Fisherman 39;s Friends 2 Songs

[Trisha Quercioli]

Afather and son in the suburbs of Casablanca get by on petty crimes for a local mob. When a kidnapping goes wrong, they must find a way to dispose of the body. Cert: 15 Running time: 1hr 34mins Language: French with English Subtitles

A multi-faceted workshop tailored for adults with learning disabilities. Come along and explore your creativity through movement and art in this vibrant workshop. Participants will be supported by the fantastic Richard Hayhow from Open Theatre Company as our facilitator of 'play' and Anna Mitchell from Creative Clay as our facilitator of 'create'. Time: 10:30-12:30 Price: Free Pre-booking only. For more information, please email aut...@malvern-theatres.co.uk

Fisherman's Friends is a big show with a cast of around two dozen and encompasses basically three groups of people: the fishermen singers, the women who support them and the band who provide the music. All three sets of people work seamlessly together on stage making this a piece of theatre which really is all-embracing. And, from the men in particular, you get solos from actors who you may not consider to be singers as the cast includes James Gaddas (most recently seen in Hollyoaks), Robert Duncan (who was the full-of-nonsense jargon Gus Hedges in Drop The Dead Donkey) and Susan Penhaligon from Bouquet of Barbed Wire and A Fine Romance. In fact, without exception, all of the cast proved to have the strong voices necessary to accurately portray the Cornish fishermen and their years of singing traditional shanties which described their lives, hopes, trials and tribulations.

You don't need to have watched either of the 2 filmed versions of their rise to fame as this touring show can be judged as a standalone piece irrespective of the cinema releases. And as a theatre production, it has some definite advantages. The music, played by 7 very talented musicians, is live and integrates very neatly into the show, which by extension, allows the singers to perform at their best when an instrumental backing is required. But for much of the time, as in the real world of shanty singers, many of the songs are performed a' Capella, proudly and loudly.

The first half of the show takes place in Cornwall, in the village of Port Isaac which does not always welcome the intrusion of "emmets" (non-locals or "ants") - this was, after all the actual setting for Doc Martin too! The "intruder" in this case is washed up music plugger Danny (James Langley), a real fish out of water, who ends up at the harbour almost by mistake. He promises the world, expecting to take his cut, but promises do not always get realised. County rivalries are also present and one can only guess at the response of the Devon audience to the singers' activities around the Welcome to Devon signpost! As things develop, the action moves to London in an attempt to get these reluctant harmony singers a record contract and maybe an appearance at Glastonbury. Again, promises are broken but, accidentally ending up in a gay bar and performing In The Navy (well, it is a song about the sea!) provided one of the most hilarious moments of the show. Apart from that rather unconventional shanty, many of the songs are well known - from "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?" to "When the boat comes in", via "Sloop John B", the latter beautifully sung as a duet in a blossoming love scene. And "Haul Away, Joe" and "Keep Hauling" not only reflect the fishermen's trade but also life in general, especially when disaster strikes. For this is how they deal with life - family, companionship and tradition are at the very heart of this community. All the more so where tragedy occurs - something all fishermen must dread and be prepared for when they lose one of their own.

Aside from the community singing in the local pub and on the quayside, there are also two parallel plots which are that the pub where the singers meet is heavily in debt but can owner and new to fatherhood Rowan (Dan Buckley) find a way to extricate himself from the dilemma by approaching Danny or is he making a pact with the devil? And can Danny ever be accepted into the community and more especially into the heart of Alwyn (Parisa Shahmir)?

The show leans heavily on family, which is strong in these communities and is no bad thing, as the various generations have to work together even though their ideals and aspirations may well be different.

So given that the show gained a rapturous reception in Plymouth (by the sea), how did it fare in landlocked Malvern? Judging by the reaction (standing ovation and massive applause) the entire cast without exception can be very proud to have brought a little bit of Cornwall to Worcestershire. The only thing missing were those delicious pasties!

For a further insight into how the show was put together, have a listen to my interview with Dakota Starr who plays Ben, along with a couple of songs from the show:

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For two-and-a-half glorious, brine-lashed hours, we are transported to the Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac, where a group of shanty-singing local fishermen suddenly find that the songs of their highly specialised, regional trade had not just national, but global appeal.

However, peering through the sea mist and then the glitzy commercial fog, we glimpse a truth that is arguably of greater significance than the obvious good fortune that has befallen our Cornish buoy band.

Both are firmly rooted in the work song tradition, and both developed in the aftermath of military upheavals and the ensuing social chaos, the former just after the American Civil War, the latter in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars.

And here on stage we could see and hear it in all its splendour, those famous Malvern Hills coming alive to the sound of a very wonderful music indeed. There is no doubt at all that with director James Grieve at the tiller, this stunningly talented cast steers it way through song after song, some rousing, others poignant to the point of leaving a tear in the eye in its wake.

This show is a complete ensemble piece, the stage filled with musicians who take front and centre stage showcasing their incredible talent under the musical direction of James William-Pattison. Each time the band strikes up it gives me goosebumps as the sound created is toe tapping and hand clapping, extremely infectious.

Leading the band is Jim (James Gaddas) a rather grumpy fisherman who is very attached to his beloved Cornwall, his friends and the local pub, the Golden Lion. His wife had left him and his daughter Alwyn (Parisa Shahmir) years earlier and he is still very bitter but finds happiness singing sea shanties with his closest friends. Gaddas gives a polished performance with his gravelly Cornish accent. Shahmir as Alwyn really does have the standout voice of the evening, with somewhat of a haunting sound with exquisite sound design from Dan Samson. Her voice fills the theatre and has a real calming effect when stripped back from the rest of the high energy numbers.

The instigator of the bands success comes from Danny (Jason Langley) a failed music producer who is still out to find the next big thing. There were many funny moments upon meeting the patrons of the Golden Lion pub and he was very much treated like an outsider at first. It was lovely to see how their friendship blossomed and how he was accepted into the tight knit community. Langley played the rather brash Londoner well, and there was wonderful chemistry between him and Parisa Shahmir (Alwyn) who establish a relationship, after a very rocky start.

A sub-plot of a love story between Danny and villager Alywyn dances along throughout the show. Played by Parisa Shahmir, Alywyn also has an exceptional voice and an interest in getting a recording contract.

Welcomed in by the soft sound of seagulls, you can almost taste the sea salt in the air. The action starts with the enigmatic sound of the shipping forecast, before a dark vessel appears on stage, rocking perilously on a stormy sea. Later scenes deliver cosier coastal vibes at the harbour and in the pub.

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