Fisherman’s Friends - Hall For Cornwall / U.K Tour

I'm not familiar with Rowes, but Tribute is now available nationally...even in the grim north.

That pub up the alley near the Adelphi Theatre was selling it for £3 a pint when I was there this summer. Cheers! 🍺

Thats it! Then all the jam rolls off and you make a right old mess. Next you will be saying Ivor Dewdney make good pasties. 😀

Tonight's performance at the Alex in Birmingham was enthusiastically received with a standing ovation. It was clear most of those present loved this. I did not.

A good rule of thumb is that musical theatre usually works only when the songs drive the narrative. That rule holds here. There are a lot of sea shanties to be sung, and the action simply stops for almost all of them; as a result, I wasn't engaged, and found myself counting down the minutes to the end of each act.

If you're after a concert of beautifully sung folk music, you're in for a treat; if you seek theatre, you're not.

The cast, in the main, do their best with the simplistic script: the dialogue is pitched as if this were a kid's show. There's is no nuance or subtlety, and the few plot points are telegraphed a mile off.

Act 1 immediately presents us with more than a dozen roles with little introduction, and barely any subsequent attempt at character development. There's a fair amount of lazy stereotyping, but that co-exists alongside some unlikely progressive attitudes that these conservative Cornish fishermen display, donning a pink cowboy hat in Old Compton Street gay bars, for example.

There's a choreographer credited, but little evidence of their work.

I missed the original film on which this is based, but rather enjoyed the movie sequel recently, which benefitted from some magnificent cinematography. There's no attempt to suggest those seascape vistas in the set or lighting designs of the stage version. The sound design is excellent though, all song lyrics being crystal clear.

Two stars.

Act 1: 19:33-20:45
Act 2: 21:07-22:13
A posted notice in the theatre declared, entirely accurately, that Act 1 would be 72 minutes and Act 2 66 minutes. Which begs the question as to why the ATG website said: "2 hours 30 minutes incl. interval". I felt sorry for a couple leaving at 22:05, presumably rushing for transport that relied on the advertised running time.

In MickeyJoTheatre’s most recent vlog he said this was likely going to be the next big hit musical and that it felt similar to Come From Away - unsure if that’s going to be the major consensus but it’s had great reviews so far

If that’s true then I’m glad I booked to see it before it starts selling out

Saw this last night at The Lowry and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a great feelgood show with some lovely songs and some brilliant performances.

The Fisherman's Friends securing a recording contract is a true story. This is not that story. Instead, this is the well-rehearsed story, told a hundred times already, of the big city boy falling for the strong-willed local girl...with added sea shanties.

If truth be told, it wouldn't normally have been my thing, so I was rather surprised to find myself at Wednesday's matinee, bringing the average age of the audience down to the mid-70s.

I must thank Sheffield Theatres, and its pro-active Front of House Manager, for allowing me to stay, after I'd escorted Mater all the way to her seat. By the time we'd left, a marker had been placed on her account, allowing an essential carer to accompany her free of charge on future visits.

A completely harmless way to spend a few hours, which ended with a partial standing ovation, twice. Good stuff that Voltarol! 😉

I saw this Saturday after getting a last min ticket all the way up in the gods and thoroughly enjoyed it. At times I felt it also reminded me of Come from Away but not sure why. The singers were great especially the lady playing Alwyn and really glad I went along.

I do hope Phantom and Wicked make it to Sheffield 🤞🏻😆