There are not too many small coastal Cornish fishing communities that receive the outside attention, not to mention the hordes of emmets, that descend every year than the beautiful village of Port Isaac.
But if you’ve never been yourself you will almost certainly recognise its iconic harbour and village centre, after all its been the base for over 10 series of the iconic television series, Doc Martin starring Martin Clunes.
But if that wasn’t enough, it is also the source of a true story, one so unlikely that you would think it had to be made up, and that’s the story of how a bunch of locals who enjoyed singing songs from the “Cornish songbook” became pop stars. So successful did they become that appearances at the Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, the London Palladium and in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham Stadium followed. And that’s before we mention the two hit movies as well.
Welcome to the true story of the Fisherman’s Friends, a story that has now been turned into a touring musical that, this evening, lands at Bristol’s iconic Hippodrome Theatre, and if the packed house is anything to go by, this is a true story that certainly pulls in the audiences.
But how do you convert the reality of a bunch of hard working fishermen and their friends who all have day jobs in and around the village, into a hit musical ensuring that you maintain the grit and honesty of a hard working tight nit community without losing the authenticity of the story?
Well, that’s the job of director James Grieve alongside the set, expertly designed by Lucy Osborne, and how well they both do it. From the opening sea shanties sung aboard a boat that rolls and pitches giving you the feeling that you are riding the waves with them, through to the pub that, inevitably, forms the heart of the community, you are immediately immersed within the story, and remain so for the whole show.
With a large ensemble, including the musicians who are an integral part of the action, the stage is always full of movement and noise with those sea shanties continuously breaking out. Stage sets move, props are improvised and used as instruments and there’s drinking a plenty. In fact there is, at times, so much going on that it can be hard to focus on it all.
But of course there is always a story to be told, and how well that is done. From out of town and out of work London music executive, Danny (Jason Langley) who is a bit too chippy for the locals, who sees an opportunity, but has difficulty selling his idea. And that’s not just to the band members who, themselves, are as cynical as you would expect weather beaten Cornish fishermen to be, but also to his former boss at Island Records.
Then there’s the leader of the group, Jim, played here by James Gaddas (Mamma Mia!, Billy Elliot, Coronation Street), who is excellent throughout often leading the cast in the shanties, who is perhaps the toughest of nuts for Danny to crack. Jim doesn’t believe that their talent has any interest for anybody outside their local community, and he, like the others, is not sure that Danny can get them the record deal that he promises.
And of course there has to be a love interest for Danny which is Alwyn, Jim’s daughter who is just as cynical and untrusting as her old man. Alwyn is superbly played by Parisa Shahmir, who provides the stand out performance of the evening. Her acting is superb but it’s her voice that really captivates as she sings like a bird.
Cut through with moments of hilarity, especially the seagull scene (you’ll have to go and see it to see what I mean) that have the audience hooting with laughter, as well as reminding us of the harshness that real life can throw at us, this really is a heart-warming, well written story. It’s a story about tradition, a story about friendship, a story about community, but most of all it’s a story about the music and it’s a triumph.
Credit to the cast, credit to the crew, and especially credit to the musicians who make this a musical to remember. If you follow your dreams then sometimes, just sometimes, they may come true. Go see Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical – you won’t be disappointed.
The show plays at The Hippodrome in Bristol until Saturday 06 May and then goes on to Glasgow and London. For more information and tickets visit the show website by following this link.
