Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 25th March 2023
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
4****
Fisherman’s Friends The Musical is based on the true story of the singing Cornish fishermen who were discovered by a London A&R man who, whilst visiting their hometown of Port Isaac, persuaded them to allow him to record a demo and they became a sensation.
There was much to enjoy in this exuberant work. I absolutely loved the lead couple Danny (the out of towner) played with commendable personality, depth and verve by Jason Langley and local lass Alywyn played by Parisa Shahmir. Parisa had a gorgeous voice and the musical highlights for me were her playing guitar whilst singing and, especially, during her solo song when she was reflecting on love, thinking of Danny. Just beautiful.
When the fishermen went to London was their highlight. There were some hilarious scenes playing on the fish out of water aspects of “yokels” in the Big Smoke. Wonderful stuff. And while the men were away, the ladies ensemble back home had their most effective group scene – complete with fantastic ensemble song and dance routine.
Jago (Robert Duncan) and his wife Maggie (played tonight by understudy Janet Mooney) were amusing and tender, with both providing emotional highlights for entirely different reasons. And I very much warmed to the plight of young couple Rowan (Dan Buckley) and Sally (Hazel Monaghan), with these fine actors giving wonderful performances. Sensitively nuanced portrayals from all concerned that genuinely made one feel for and like their characters.
The musicianship was superb, the dancing was joyous, the cast gave it their all with a gusto that was commendable. The show contained a lot of humour with some genuinely funny one liners. And it was amazing to see live musicians on stage providing atmosphere and colour.
There was so much to enjoy here that I found myself asking why it was that I was left slightly unsatisfied. I’m not sure how much was fiction for dramatic effect and how much was the unvarnished truth but I didn’t enjoy watching the visitor to the village treated in a rather unfriendly manner by the locals. Indeed, the only time that the Cornish characters seemed to warm to the Londoner was when he was lining their pockets! It would have been nice to have had them like him without any ulterior motive, (ie just as a friend who enjoyed their music and wanted to help them share it with the world). Perhaps that was the way it was, but I found it uncomfortable viewing. It was obvious I was in the minority in having any problem with the show as everyone else seemed to love it. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, I did – just that I would have loved it more had it felt a bit more, well… friendly.
If you enjoy the music of the original band, or the films about them, if you like folk or Irish music (much of the music reminded me of The Pogues), if you like big dance numbers and live musicians onstage and if you have any interest in sea shanties or Cornwall I’m certain you will love this show and have a ball.