Fisherman’s Friends is having a short run at The Lowry until October 1st. It’s the musical of the film of the book of the (unlikely) true events that led to a group of Cornish fishermen from Port Isaac hitting the big time and appearing at Glastonbury. It’s an endearing tale of people wanting to keep the old traditions alive. What’s slightly less endearing is the locals’ view of any outsiders (denigrated as emmets in the local jargon) and one of the first events is their evident glee when a visitor’s car becomes submerged by the incoming tide.
There are a few parallel strands: life is tough and getting tougher for some, the traditions need to be maintained and progress is bad, and a love interest surfaces part way through. All in all it’s the theatre holding a mirror to life for most of us.
Everyone on stage can sing and dance well, and several people can also play instruments – sometimes all at once. The sentiments expressed ring true of any community trying to keep things together, and it’s the singing of shanties that provides the strong glue here. They’re sung well, but, even though this is a musical, there are rather a lot of them. There are some amusing moments when the men attend a gay bar in London, and moments of pathos when it looks like the big plan with Island Records has all gone horribly wrong, and grandad is lost at sea.
At the end everything works out for the best though, and even though changes are afoot even the most diehard of the troupe realises that changes are needed.
The finale is a rousing chorus of yet more shanties with people on their feet, and where grandad has miraculously been reincarnated – but why not?
Watch out too for a film version just released.
Paul Schofield for Ancoats Plus
