Creators: Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay
Director: Nic Doodson
Writer: Ben Norris
The Choir of Man prides itself on its realistic pub-like atmosphere, and as we take our seats, this certainly shines through. It takes a moment to realise the stage is packed full of theatre-goers, ordering from a working beer pump and being served by theatre staff. The set is tightly woven with the audience and it is initially hard to separate the cast, who are weaving their way through the crowd, from customers, although this becomes more apparent as curtain up nears.
As the crowd settles and it is clear the show is beginning, morale is high. An energetic opening number is, however, spoiled by sound balance issues, which continue throughout the first few performances and distract from the story that is being told. Said story is effortlessly peddled by Nimi (Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi), who immediately captivates with his Shakespearean-esque monologues and flawless poetic verse. Pouring out the stories of the regulars by way of an introduction, he succeeds in making us connect with each and every one of them, and we begin to feel like locals pulling up a chair.
After the initial sound issues are mostly ironed out, a few comedic performances settle us in. The audience participation also gets going again with a few lucky punters being invited up on stage. Rob’s (Rob Godfrey) guitar serenade doesn’t fail to raise a laugh and Gustav’s (Gustav Melbardis) classical pianist attempt at 500 Miles is certainly a crowd pleaser. Josh’s (Joshua Lloyd) Pina Colada competes with the Under the Bridge urinal number for highlight of the first act, and by the interval, we are settled in for the evening and ready to order the next round.
Sadly, the anticipated high of the night never arrives, and the second act feels like one too many. While it is an obvious attempt to wind the show down to last orders, it slows far too early and leaves the audience feeling a little flat. The exception being Josh’s second big number, Lloyd stealing the show once again with his voice and charm with his rendition of Somebody to Love. The sound issues, unfortunately, return with an out-of-tune guitar and voices being drowned out by music, somewhat spoiling the effects of the whole group numbers. Any perception of songs being woven with story also disappears, and the links become weak.
The early slow is further fuelled by the inclusion of a community choir piece for the opening performances of this tour. While allowing a group of audience members to join in with a pre-rehearsed song is a nice community touch, it is a repeat of one we have heard earlier and just adds to the disjointed nature of the closing numbers and story.
The Choir of Man is not bad overall, but it lacks the staying power of a full night out. It tries hard to be both concert and theatre but never quite masters either, perhaps mixing its genres too weakly. It is easy to see why it had such success as a smaller fringe show, but has possibly tried to get too big for its boots and lost some of the intended intimate charm along the way.
Runs until 11 April 2026 and on tour
