Every year, performers from all across the world come to Edinburgh to lay siege to its iconic castle, but to bring joy and entertainment rather than anything darker. If the acts at the fringe were army, then Shantify! would be the heavy artillery because every song in this show is an absolute banger.
Sometimes, you just need a bit of fun; an hour or so of familiar tunes is a balm for the soul that all of us want to see. The show has humble beginnings. During 2020, the West End was pretty much shut down, so a host of West End musical professionals were at a bit of a loose end. That, combined with the trend at the time for sea-shanties, created the musical theatre gold that is Shantify!
The show we saw was at the Assembly Rooms Bijou, a rather charming ‘greatest showman’-style tent in the middle of George Street, Edinburgh. The venue added to the rustic, seaside show feel, and the venue was packed with show-tune fans looking for a good time. The performers themselves are all West-End musicians who look rather dapper in a Fisherman’s sweater and nautical beanie.
We get a little bit of narrative and a mild amount of audience participation in which we are invited to pick a plastic lobster from a barrel; each lobster has either a cracker joke or a song suggestion, and all the songs are bangers. We especially enjoyed Dolly Parton’s Nine-To-Five, a Fleetwood Mac medley and a very atmospheric rendition of Sondheim’s The Ballad of Sweeney Todd. They make it feel like Hamilton was written as a sea shanty.
In a way, this is musical theatre for the TikTok generation; every song an absolute treasure, with the hits delivered in a consistent and easy to enjoy sort of way. Family friendly, incredible fun, and simply fantastic, Shantify! brings the high seas to show tunes and the high C to sea shanties. A must-watch show, and the easily the spirit of the fringe.
You can book for the Edinburgh Fringe 2024 show here, and find out about future tours here.
