Sailor - The Musical Journey

Bill Blenman's "Sailor - The Musical Journey" (2006)
"Sailor - The Musical Journey" was an amateur production written by Bill Blenman with songs by Georg Kajanus.
It happened from 03 July until 08 July 2006 at the Carnegie Hall Dunfermline (near Edinburgh), UK.

The one-off, amateur production for charity of 'Sailor The Musical Journey' by Bill Blenman should not be confused with the totally separate and different Musical called 'Sailor', written by Roberto Trippini and Georg Kajanus with Barbie Wilde, from an original story by Georg Kajanus, lyrics and music by Georg Kajanus. Details about this project can be found on a separate page. Click here!
The rights for the lyrics and music by Georg Kajanus that featured in 'Sailor The Musical Journey' by Bill Blenman are not available for future performance of 'Sailor The Musical Journey'.

Here you can see:

Details about the Musical
Photos from the world premiere of "Sailor - The Musical Journey" on 03 July 2006
Reviews/opinions about "Sailor - The Musical Journey"
Photos all around "Sailor - The Musical Journey" - taken before and after the world premiere

with special thanks to
Bill Blenman, Georg Kajanus and Barbie Wilde and the whole cast and crew of "Sailor - The Musical Journey"!!

Details about "Sailor - The Musical Journey":

"Sailor The Musical Journey" - written by Bill Blenman with songs by Georg Kajanus - was performed at the Carnegie Hall Dunfermline (near Edinburgh), UK from 03 July until 08 July 2006.
This musical has taken over three years to write. Georg Kajanus has given permission for Bill to use two unrecorded tracks for the musical that Georg originally wrote for his very own SAILOR musical in the 80s. The musical contains 21 songs mainly from the first four albums, "Sailor", "Trouble", "The Third Step", and "Checkpoint".
The production company Dream Maker Productions is a charitable company, where all proceeds that are remaining after production expenses have been paid, gets distributed to named charitable organisations. The company does not make any profit from this show. The production is in aid of two very good causes close to Bill Blenman’s heart; The National Kidney Research Fund and MacMillan Cancer Relief.

Story Synopsis of "Sailor - The Musical Journey":

The story is essentially a romance. We meet Robert Leon, a former sailor living near the docks of a French fishing port. Now a lonely inebriate, he spends his life reflecting on the adventures of his past and dwelling on the hopelessness of the present. The chance meeting with a young orphan boy who befriends Robert is the vehicle which allows Robert’s story to unfold. We travel back with Robert to the colourful world of his travelling Matelot days and meet Josephine, the love of his life at a brothel in Copenhagen. We learn of the destruction of the relationship when Josephine travels to East Germany and becomes trapped behind the Iron Curtain and Robert’s vain attempts to rescue her and ultimately Robert’s descent into the oblivion of shore life and alcohol. Life however still has a few surprises for Robert and it is just possible that happiness will not elude him forever……

Set List of "Sailor - The Musical Journey":

ACT 1

The Old Nickelodeon Sound
Sailor
Down By The Docks
Let's Go To Town
The Street
Bumpety Bump *
Sailor's Night On The Town
Romance
One Drink Too Many
Quay Hotel

ACT 2

Josephine Colbert (Josephine Baker)
Give Me La Samba
Two Ladies On The Corner
Stiletto Heels
Blame It On The Soft Spot
Keep Off The Streets At Night
A Woman Like Me *
Checkpoint Charlie
Stay With Me Now
A Glass Of Champagne
Girls Girls Girls

* previously unreleased

Photos from the world premiere of "Sailor - The Musical Journey" on 03 July 2006:

Georg

Georg and Barbie

Katrin and Karsten together with Georg

Georg is presented with a copy of the Bond of Friendship, signed in 1945. Georg's hometown Trondheim in Norway is twinned with Dunfermline where the Musical takes place. The actual presentation took place after the Musical, but this press photo was taken before.

Bill Blenman and Georg Kajanus on stage

"The Old Nickelodeon Sound"

There's a little blind man with a Nickelodeon... ;-) "The Street"

Not the Full Monty... ;-) But "Let's Go To Town"

"Let's Go To Town"

"One Drink Too Many"

Old Robert tells Philippe about his life as a sailor

Old Robert meets his younger self in his memory when telling Philippe about his stay at "Quay Hotel"...

Come, come and see Josephine Colbert...

"Give Me La Samba"

The "Two Ladies On The Corner"

Young Robert with the "Stiletto Heels" girls

"Keep Off The Streets At Night"

Young Robert (David Mutch) during "Checkpoint Charlie"

Young Robert gets arrested at Checkpoint Charlie

Old Robert and Josephine finally enjoy a glass of champagne

Georg on stage with the cast

Georg is presented with a copy of the Bond of Friendship, signed in 1945. Georg's hometown Trondheim in Norway is twinned with Dunfermline where the Musical takes place.

