If you’re searching for something to do this Easter Half Term, look no further! We have a jam-packed, chocolate covered line-up to keep you and our little ones busy right through the holidays.

So whether you’re searching for fairytales, fishtails, or cocktails, there’s something for everyone at Hall for Cornwall!

Start Things Off with Some Live Music…

For music fans, The Carpenters Story is set to delight our audiences with all the hits of pop’s most famous brother and sister duo.

 

Described by Paul McCartney as ‘The Best Female voice in the world’, this highly acclaimed production continues to captivate audiences across the UK.

? MON 03 APR / 7.30PM

Something for Your Little Royals…

Get ready to dress up in your finest dress and tiara for Pop Princesses!

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This magical family show with a difference sees your favourite princesses become pop stars! Featuring a soundtrack of top pop hits from artists such as Little Mix, Ariana Grande, Taylor swift. Meghan Trainor and Miley Cyrus, plus all the best songs from all your favourite Films and Musicals, this is children’s concert is sure to keep your little ones entertained, and create long-lasting memories.

? TUE 04 APR / 6PM

Strictly Fans Assemble!

Get ready to be romanced by Strictly stars Nadiya and Kai in their fairytale dance show Once Upon a Time!

 

This stunning show highlights each dancer’s different background and showcases their incredible ballroom journeys. What better way to relax this Easter than spending an evening exploring this love affair through dance…

? SAT 08 APR / 7.30PM

And finally… take part in something utterly Cornish!

Fisherman’s Friends the Musical returns to Hall for Cornwall 18 months after our grand re-opening. This feel-good sensation joined us on our opening night, and now, after an international tour, this spectacular production comes home.

 

Starring Cornish celebrity Susan Penhaligon, among other beloved local actors, this ‘tail’ follows the story of the real Fisherman’s Friends from Port Isaac, and their voyage from small-town singers to performing on the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury!

 

To mark the return of this heart-warming musical to the Cornwall Playhouse, the real Fisherman’s Friends will be attending on opening night, and you might even get a chance to meet them! So what are you waiting for? Come along this Easter and fall in love all over again with this celebration of friendship, community and music.

? TUE 11 APR – SAT 22 APR / Various Times

Other things happening at Hall for Cornwall this Easter…

Our Green Room Café will be open as usual throughout the Easter holidays, serving up delicious sandwiches, cafes and homemade Cornish Cream Teas!

  

Relax in a cosy atmosphere, surrounding by tropical plants and the warm scent of coffee in the air. And if you’re feeling adventurous, take a wander through our Ope Way and explore the auditorium…

If you’re spending an evening in Truro, pop into our Playhouse Bar for cocktails and chilled vibes. Open most evenings and around showtimes, this is the perfect place to unwind in the bustling city.

However you choose to spend your Easter Holidays in Cornwall, we hope to see you here at Hall for Cornwall.

After a popular tour of the UK and North America, Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical returns to Hall for Cornwall this April, marking 18 months since the inaugural performance which launched the new Cornwall Playhouse!

Produced by Cornwall Playhouse Productions and ROYO, this rags-to-riches story of friendship, community and music features a reworked and punchier script that has delighted audiences around the world since its development run in 2021. It’s a heart-warming tale for our times, a triumph of Cornish spirit, filled with hope, joy, and a celebration of how the power of singing can help to bring people together. It’s a heart-warming tale for our times, a triumph of Cornish spirit, filled with hope, joy, and a celebration of how the power of singing can help to bring people together.

 

Director James Grieve looks back on the story of these humble friends: ‘Their journey began when they stepped out on The Platt at Port Isaac to sing a few songs to raise a few quid for a lifeboat. A music producer on holiday was bewitched by the striking sound of these raw acapella voices underscored by the sea lapping against the shore. They signed to Island Records and their debut album went gold and entered the album chart at number 9.’

 

The real Fisherman’s Friends join the red carpet on opening night

Following our renovation, this feel-good musical smashed box office records when it opened, playing to nearly 21,000 people who flocked to see the show and our new theatre. With two young producers at the helm making their professional debut, the first tour was a landmark moment for Cornwall. Since then, the musical has crossed the Tamar and headed north, playing to dozens of towns and cities across the UK, and even sailing into Canada last Christmas!

‘Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends are unlikely all-conquerors. A group of lifelong friends who started singing together at school and ended up on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.’

– Director James Grieve

 

This year’s production has been reinvented with an all-star cast, including Parisa Shahmir (MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again) and Dan Buckley (Sweeney Todd) reprising their roles from the original production, James Gaddas (Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Dracula), Jason Langley (War Horse, Casualty) and Cornish celebrities Robert Duncan (Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution) from St Austell, and Susan Penhaligon, who grew up in St Ives and Falmouth.

After beginning her life in Cornwall, Susan has toured the world with her career, starring in Bouquet of Barbed Wire, A Fine Romance, Dracula, Under Milk Wood, Emmerdale and more. Susan’s role as Maggie in Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical marks her return home to the Cornish stage.

‘Cornwall to me is a sense of belonging; a sense of identity.’

– Susan Penhaligon

Julian Boast, CEO of Hall for Cornwall commented: ‘When we dreamed of a new theatre for Cornwall, we hoped for magical pin-drop moments that would captivate audiences, and with this show we were lucky enough to manage that right at the start of our journey. Thinking back to that opening week, the atmosphere was palpable as the audience entered the brand-new Cornwall Playhouse and embarked on this proudly-Cornish  journey with us. I’m so pleased at the prospect of bringing those spine-tingling moments to new audiences, and welcoming back those who were captivated first time round.’

