Writer: Emily Wood
Director: Jo Parsons
Musical Directors: Harry Style & Ashley Jacobs
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Worth Sea’ing”
4 / 5
~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub~
The Barnacle Buoys are a group of six performers making waves in their local town by turning popular songs into sea-shanties. Tonight, they have a massive gig at The Port Arms – but will it be plain sailing or a sea-rious failure?
If you’ve seen The Choir of Man, this feels remarkably similar – so much so that it could easily be mistaken for an unofficial spin-off, even some of the actors having had performed in both shows. From the cheeky introductions, the jokey, laddish banter between songs and the punny ways the performers begin each number, the parallels are hard to ignore, eliciting a strong sense of déjà vu. The only real difference is the shantification of the songs, which is done exceptionally well and provides a wonderfully unique spin on some classic sing-a-long tunes, such as 9 to 5 and Teenage Dirtbag.
The majority of the show focuses on the relationship between the tight-knit group of lads (Cal T King, Alfie French, Michael Risely, Ollie Wray, Joe Bishop, Jack Whittle) and their lives down in their small Coastal town. Band aside, the sea is at the centre of each of their lives, two of them are fishermen, one is a chef that relies heavily on the catch of the day, and they all volunteer with the RNLI. The introductions and slight storyline thread do feel a little forced at points, while its nice to have a foundation of sorts to house the sea shanties, it does occasionally border on being too cringeworthy. The more genuine moments of the cast having a laugh together and riffing a little more, work a lot better and help to personify their characters way more than the stilted scripted portions where they talk about their brotherhood or job stresses.
The pacing is curiously executed. The first act runs for 50 minutes, then a 20 minute break, finishing off with a very short 20 minute second half. Having the second half match the overlong interval is an odd choice, and would definitely work better either scrapping the interval and running straight through at 70 minutes, or splitting the halves better for a stronger flowing show. The second act is solely the gig at The Port Arms – and is brilliantly entertaining by focusing completely on the music and shelving the scripted interactions. Requests are taken from the audience that on the evening reviewed, result in an impressive Beyoncé megamix, alongside pre-arranged routines of Wannabe and Livin’ on a Prayer.
Each of the cast are fabulously talented and the shantification of the songs is fantastically unique. If you enjoy live music and espeically if you are a fan of The Choir of Man then this is a reely good show that’s definitely worth sea-ing.
Runs until 14th June 2026
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