FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS is one of those stories I’d like to bet most of you know. Whether it’s because you love a good old sea shanty. Perhaps you’ve seen the guys during a visit to Port Isaac, or maybe you’ve dipped into the movies and been enthralled by this true rags to riches story.
Now, FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL brings this true story of the Cornish singing sensations, and the hit 2019 film about their life on stage, getting to the New Theatre in Cardiff next week.
When a group of Cornish fishermen 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 feelgood voyage about friendship, community and music.
We’ll introduce you to the full cast shortly, but first, we put a Zoom call in to JASON LANGLEY who is playing the part of the record promoter Danny, who discovers the Friend’s during a visit to the seaside town. Jason has a pedigree of fantastic show behind him including Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (West End), Oslo (West End/National Theatre), Hedda Gabler (National Theatre), War Horse (West End), Enron (West End), Da Vinci’s Demons (BBC), World Without End (Netflix). Incidentally, I saw Jason in Hedda Gabler and he was fantastic.
We chatted about the current show, the life of the Fisherman’s Friends, and what we can expect to see when the show comes to the capital next week.
The producers of FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL have announced the full cast for the UK & Ireland tour. The production will also make its North American premiere, opening at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada on 27 November 2022 for a limited Christmas season, before returning to the UK in 2023.
Robert Duncan – Drop the Dead Donkey, Casualty, Where the Heart Is,Twelve Angry Men) as Jago and Susan Penhaligon – Bouquet of Barbed Wire, Emmerdale, A Fine Romance, Three Sisters, The Real Thing, Mr Love, The Maintenance Man, Dangerous Corner and Of Mice and Men) as Maggie and
Anton Stephans a finalist in The X Factor, Blues Brothers Meet Soul Sisters, Porgy and Bess, Starlight Express and Smokey Joe’s Cafe will play Leadville.
Dan Buckley – Eugenius! (The Other Palace and London Palladium), Ushers: The Front of House Musical (Charing Cross Theatre), The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre), Loserville (Garrick Theatre & West Yorkshire Playhouse), Lord of the Flies (UK Tour), Spring Awakening– The Musical (UK Tour) will play Rowan.
Dakota Starr – The Girls (West End/Leeds Grand Theatre/The Lowry), A Christmas Carol (National Tour), Troilus and Cressida (RSC)) will play Ben, Pete Gallagher (original West End cast of Only Fools And Horses (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Jesus Christ Superstar Arena Tour, Oklahoma! (UK Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Regent’s Park), The Rocky Horror Show (Duke of York’s), Buddy (Victoria Palace) will play Wiggie.
Hadrian Delacey – Miss Saigon (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Les Misérables (Palace Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (West End, UK Tour & International Tour), Jerry Springer The Opera (National Theatre & Cambridge Theatre, for which he won the 2004 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical), The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane & UK Tour), The Phantom of The Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre) will play Archie. Fia Houston-Hamilton – The Wolf Of Wall Street (Immersive London Production), Mamma Mia! (UK Tour)) will play Leah. Hazel Monaghan – Romeo & Juliet/The Merry Wives of Windsor/A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Macbeth/Much Ado About Nothing (The Three Inch Fools), The Elves and the Shoemaker (Nottingham Playhouse) will play Sally.
John O’Mahony – As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Tempest (Regent’s Park), Death Of A Salesman (European Tour), The Good Karma Hospital, Mrs Brown’s Boys will play Eddy. Louisa Beadel – Fame (West End & UK Tour), King Lear (Shakespeare’s Globe), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Future Conditional (Old Vic) will play Morwenna. Becky Hurst – (making her theatre debut) will play Grace and James William-Pattison (Once (UK Tour), The Last Ship (UK Tour), My Fair Lady (The Mill at Sonning), Agatha Christie’s Crooked House, ABBA Voyage) will play Owen.
With musicians Hazel Askew, Mel Biggs, and Alfie Gidley with the band being lead by Musical Director James Findlay, and ensemble cast Hazel Simmons, Janet Mooney, Dominic Brewer and Martin Carroll. They will be joining the previously announced James Gaddas (Casualty, Bad Girls, Coronation Street, The Girls,Billy Elliot, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Mamma Mia!) as Jim, Parisa Shahmir (The Snow Queen, The Last Ship and Mamma Mia!) as Alwyn.
The UK, Ireland and Canada 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.
Featuring hit shanties made famous by the band including Keep Haulin’, Nelson’s Blood, No Hopers Jokers & Rogues and many more.
The show 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.
FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL gets to the New Theatre in Cardiff from next Tuesday 25th threough 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.