Georg on stage with the cast

Reviews/opinions about "Sailor - The Musical Journey":

Georg Kajanus:
"On opening night, I was confronted with an enormously enthusiastic cast of some considerable size pouring themselves into their parts as if they had become the very characters they were playing. Bill had managed to realize his dream and against all odds, had found the finance to stage his production for a six night run for charity at the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. Considering this was an amateur production, I was very impressed with the quality of the acting, directing, singing, dancing, musical arrangements and the set and costumes.
Georg Kajanus"
Bill Blenman:
"'Sailor - The Musical Journey' is now finished, its World Premiere run, and by all accounts has been acclaimed as a success. The energy and enthusiasm of the cast grow ten fold as the week progressed. 'Sailor - The Musical Journey' has in some respect recreated SAILOR in a new form. The songs that Georg wrote all those years ago now have a new life and are as visual as well as they are brilliant pieces of music.
To see the sheer joy on Georg's face at the end of the show is a memory that will live with me forever. To also see the dedicated SAILOR fans enjoy their favourite music in a new form, show that this was a long but rewarding task. It has been said by many that this show has to be done again but on a bigger stage. Then to that extreme I hope that someone out in the theatre world thinks the same. I know that Georg and Steve Morris think the same and I believe that they will try and promote the show. But what ever happens 'Sailor - The Musical Journey' will be talked about for a long time.
To all that supported this show you have my heart felt gratitude.
We are at the minute in dry dock, till we sail again.
Bill Blenman, Author and Producer 'Sailor - The Musical Journey'"
"We sailed (well, flew) the long way from Germany via Frankfurt, London and Southampton to see the opening night on Monday and really have to say that the world premiere was an absolutely MARVELLOUS experience. Congratulations to Bill Blenman and the whole cast and crew for getting such an incredible show with all the great songs that we know and love together with such a wonderful story for the world to see. This Musical doesn't just keep the music of SAILOR alive, it opens up a whole new horizon... Everybody go out and see it if you can! It's an impressive show that has been put together with a lot of love, enthusiasm and dedication!" (Katrin Wagner)
"Just got home from a get night out at 'Sailor - The Musical Journey' at the Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline. What a great show! Songs and cast were fantastic. Well done to all involved." (Barclay)
"The spirit of Mr Kajanus is now on the stage to guide us!" (David Mutch - "Young Robert")
"Caught the show tonight and I must congratulate everyone on all the hard work they've put into mounting the show - really interesting to see a completely new show."
"Good to see something new and something performed with such enthusiasm."
"What Bill Blenman got going there is a real delicacy for every SAILOR fan. The warm welcome at the opening night and also after the second show (Turesday) in the middle of all the actors turned the whole thing into a very special experience for me." (Richard Rummel)
"Champagne for everyone!
Something truly remarkable happened in Scotland last week when the long-awaited 'Sailor - The Musical Journey' finally made it to the stage. What has been created is something which can stand proudly alongside any other modern musical and I can only hope that there will be someone out there in the world of theatrical promotions who will find a way of bringing this amazing piece of work to a wider audience.
For Eileen and myself, our journey started early on Saturday morning. When we arrived in Dunfermline we quickly located the Carnegie Hall and took our first few pictures. After meeting up with Susanne from Germany, we spent the day being tourists (Edinburgh is currently full of cow parade cows!!) before getting ready for the show. Dunfermline itself is a fairly small town but it has a wealth of history and is well worth exploring.
As you would expect, we arrived early at the theatre and were warmly greeted by Bill Blenman. It is his vision and determination which has created this show and it is wonderful to find a man who never lost sight of achieving his dream. This was the final night and, being Saturday, there was a good turn out in the theatre. From the opening number of 'The Old Nickelodeon Sound' I was swept away into a world of sailors, bars, ladies of the night and a touching story of one man’s struggle to be reunited with the woman he loves. The order in which the songs have been placed works so well in providing the perfect soundtrack for this heart-warming story. It is amazing how well SAILOR's songs work as show tunes. Obviously that is down to the fact that these are great songs in the first place but it also reflect the hard work of people like Alan Gibson, the Musical Director, in adapting the music so effectively for this show.
This was a large cast, made up entirely of local people with limited experience but bags of enthusiasm. This enthusiasm and energy was evident in every moment throughout the show. This was performance number six and I suspect, like most shows, the performers had got better and better as the week progressed. From where I sat in the second row, Saturday’s performance was faultless and the enjoyment of the cast in performing it was clearly there throughout. The two new songs, 'Bumpety Bump' and 'A Woman Like Me' were perfect for the show and as strong as anything else Georg has written. It would be unfair to anyone in the cast to single out personal highlights and to be honest, I’m not sure I can. The truth is I loved ever moment from start to finish – you were all brilliant!!
After the cast had taken their bows, Bill came on stage to say a few personal thank you’s to the cast and to all those people backstage who had made this project possible. Emotions were running high and there were plenty of tears (mine included) but everyone deserved their moment in the spotlight. Bill also mentioned Susanne, who had seen the show several times during the week and, like me, was amazed by what this local group of people had achieved.
We were kindly invited along to the after-show party at the King Malcolm Hotel where the cast, quite rightly, enjoyed a few drinks to celebrate a successful run. There was a touching moment when the DJ was asked to stop playing modern dance music and start playing SAILOR tunes instead. We were then treated to the sight of the cast recreating their dance routines from the show on the dance floor. This was no longer for the benefit of an audience but was for the pure enjoyment of doing it for themselves. It was quite extraordinary to witness just how this cast seemed to have taken to the whole feel of SAILOR music to their hearts. If ever the band now play Dunfermline, they should get an exceptional welcome.
This was a fantastic production and an amazing tribute to the work of a band that I have followed for over 30 years. I understand that Georg Kajanus has already let Bill and the cast know just how good he thought their production was. To be honest, that is the only tribute necessary and any words from me or anyone else therefore seem rather superfluous. However, for the record, I loved it!!! More importantly, there is now a real musical in existence based around the songs of SAILOR and, looking forward, this could just be the very best way of ensuring that SAILOR's music is brought to the attention of new generations of fans.
WELL DONE to everyone involved – you are all stars. Thank you for making it happen!!"
Malcolm Knowles