Full cast announced for world premiere of Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical

THE WORLD PREMIERE NEW MUSICAL SETS SAIL 13 OCTOBER

The cast for the world premiere of Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical at the Hall for Cornwall next month has been announced, including Cornwall’s own Edward Rowe, star of the BAFTA-winning film, Bait and Hall for Cornwall’s smash-hit Christmas Shows Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Calum Callaghan (Mr Selfridge) plays Danny, a fish-out-of-water music manager who stumbles across a group of shanty singing fishermen in Port Isaac, Cornwall.  The leader of the band, Jim, played by Deka Walmsley (Billy Elliot, Macbeth), takes some convincing to sign up his friends and family to the world of music recording.

He is joined by his fellow fishermen: Jago played by Robert Duncan (Drop the Dead Donkey) who is originally from St Austell, Leadville played by Mensah Bediako (Master Harold and the Boys), Rowan played by Dan Buckley (The Book of Mormon), Dinger played by Rakesh Boury (Rock of Ages), Wiggie played by Matt Slack (Blood Brothers) and Archie played by Hadrian Delacey (The Phantom of the Opera).

The band is completed by Cornish actor Edward Rowe, known for his comedy character Kernow King and as the star of Mark Jenkin’s BAFTA-winning film Bait. Edward has a starring role in Jenkin’s Bait follow-up Enys Men and has written and performed his own shows including Hireth, Trevithick and The Cornish Caretakers.

Star of stage and screen Susie Blake (Mrs Brown’s Boys, Bev Unwin in Coronation Street, Nativity 3, Miss Marple in The Mirror Crack’d, Mrs Fisher in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em) joins the company as pub landlady Maggie, alongside Parisa Shahmir (The Last Ship) as Alwyn, Deborah Tracey (Standing At The Sky's Edge and Hall for Cornwall’s 2017 Christmas show, Sleeping Beauty) as record label manager Leah and Georgia Bruce (Malory Towers) as Sally.

The cast is completed by on-stage actor-musicians, James William-Pattison (Once), Annie Grace (Sting’s The Last Ship), John O’Mahony (This Restless House), Louisa Beadel (Fame) and musicians Hazel Askew (BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee), Alfie Gidley (New Roots finalist) and Musical Director James Findlay (winner of the BBC Young Folk Award 2010).

Julien Boast, CEO and Creative Director at Hall for Cornwall said: “We’re excited to be welcoming such a talented cast of actors, including home-grown talent from Cornwall, to raise the curtain on this world premiere, the first show in our inaugural season and the first co-production of our in-house production company, Cornwall Playhouse Productions.”

Edward Rowe said: “I am absolutely delighted to be in Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical. It has so much heart and joy and I couldn’t think of a more perfect show to open the new Hall for Cornwall”.

Performances will run from Wednesday 13 October to Saturday 30 October 2021 and this will be Hall for Cornwall’s first major production to take to the stage following a three-year, multi-million pound transformation of the venue in the centre of Truro.

Tickets are available from £15.00 online here or via the box office: 01872 262466.

Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical is produced by ROYO, Flying Fish Productions, Mighty Village, with Island Records, David Mirvish and Cornwall Playhouse Productions.