42nd Street Moon Presents SAIL AWAY, Now thru 11/15

42nd Street Moon, San Francisco's oldest resident professional musical theatre company, opens its 23rd season with Noel Coward's penultimate musical, the sparkling high seas comedy SAIL AWAY. Although this saucy look at travelers on a Mediterranean cruise opened on Broadway in 1961 and the West End in 1962, it has never been fully staged on the West Coast, until now. Allison F. Rich (recently seen as "Tracy Harding" in Nick & Nora) will star in the role that made Elaine Stritch famous, a brash American ex-actress named Mimi Paragon who works as a cruise director on the British ship S.S. Coronia and finds herself drawn into an affair with one of her passengers. The dazzling, witty score includes "Why Do the Wrong People Travel?," "Sail Away," "Later Than Spring," "Useless Useful Phrases," and "Something Very Strange."

Directed by Artistic Director Greg MacKellan, SAIL AWAY runs tonight, October 28, through November 15, 2015 (Press nights: Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31) at the Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson Street, San Francisco. For tickets (Subscriptions $80-$195/Single tickets $25-$75) or more information, the public may call (415) 255-8207 or visit www.42ndstmoon.org.

This nautical jaunt takes sail with the fashionably late entrance of Mimi Paragon, who breezes onto the S.S. Coronia to the delight of fawning crew members and passengers. Though she is ambivalent about most of the eccentric passengers on her tour, she plays the part of convivial hostess so well that she catches the eye of the young and handsome Johnny Van Mier. Their light-hearted flirtation builds with the tides of the ocean, both enlivened and hindered by a quirky cast of characters including Johnny's meddlesome mother and a famous and eccentric romance novelist.

SAIL AWAY opened October 3, 1961 at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York, receiving acclaim for its spirited and inventive score as well as the show-stoppingly hilarious performance from Elaine Stritch. The show ran for several months, and then transferred to the West End in 1962, and Sydney in 1963. Elaine Stritch led a concert revival in NY in 1999, and it was also presented in concert in Los Angeles in 2008.

Noel Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise." SAIL AWAY was the last musical for which he wrote both book and music, and his first written explicitly for an American audience. Many of his plays, such as Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Present Laughter and Blithe Spirit, have remained mainstays of the theatrical cannon. Among many other accolades, Coward won an Honorary Academy Award for his naval drama, In Which We Serve, and was knighted in 1969. In 2006, the former Albery Theatre (originally the New Theatre) in London was renamed the Noel Coward Theatre in his honor.

Bay Area favorite Allison F. Rich stars as Mimi Paragon. She has previously appeared on the Moon stage in I Married an Angel, Painting the Clouds with Sunshine, Call Me Madam, and most recently Nick & Nora. Other recent credits include The Addams Family and Venus in Fur at San Jose Stage Company. Lucas Coleman will star opposite Rich as Johnny Van Mier, her love interest. Coleman starred as the title character in 42nd Street Moon's It's A Bird...It's A Plane...It's Superman," and has been seen in productions throughout Southern California including Musical Theatre West's production of Sunset Boulevard and La Jolla Playhouse's production of Accomplice.

Additional high-spirited passengers include Andy Collins as Joe, Khalia Davis as Nancy Foyle, Nathaniel Rothrock as Barnaby Slade, Michael Gaffney as Shuttleworth/Sir Gerald, Lucinda Hitchcock-Cone as Evelyn Van Mier, Darlene Popovic as Eleanor Spencer-Bollard, Jordan Martin as Alvin Lush, Ashley Garlick as Alvin's Mother, Kate Cooper as Mamie Candijack, Maria Mikheyenko as Lady Millicent Nutfield, and Davern Wright as Brewster/Edgar Candijack. Musical direction is by Dave Dobrusky, and Brittany Danielle will choreograph.

42nd Street Moon Artistic Director Greg MacKellan will direct this production of SAIL AWAY. A veteran musical theatre writer, director, performer, and producer, his producing credits in New York and Los Angeles include The Baker's Wife, a musical he developed in collaboration with Stephen Schwartz and Joseph Stein. In addition to his work on dozens of 42nd Street Moon productions, Mr. MacKellan has served as director and writer in more than fifteen revues for various Bay Area groups

For 23 years, 42nd Street Moon has celebrated and preserved the art and spirit of the American Musical Theatre. To contribute to the evolution and continuing vitality of the art form, 42nd Street Moon presents intimately produced performances of classic and rarely performed musical works. Through its productions, educational programs, and community outreach, 42nd Street Moon is committed to increasing the awareness and appreciation of the rich heritage and cultural perspective of the musical theatre and its vast influence on the world stage.

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