 

Susan Penhaligon stars in the musical

Jon Cleave, one of the founding members of the original Fisherman’s Friends band, appeared on BBC Breakfast to talk about the musical.

‘We love the musical and the way they do it – it’s fantastic. We’ve seen it four or five times! It’s an absolute joy to see the way our story is portrayed, and everyone comes out of the theatre feeling made up and all fuzzy afterwards.’

– Jon Cleave, member of the original Fisherman’s Friends

 

Jon Cleave sporting his iconic moustache on opening night!

He then went on to reminisce on the opening night, where the original band performed a shanty to the audience: ‘Hall for Cornwall was being re-opened after being refitted, and that was the first night of the musical, and it was fantastic. And of course, being full of Cornish people who can’t stop singing, they were singing along to the whole thing and waving their Cornish flags, and it was a fantastic evening… Cornwall has a massive singing tradition, and everyone in Cornwall takes part in that and pride in that.’

 

The original cast take a bow to a standing ovation

The real Fisherman’s Friends have confirmed that they are coming along to see the musical on opening night (Tuesday 11th April), which promises to be a sensational evening.

The final performance will be dedicated to Hall for Cornwall trustee, John Pollard, who sadly passed away earlier this year. John worked closely with Hall for Cornwall for five dedicated years, displaying a true passion for the transformative power of arts and culture.

Fisherman’s Friends the Musical runs from TUE 11 – SAT 22 APR 2023.

You can find out more about the musical and purchase tickets here.

 

Hall for Cornwall are delighted to welcome back the legendary psychedelic spacerock band Hawkwind, making their first appearance in our building since the days of Truro City Hall. Visitors to our Greenroom café will have seen the inclusion of their 1973 visit in our wall-mounted timeline, but their debut in Truro was as far back as 1970, only a year after they emerged out of the Ladbroke Grove counterculture scene!

Misty-eyed enthusiasts still talk warmly of their various Cornish concerts across the years, most notably in 1971 at Redruth’s Flamingo Club – or Morrisons as it is now! – where they were joined for the very first time by the statuesque dancer Stacia. That 1973 show recorded on our timeline would have seen a certain bass player by the name of Lemmy in their line-up. Lemmy sang vocals on their Top 3 hit ‘Silver Machine’ the previous year, and a couple of years later formed his own band, named after a song he’d written for Hawkwind: ‘Motörhead’.

 

A picture sleeve of Hawkwind’s best known single

At the St Austell Coliseum in 1980, for their Levitation tour, the band included Ginger Baker, famous for drumming in the British rock trio Cream, while a couple of years later at the same venue they played a benefit gig that, in part, helped fund a CT scanner for Treliske Hospital.

Hawkwind at St Austell Coliseum with Ginger Baker on Drums. Credit: Oz Hardwick

They returned to Truro City Hall in 1993 as a tight and loud three-piece, with local band Lordryk in support. Seasoned Cornish gig-goers will remember that Lordryk were also known under the name Moondragon, and later morphed into local favourites 3 Daft Monkeys, whose Anthene Roberts makes an appearance on the very latest Hawkwind live album!

Other Cornish Hawkwind gigs still talked of fondly include a private party in Carleen on the day of the solar eclipse of 1999, a headline appearance at a psychedelic all-dayer in Penzance in 1988, and at the notorious Treworgey Tree Fayre festival of 1989. Then there was a nostalgic remount of their Warrior on the Edge of Time album at Falmouth Pavilions. Older fans reminisce about their 1971 gig at Marazion, overlooking St Michael’s Mount. Or was it on St Michael’s Mount, overlooking Marazion? Nobody can quite agree it seems!

We’re thrilled to have the ever-present Dave Brock and the current Hawkwind line-up visit Hall for Cornwall, especially as they continue their tradition of having local bands open for them with the wonderful Celtic cacophony of Hanterhir appearing this time!

Spacerockers, this is the show for you!

Written by Ian Abrahams

Author of Hawkwind: Sonic Assassins

As sparkling reviews of our Treasure Island Christmas Show flood in, we sent Rhianna (our Marketing and Communications Executive) backstage to have a chat with Technical Manager Josh.

R: Tell us a bit about yourself.

J: Hey I'm Josh Reeves, Technical Manager at Hall for Cornwall, and Production Manager of Treasure Island. We're into the third week of Treasure Island and the second week of shows.

R: How long did it take you to assemble the set on stage?

J: It has taken roughly 1300 hours to get the show up and running and to where it is today.

R: Can you tell me a bit about the set and how it works?

J: Well we have 168 lights operating over head which help with things like scene transition and dance numbers. There are colourful curtains, platforms and moving components to transport you into the world of Treasure Island. We have all the elements – sand, fire, snow, shipwrecks – oh and plenty of coconuts! There are some other magical elements too which we're keeping secret for the live show.

R: Sounds very mysterious! What's it like working with the cast?

J: We have a really lively cast and crew, and everyone's always up for a laugh, back stage as well as on, so it's a lot of fun. And then there's Ed who plays a lively Long John Silver who really loves his jelly, so there's plenty of that too!

R: What do you get up to while the show is happening?

J: Other than making sure the lighting, sound and set are all running smoothly, we sometimes dance along at the side of the stage and joke around with the cast – it's a lot of fun!

R: What's your favourite part of the show?

J: If I was going to tell you my favourite part of the show, I'd be giving away a big secret, so you guys will have to come down and check it out for yourselves.

R: What would you say to anyone who hasn't seen it yet?

J: The show brings a lot of fun and there's something for all members of the family, so if you haven't seen it yet, I'd really recommend it!

Thanks Josh!

Photos by Hugh Hastings.