Maiden Voyage

The Majestic Theatre | April 2-6, 2025 |Tickets here

Reviewed by Nicole Haldoupis

As I walked home from the Majestic Theatre in St. John’s on the frigid opening night of Maiden Voyage, I found myself humming about that no-good Willie Taylor. Specifically, the version of the traditional folk song by the Once. Dally dilly dum dilly dum dum dum dum. If you’ve heard the song, you know how this story ends. But we in town are fortunate enough to watch the journey unfold onstage. 

The musical begins with the impressive three-piece band—Joel Stead on bodhran/mandolin, Nick Corcoran on guitar, and Sandy Gow on fiddle—luring the audience into the world of Sally Grey (Mallory Clarke). Sally lurches up in a bed shared with her mother (Amelia Manuel) and her sister Frances (Julia Quinton), unable to contain her excitement for her wedding later that day. A wedding dress hung on a coat rack off to the side waiting to be filled, a spirit summoning a body. The relationship between the two sisters is quickly established by relentless teasing and bickering as their mother impatiently pleads with them to cherish their last night together as a family of three. 

When morning comes, Sally sneaks a visit to her true love, Willie Taylor (Andrew Preston), before they make their way to the church. She pleads for him to keep his eyes to himself, because of course the groom seeing the bride on the morning of their wedding is bad luck. Willie suggests a blindfolded kiss, and insists that Sally blindfold herself, too. Their chemistry is palpable, their cheeky flirtation infectious as they glide across the stage and reach for each other, guided only by their voices. He cheats at his own game and peeks at her, a blindfolded Sally unaware that he broke the one rule she asked him to follow. 

After the fateful wedding scene, when Willie is taken by the press gang at the altar to fight at sea, the journey begins. Clarke’s depiction of Sally through their incredible acting and singing (not to mention songwriting!) is exceptional, and to be able to witness it live onstage is an extraordinary experience. The audience is devastated right along with Sally at the sudden loss of her true love, at the hopelessness of the situation. The love between sisters, between mother and daughters, is heartbreaking as they try to help her carry on through the bleakness. 

The catalyst of what comes next, the instigator of the plan, is Frances—Sally’s sister. Playful and mischievous, and the depiction of the nuanced and complicated relationship between sisters seemingly effortless, Quinton’s performance throughout the show is incredible. I haven’t been able to find Frances featured in any versions of the song, but she plays a pivotal role in this musical. She is the inspiration. Without her, there would be no story. She inspires and supports Sally in her quest to get her true love back. Together, the two sisters head to the local brothel to acquire some men’s clothes so Sally can enlist and head to sea to find her dear Willie Taylor. 

One of my favourite scenes in the show takes place in the brothel (ahem, prayer house). The clever ensemble of sex workers (Bailey Jackson, Joel Stead, and Emma Anderson) transforms Sally and teaches her how to be a man. Here, the gender-bending—one of the most fun aspects of this show—begins to take shape. Sally (disguised as Sol, the nineteen-year-old man) tricks the recruiting officer into allowing her to enlist, and boards the ship to begin her search. She must find her sea legs, and she does so with the help of her new friend, Kip (Michael Power): for walking on deck is no different than dancing. Power’s portrayal of this character—a seasoned sailor who reveals his secret queerness to Sol as their friendship blossoms—is endearing, authentic, and so charming. Over the course of their year at sea, Sol finds ways to be a useful sailor and contribute to the crew, depicted by the talented ensemble. She teaches the other sailors how to braid rope, which she secretly learned from braiding hair. Sol, and their expertise at this gendered skill, saves the day when they try to claim an enemy ship taking on water but all of their rope has been burned in the battle. 

I won’t tell you how it ends in case you want to wait for the show, but if you do want to know, go listen to the song. 

I was left speechless after watching Maiden Voyage. “It’s so good, it’s so good,” is all I could repeat to everyone I came across at the Majestic after the show let out. This show is flawless, the masterful acting throughout deeply affecting. Infused with queerness, humour, and betrayal, I can’t stop thinking about it. The transformation of the set throughout the show—from bedroom, to church, to brothel, to ship, to port—is seamless and striking, and the lighting throughout is expert. If you didn’t get a chance to see it in Trinity last summer—and even if you did—you absolutely must take this opportunity to see the remounting. I am planning to see it again before the weekend is through. Stunning direction of the remount by Allison Kelly (originally directed by Meghan Greeley), book by Meghan Greeley, and music by Mallory Clarke, we in St. John’s have been truly blessed that Maiden Voyage has come to town. This show is a gift, a delectable treat for the eyes and ears.