Shantify – Underbelly Boulevard Soho | Review

Well, I never would have thought I would find myself looking up the term ‘sea shanties’ to try to understand what this show was going for in terms of musical style. Sailors would sing call-and-response tunes to accompany heavy labour tasks. There are elements of that here, though the definition is kept somewhat loose, in keeping with the freeform nature of the genre. This doesn’t let the show entirely off the hook. Despite all the ‘ahoys’ and pirate-esque ‘arrr’ hollers, the choreography is rather too polished, and the occasional apparent attempt at spontaneity came across as very much planned.

Nautical verisimilitude, however, is hardly the point, in a musical revue that, if what narrative there is should be believed, was first shaped by ‘shantifying’, songs from chart music and musical theatre (that is, converting them into musical arrangements that make them (sort of) sound like sea shanties), and shaping a story around them afterwards. The segues into various songs were simultaneously corny and apt. Yes, it shoehorns and crowbars a story around the songs, but there’s an almost humble self-awareness of this. And yet, it could be worse: it could have taken the sea as a theme and ‘shantified’ ‘Under The Sea’ from The Little Mermaid and that song from the motion picture Titanic about love and loss at sea, ‘My Heart Will Go On’.

Not that either of those would have been entirely out of place in an eclectic setlist that included a medley of Beyoncé tunes and the megamix from the musical SIX (goodness, won’t these lads let the ladies have anything?) in amongst ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ and ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. In this expanded version, just about long enough to justify an interval, there are elements of audience interaction (which is not, as I have often said, the same as audience participation)

At the time of writing, the show had completed an Edinburgh Fringe run the previous summer and was gearing up for another one. It sets itself apart there from the various a cappella vocal groups (who do, to be fair, seem to be very supportive of one another, rather than in competition) – and it would be, I would have thought, a blessed relief to sit through a Silly (with a capital S) show like Shantify at the Fringe, especially after a day or two (or more) of deep shows about quarter life crises and personal traumas.

The second half was better than the first, and not just because it was shorter: pretty much all of the storyline is wrapped up before the interval, leaving the second half essentially as the gig these lads, who collectively call themselves The Barnacle Buoys (geddit?), have been gearing up for. Given the show’s dependency on telling a story rather than showing it, I’m not sure how engaging the spoken dialogue would be on a repeat visit. But it has a lot going for it, especially in being able to hear with crystal clarity every single lyric of every single song.

If you really, really look for it, there’s a takeaway message about lasting friendships and how it is never a bad thing to keep in contact with good people, even if moving away and other circumstances of life make it difficult to meet regularly. But it’s really about the songs. Delivered with enthusiasm and sheer vocal talent, this is unashamedly joyous and entertaining stuff.

Review by Chris Omaweng

Join The Barnacle Buoys as they prepare for the biggest gig of their lives at The Port Arms, turning show tunes, rock classics and pop bangers into superb sea shanties.

Cast: Joe Bishop, Alfie French, Cal T King, Michael Riseley, Jack Whittle, Ollie Wray

Jo Parsons – Director/Producer
Emily Wood – Writer/Producer
Harry Style – Musical Director and Arranger
Chris Ashley Jacobs – Musical Director and Arranger
Chris Hall – Choreographer
Richard Williamson – Lighting Designer

SHANTIFY
Underbelly Boulevard Soho, 3 to 14 June 2026
Palais du Variété at Assembly George Square Gardens, Edinburgh Fringe, 5 to 30 August 2026