You would be hard-pressed to find another show that offers Robbie Williams, Dolly Parton, Eminem, and Fleetwood Mac songs as sea shanties, but this exceptional show has the wind firmly beneath its sails.
Part jukebox musical, part concert, Shantify brings together six men who hail from the same sleepy English fishing village, each aspiring for something more from life, whether it be marriage, connection, or to win ‘Britain’s Got Sea Shanties’. It is a simple enough premise, yet the complexity of the execution is in the superb musical performances of all six men.
‘The Barnacle Boys’, consisting of Joe Bishop, Alfie French, Cal T King, Michael Risley, Jack Whittle and Ollie Wray, shine as they work their way through the trials of a fisherman’s life, the heroic behaviours of being a volunteer lifeboat crew and the tribulations of a volatile lovelife, all with terrific humour and vigour, weaved perfectly into the stunning array of pop songs and musical hits all given the ‘Shantified!” treatment.
Under the direction of Jo Parsons and the work of Harry Style and Ashley Jacobs as musical directors, the piece shifts seamlessly from song to song, culminating in a tremendously fun final twenty minutes, which essentially becomes a concert where the six indulge in their sea shanty prowess, with an energy and enthusiasm that infectiously spreads across the audience.
Clocking in at just shy of 90 minutes, the production is effective at fitting in as many songs as it can, without detriment to the show’s momentum or its loosely fitting plot. A shanty version of Dolly Parton’s ‘9-5’ kicks the show off, and sets the tone for a piece that places the sea shanty treatment on other unsuspecting choices, such as Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’, Wheatus’s ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ and even Robbie Williams’s ‘Let Me Entertain You’ in a booming start to the second half, which is more concert than musical.
Yet despite the focus on pop and rock songs, the show also recognises its musical theatre roots, given the extensive musical experiences of its leads. Hits from The Greatest Showman and Six are among those ‘shantified’, while a devastatingly poignant and profoundly moving staging of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, from Carousel, though most will recognise it from elsewhere, is striking in its direction and deft use of torches, spotlighting the sense of danger and camaraderie among the lifeboat men.
Shantify is a nautical musical that makes a splash and deserves to go on to even bigger and better things. An extraordinary display of creative musicality, what joy it is to be ‘shantified’.
