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Salad Days

Music by Julian Slade
Lyrics by Dorothy Reynolds & Julian Slade
Opened May 1, 1954 at the Old Vic Theatre, (Bristol)

Synopsis

Salad Days is a light hearted, comedy musical in an almost Shakespearian style but with out the dark undertones. Set in London in the early-mid 20th Century the story revolves around Jane and Timothy. Jane is in search of marriage, Timothy in search of a career. It is a magic piano called Minnie which takes them on an enchanted adventure by compelling people to dance and be happy. The result is a wealth of comical situations and a jolly musical.

PLOT

The show opens as the two main characters in this simplistic comedy musical, Timothy and Jane, are graduating from university. The opening chorus "The Things that are done by a Don" is sung. Left on their own Timothy and Jane start putting the past behind them and duet "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back"; they arrange to meet later in the Park. Back at home Timothy and his family are having breakfast and they are instructing him to go and visit his four respectable uncles and chose himself a career. His mother, father and aunt sing "Find yourself Something To Do".

Jane sits waiting in the Park (where a lot of action takes place) and sings to herself "I Sit In The Sun", thinking about finding herself a husband. Timothy arrives and the comedy begins with their marriage being decided out of the blue. A tramp also turns up and pays them to look after a piano (pee-aah-no) called Minnie. This means Timothy will have a job and Jane will have got married. The tramp starts to play. Timothy and Jane are compelled to dance and sing "Oh, Look at me, I'm Dancing!". They go around busking to make money and find a clown (Troppo) willing to be their collector. Soon everybody is dancing and this creates numerous funny situations for us to enjoy, not least for the local police who are quite at a loss. Timothy visits his uncle at the Foreign office and they meet up with an old friend of Jane's Nigel. Soon everyone is out of breath (They sing "Out Of Breath") and the authorities are after them.

In the second act Nigel, Jane and Timothy set out to try and discredit Augustine Williams (one of Tim's uncles) who is trying to track down the piano. He often frequents the nightclub "Cleopatra" to see Asphynxiam, a dancer there. Their plot falls through. Soon everyone is after the piano and they sing "We're Looking For A Piano". Jane grows closer to Timothy and Nigel finds a friend in Fiona. Jane takes time to reflect and sings "The Time Of My Life". Timothy enlists the help of his scientist uncle, uncle Zed to fly over London in their flying saucer, looking for Minnie. (They sing "The Saucer Song") Eventually through despair Tim and Jane tell their parents who are distraught and duet "We Don't Understand Our Children". Finally the piano turns up again as does the mysterious Tramp who turns out to be Tims fifth uncle. Everyone is happy and they dance and sing before leaving Timothy and Jane to reflect on the past month and sing "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back".

Song List

The things that are done by a don
We said we wouldn't look back
Find yourself something to do
I sit in the sun
Oh, look at me!
Hush-hush
Out of breath
Cleopatra
Sand in my eyes
It's easy to sing
We're looking for a piano
The time of my life
The saucer song
We don't understand our children

Info

Related

Licensing Agent

Tams-Witmark
560 Lexington Avenue , New York , NY 10022
Tel. (212) 688-2525 , Fax. (212) 688-3232

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