merges into each other, so the only distinction of when one number stops is the return of the sudden and jarring dialogue. The lyrics are also in need of tightening up with an overuse of rhymes, no matter how clumsily they fit in lessening the impact of these numbers.

An admirable set design transforms the stage into the ship with some simple but satisfying transformations. This is elevated by an impressive use of video design from Jack Baxter, almost immersing you on the open seas. Not every design element worked as well, unfortunately, with this particular performance plagued by sound problems, making it difficult to hear certain performers frequently. As much as I appreciated the set design, I did get the overwhelming sense that it didn’t quite fit into this particular venue, not making full use of the space available to it or the challenges if performing to an audience surrounding the stage - the show may prove stronger in a different-shaped venue,

Part of that is down to the direction - an element I felt was in serious need of tightening up. Actors looked lost on stage at times, as if they hadn’t been given enough notes on what to do when they’re not speaking. The way they conveyed their lines lacked conviction, with no cast member coming off unscathed because of this - an issue I felt was far more representative of the direction than the clearly talented performers themselves. As charming as it was for cast members to walk around the audience handing out miniature flags for everyone to wave at several points throughout the show, it gave me the sense that I was watching a school play, and not a professional production on one of the finest off-West End theatres we have in London. There seemed to be a lack of understanding when it came to how to tell this story, particularly when it came to connecting with the audience and allowing themselves to get lost in the story.

Some cast members did manage to break the mould, though all faced challenges through their underwritten characters and questionable direction. Chelsea Halfpenny gave a confident lead performance as Tracy, holding it all together in a charismatic turn that could have benefited from more backstory. Though underused, Laura Tyrer gave a memorable turn as Pat, with talented cast members including Rowan Macpherson, Alex Bowen and Olivia Mitchell all underutilised.

Revisiting history to tell the story of this Maiden crew is a timely story that is full of potential, and one that should indeed be told. The problem is that all potential here has been squandered, and the result is a production that doesn’t do justice to these trailblazing women. In its current form, Maiden Voyage is not ready to be seen by the public and is in need of a lot more exploration to allow it to get to the level several promising moments throughout suggested it could reach. If this is going to be based on a true story, the women at the heart of this story need to be studied in further detail, though if the desire is to make this more a work of fiction, those lines need to be clearly drawn to prevent this feeling as incohesive as it is in its current form. There is a good musical in here somewhere - this has just been teething problems on the first leg of their run. By working together, I have no doubt they can enjoy a much better finish when it comes to the next leg. However, it is in desperate need of more power if Maiden Voyage wants to stay afloat.

Maiden Voyage plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 23rd August. Tickets from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/maiden-voyage/

Photos by Pamela Raith