Fisherman’s Friends The Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

Fisherman’s Friends The Musical was reviewed at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

The real-life story of shanty-singing Cornish fishermen and their pub chums by chance ‘discovered’, signed to a record deal, cut an album that went straight in the charts, and played Glastonbury more than once, has been round the block and back again but still wears a feel-good message of community and friendship on its sleeve.

In 2010 came that life-changing album, made in London and clearly a first trip outside Port Isaac for one grizzled group member. He went into raptures about the Underground – “top of my bucket list” on sights to see. Unfortunately his ‘Lobster Card’ was not acceptable as a method of paying!

Nine years later came the successful Fisherman’s Friends film to be followed by last year’s less successful sequel and, in between, the stage version from Amanda Whittington’s book, using the traditional folk music collected by the Friends themselves. With shanties and seafaring songs galore, the majority of them unfamiliar to an audience used to jukebox musicals and one big TV name heading the cast, this is a very different sort of musical.

Some of the songs are well known and everyone can clap along to them. ‘What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor’, ‘Pay Me My Money Down’, ‘Blow the Man Down’ and ‘Sloop John B’ are genuine shanty songs, part of the West Country’s rich folklore for centuries.

All are lustily performed, a cappella in the original group when formed in the last century but here using six actor-musicians under MD James William-Pattison, as simple but highly effective backing on a multitude of instruments.

The highlight for me from a music point of view is the still, pure ethereal voice of Parisa Shahmir on her two solos, ‘Keep Hauling’ and a gorgeous self-composed ballad called ‘The Tidal Pool’. You could have heard a pin drop as she reached the top notes.

This multi-talented musician enchants visiting record executive Danny (Jason Langley, slick with the quips) every bit as much as she enchants an enthusiastic Wimbledon audience.  ‘

‘No Hopers, Jokers and Rogues’, part-written by Dorset singer-songwriter and former pig farmer Ian W Brown, is another more contemporary composition that not only melds perfectly with the ethnicity of the trad material but brings proceedings to a rousing ensemble climax, showing choreographer Matt Cole’s work to best effect.

Some of the musicians have speaking roles as well, a great idea by director James Grieve to make them part of the action. You need a memory as long as mine to recall the big TV star in this production – that is Susan Penhaligon, a genuine Cornishwoman who excels as the widowed Maggie. Back in the 1970s she had a dream part in that daring TV drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire.

The strong-voiced James Gaddas as lead singer Jim commands the stage while Robert Duncan, moving as the grand old man of the group who lost his life at sea, stands out in a remarkable team effort. The opening scene where we can see the fishermen on their boat in rough seas at the crack of dawn is a masterpiece of illusion, a tribute to Lucy Osborne’s set and design skills.

There are some funny lines in Whittington’s slick script and when one of the more erudite Friends starts spouting cautionary lines penned by Roman Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, his soul mate (or should it be sole mate?) brings him back to earth by saying: “Marcus, isn’t he the chef from Padstow?”

But my problem with the piece is that the vast majority of the audience know the story and the ending before they sit down and, the death of Jago apart, it is a little too cosy for my liking. It needs a bit more punch and a couple of songs cut to make me fall for it hook, line and sinker.

I am delighted, however, to report that the golden words of a previous MTR reviewer “Not to be missed… superb!” appear in bold type with a Musical Theatre Review credit on the back of the Fisherman’s Friends flyer. This “buoy band”, ancient though some of them are, still have plenty of lead in their pencil!

Jeremy Chapman