Even if you don’t know the story of the Fisherman’s Friends, I’d like to bet you’re at least aware of these Cornish fisherman who went from singing a few shanties in the local pub, to wowing thousands on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS – THE MUSICAL, which dropped anchor in Cardiff for a run at the New Theatre this week, tells their true, incredible story. It really is a fantastic story too, filled with love and passion, songs and success. These guys are a proper (politically incorrect) Buoy Band, filled with real men, beards and wooly jumpers.
There’s none of your sex, drugs and rock and roll here, it’s more cream tea, pint of ‘Bishops Finger’ and sea shanties, and we loved it all.
The real ‘Friend’s’ have two feature films, a stage musical, a book, a TV documentary, they’ve played for royalty and to tens of thousands of fans in sell-out tours year in year out. They are undoubtedly Britain’s oldest boy band, with a combined age of 401 (and three-quarters).
Before our review here’s reaction from last night’s audience. We also spoke to one of the stars of the show JASON LANGLEY, who we interviewed recently before the tour came into Cardiff.
I came into the show with high expectations having followed the story of the real ‘Friends‘ since they first appeared on our radar. I’ve played their records, seen them in concert and watched the first film more than a few times. And it’s the 2019 movie this stage adaption is based on, and it pretty much follows the story exactly.
If you’ve been living under the sea for the last few years, and the Fisherman’s Friends have sailed on by, it’s all about a group of 10 fishermen from Port Issac in Cornwall and how they were discovered by a music manager. He took them on to land a record deal, a Top Ten hit and sell-out tours, which is something the real guys still do to this day. They get to Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on the 4th November.
The story is as much about the Friends as it is the music executive Danny (JASON LANGLEY). While he discovered a band to help kickstart his fading career, he also found love, and a better way of life away from the madness of the London music scene.
I really loved the whole Danny side of the story, and Jason is perfect in this role. In fact he has a bit of a thing for real-life stories having played a run in the Tina Turner musical in London’s West End. You can watch our interview with Jason HERE.
But let’s be honest, you go to a show like Fisherman’s Friends for the music and characters, and this show has both by the net full.
The cast is pretty impressive, filled with enough ‘TV faces‘ to keep you chatting through the night.
JAMES GADDAS who plays Jim, is definitely a name and face you’ll recognise. From Coronation Street to Bad Girls on the telly, and a host of theatre roles, including Billy Elliot and Mamma Mia. James has enjoyed a massive career since his training over the bridge at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
ROBERT DUNCAN from Drop the Dead Donkey is Jago. ANTON STEPHANS you may recognise as an X-Factor finalist back in 2015. You can tell he’s had a really successful stage career since as he shines in the role of Leadville.
I don’t want to give too much away, but PARISA SHAHMIR is Alwyn, the love interest in the story. She is a real musical talent and nice to have a strong female lead amongst the deep voiced blokes. Parisa is superb, with a voice to match her acting and guitar playing talents.
DAN BUCKLEY is Rowan. DAKOTA STARR, who I had the pleasure of seeing in The Girls a while ago plays Ben. PETE GALLAGHER was in the original West End cast of Only Fools And Horses is Wiggie. HADRIAN DELACEY plays Archie. FIA HOUSTON-HAMILTON is Leah. HAZEL MONAGHAN plays Sally. And if you’re looking down on the stage wondering if that is the woman from Bouquet of Barbed Wire, Emmerdale and A Fine Romance, you’d be absolutely right. SUSAN PENHALIGON turns in a fine performance as Maggie.
Add to those a host of mighty fine performers, who double as the brilliant on-stage band, under co-musical directors JAMES FINDLAY and JAMES WILLIAM-PATTISON. Along with HAZEL ASKEW, LOUISA BEADEL, MEL BIGGS, ALFIE GIDLEY, JOHN O’MAHONY and BECKY HURST they fill the stage with music and dance. If a raucous Saturday night down a Cornish pub is what they were trying to recreate, they’ve done that perfectly.
The set is exactly that, transforming from the local village pub to a lopsided fishing boat, the streets of the Cornish town fusing into London on a stage which is one of the most flexible we’ve seen in a while. LUCY OSBORNE has created something really special, all brought together by the lighting design of JOHANNA TOWN.
There’s a story to tell but AMANDA WHITTINGTON has ensured her script has enough room in the pot to cram in a whole load of sea shanties. Some you will know, others will be new, however, they all have a sense of familiar about them, which makes them catchy and fun. We also get a helping of heartfelt emotion too.
Having the band on stage really lifts the spirit of the production. With a true life story you never know where it’s going to take you, and Fisherman’s Friends is no exception. It doesn’t shy away from real Cornish community life and the challenges faced by these hard-working folk. A lot of it is highly relatable to us all right now: Debt, loss, being a mother, the challenges of working long, unsociable hours. Through it all, one things shines through, and that is Friendship.
What makes the Fisherman’s Friends story so easy for us all to connect to, is the fact these guys are there for each other, no matter what. Sometimes these emotions are felt through the songs, which punctuate points in the story, without being at all corny, which can easily happen in shows like this.
I defy you to try and hold back a tear when Jim sings about a particularly tough moment in the second half.
They even manage to weave in a little bit of the Beach Boys classic ‘Sloop John B‘ and a funny little wink to the huge number one of last year, ‘Wellerman‘.
You don’t have to be a musical theatre fan, or even like sea shanties to enjoy Fisherman’s Friends. The show is uplifting, emotional and most of all, really good fun. Catch Fisherman’s Friends this week while you, I can assure this is one voyage you don’t want to miss. Like us, you’ll be completely hooked.
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL is at the New Theatre in Cardiff through to Saturday 29th October. Performances are at 7:30pm each evening with a 2:30pm matinee on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available now, with a variety of concessions in place, from HERE.
You can watch our interview with Jason Langley HERE and our original show feature HERE.
