Kidney Research UK

Update: This event has now raised £2,000 for Kidney Research UK! Our grateful thanks to Bill and Kath Blennan!

Between 3-8 July 2006, Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall hosted ‘Sailor - The Musical Journey’; an original musical work loosely based on the music of folk/pop band ‘Sailor.’ Sailor had their spell of mainstream fame in the mid-70s, and now, twenty years on, fan Bill Blenman has created a story around their songs.

The show itself concerns an old sailor named Robert, a drunkard down on his luck in a small French harbour town. Robert is befriended by a young boy and begins to relive his eventful life through the stories he tells the boy. The stories span three decades and many different parts of the world; France, Copenhagen, New Orleans, Rio and Cold War Berlin.

Robert spent ten years in prison through bad luck and Navy orders and has re-emerged a shadow of his former self. He is devastated by the loss of the love of his life, Josephine, a Danish dockside lady of the night. When Robert meets the young boy a startling coincidence takes place and the old sailor’s luck begins to change.

‘Sailor – The Musical Journey’ features 21 songs by Sailor, including two previously unreleased gems.

Kidney Research UK will benefit from part of the ticket sales.

Georg Kajanus, songwriter and a founding member of the original group 'Sailor', attended one of the performances, and had the following to say about the production.

"I've experienced a great many emotional events during my career: from the wondrous to the hideous; from the ecstatic to the tragic. What I experienced on the evening of the 3rd of July, 2006, in a place called Dunfermline, Scotland, was one of the most tender and exciting moments to date. It was the world premiere of Bill Blenman’s: ‘Sailor, The Musical Journey’.

A couple of years ago, Bill contacted me with the idea of using songs that I had previously written for Sailor as a kind of road map for the story of his musical. 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 through the heartwarming and romantic story of his book, and against all odds, had found the finance to stage this imaginative production for a six night run for charity at the well-known Carnegie Hall.

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. I don't think this will be the last that we'll hear about ‘Sailor, The Musical Journey’."

- Georg Kajanus

To see some photos from the production, please click here.

For more information on the production, please visit http://www.dreammakerproductionsfife.com/

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