What have FISHERMAN”S FRIENDS and THE BEATLES got in common? Let me tell you: They are actually the first British band since The Beatles to inspire two movies. The first was released in 2019 and became an instant hit, the second movie is due for release on August 19th.
ONE FOR ALL follows the guys through their second album and onto the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival. Which leads us very nicely to the stage of the New Theatre in Cardiff where the world premiere production of FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL will be dropping anchor from the 25th October.
If you’ve been living under the sea for the last few years and missed out on the Fisherman’s Friends phenomenon, let us remind you about this incredible group of Cornish sea-shanty-singing guys.
They began performing in their hometown of Port Isaac in 1995, all for fun and their own pleasure. As you may have seen in the movie, and will again in the stage show, a chance meeting with a record company executive secured them a record deal with Universal Music’s Island Records in 2010. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Founder member of the ‘Friends’ Jon Cleave said…….
“First up when we went and got discovered and got the recording contract and all that malarkey, and then once all that initial interest gradually faded, the movie came out and the whole thing kicked off again.
“Though it’s all very exciting, even to us Cornish gentlemen of a certain age, hopefully we’ve managed to stay steady at the helm, remain true to ourselves, and not get drawn into imagining we’re anything we’re not…”
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL is based on this true story of the Cornish singing sensations, and the original hit film about their life. When the group originally came together to sing the traditional working songs they’d sung for generations, they hoped to raise a few quid for charity. Nobody, least of all the fishermen, expected their story to end on the Pyramid stage of Glastonbury. Packed with sea shanties, FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS is a feel good voyage about friendship, community and music.
And what an amazing cast are on board for this premiere tour.
JAMES GADDAS (Casualty (BBC One), Bad Girls (ITV), Coronation Street (ITV), The Girls, Billy Elliot, Monty Python’s Spamalot, MAMMA MIA! (All West End) will play Jim, with PARISA SHAHMIR (The Snow Queen (The Rose Theatre), The Last Ship (Northern Stage, UK & Ireland Tour) and MAMMA MIA! (UK Tour) will play his daughter, Alwyn. ROBERT DUNCAN (Drop the Dead Donkey (Channel 4), Casualty (BBC), Where the Heart Is (ITV) Twelve Angry Men (Garrick Theatre, UK & Ireland Tour) will play Jago with SUSAN PENHALIGON (Bouquet of Barbed Wire (ITV), Emmerdale (ITV), A Fine Romance (ITV), Three Sisters, The Real Thing, Mr Love, The Maintenance Man, Dangerous Corner and Of Mice and Men (all West End) will play his wife, Maggie. ANTON STEPHANS (finalist in The X Factor ITV), Blues Brothers Meet Soul Sisters (Theatre Royal, Windsor), Porgy and Bess (UK Tour), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express (UK Tour) Smokey Joe’s Cafe (1st UK Tour/Broadway and US Tour) will play Leadville.
Further casting to be announced soon.
All this talk of their brilliant music and we haven’t played you any yet – so here’s a first look at the trailer for the musical, and I guarantee that one watch and you’ll want to book to see the show.
The UK & Ireland Tour follows a highly successful, sold-out season at Hall for Cornwall, where box office records were smashed, making it the biggest selling production in Hall for Cornwall’s 25-year history. The production will also make its North American premiere in Toronto this Christmas in the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Featuring hit shanties made famous by the band including Keep Haulin’, Nelson’s Blood, No Hopers Jokers & Rogues and many more.
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL is directed by James Grieve and written by Amanda Whittington with choreography by Matt Cole, musical direction by James Findlay, set and costume design by Lucy Osborne, musical supervision and arrangements by David White, sound design by Dan Samson, lighting design by Johanna Town and casting by Jim Arnold.
The tour gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from Tuesday 25th through to Saturday 29th October. Evening performances are at 7:30pm with a 2:30pm matinee on Thursday and Saturday. For more details and tickets, go HERE.
