Free as Air

Free as Air
Music	Julian Slade
Lyrics	Dorothy Reynolds Julian Slade
Book	Dorothy Reynolds Julian Slade
Productions	1957 West End

Free as Air is a musical with lyrics by Dorothy Reynolds and Julian Slade and music by Julian Slade. They are the same team responsible for the much better known musical Salad Days, 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.

Free as Air opened at the Opera House in Manchester before moving to the West End at the Savoy Theatre on 6 June 1957, where it ran for 417 performances, quite a good run at that time. The musical was directed by Denis Carey. The original cast recording plus bonus tracks is available on CD from Sepia records. Among the cast were Gerald Harper and Gillian Lewis, both of whom later became well known on television, and Patricia Bredin who, also in 1957, represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Free as Air is an original story of two days in May on Terhou, a minor "and totally fictitious" Channel Island, based on Jethou, the private island leased at the time by Compton Mackenzie.

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).

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Wikipedia