The Choir of Man – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Creators: Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay

Monologues Writer: Ben Norris

Director: Nic Doodson

After it first appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, The Choir of Man has gone from strength to strength with productions in the West End, across the USA, at Sydney Opera House, on cruise ships and more. Now it has embarked on an extensive tour of the UK and this week it plays Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre.

The Choir of Man is a celebration of the local pub and of friendship – particularly male friendships, creating safe spaces for men to be open and be themselves. There is minimal plot but it is still a feel good two hours at the theatre. A group of men gather in this pub – some pubs have sports teams but this one has a choir, the Choir of Man. They deliver banger after banger, transforming the pub into a pop-come-folk concert venue. We get some glimpses into their characters, each one identified by an adjective or role but really the cast play heightened versions of themselves. Their genuine friendships come across so clearly.

Hot off the back of his nomination at The Pantomime Awards 2026, Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi leads the company as Poet. He delivers extended poetic monologues, crafted with a healthy dose of heart by Ben Norris. They beautifully capture how people from such different walks of life can still come together, love one another and do life with each other. Owoyemi makes these monologues sound incredibly natural – how he has managed to learn them all, this reviewer does not know! Owoyemi is also a gifted vocalist and musician – he accompanies himself on the piano for a showstopping and moving rendition of Dance With My Father.

The whole company displays wonderful musicianship. Whilst the West End production had a band above the set, this touring production is fully actor-musician (possibly supported by some pre-recorded tracks?) and it works very well.

Gustav Melbardis (Maestro) is a delight when he gets to lead to musical numbers, with outstanding ability as a piano player. He also demonstrates great comic timing. Aaron Pottenger plays Bore but is far from boring – he delivers delicious classically rich vocals. Sam Walter (Romantic) also shows off his killer vocals, hitting high notes with ease, as does Niall Woodson (Swing, playing Barman at this performance). Woodson’s Somebody To Love brings the house down, and Walter’s rendition of Hello was sublime but also incredibly moving. Jack Skelton doesn’t get to lead a musical number vocally as many others do, but he does lead musical numbers with his incredible tap dancing ability. Not only is he a fantastic tap dancer, but he manages act very well through his dancing which is not easy to do. Credit must go to director Nic Woodson and the creative team for taking a flexible approach to the staging of this show and allowing the company to showcase any specific skills they have.

Rob Godfrey brings an incredibly unique vocal tone to the show as Beast which is a delight to listen to. He also does a lot of the heavy lifting (alongside Melbardis) musically, playing guitar almost constantly throughout the show. Ben Mabberley has a great amount of energy and charm as Joker, playing a multitude of stringed instruments. Levi Tyrell Johnson also adds a great amount of energy as Hard Man, with strong comic timing and stunning vocals.

What makes this production an utter joy is that each performer is incredibly, particularly in their vocal tone, but they can come together to deliver beautiful harmonies to perfection. Jack Blume’s vocal arrangements and orchestrations are something to behold, reinventing hit songs whilst still giving us the songs we know and love.

Freddie Huddleston must be celebrated for his choreography which is stylistically perfect, with just enough moments that make you go ‘wow’ – his cup-ography, which has become iconic and a West End Live staple, is executed with immense precision by this company.

The set design from Oli Townsend, alongside Verity Sadler, is great with fabulous attention to detail. It really grounds the piece in reality – we believe we’re looking in on a real pub (well, the bar does actually serve pints pre-show and during the interval). Richard Dinnen lights the piece beautifully, making it look as though it’s being lit by the setting sun through the stained glass window, whilst also transforming the place into a concert venue when it needs to be. At times, using some follow spots could have helped as during bigger company numbers it can be challenging to pick out who we should be looking at. Liam McDermott’s sound design mixes the live and pre-recorded music excellently, so much so it’s difficult to work out what’s being played live and what’s being boosted by a track. Occasionally the music does drown out the vocals though, making it difficult to hear all the lyrics.

Having previously seen the show in the West End, your reviewer can say he enjoyed it a whole lot more here on tour. The show feels bigger, whilst still feeling intimate, and the show is slightly expanded (adding an interval) giving us more time with this delightful group of lads, who all feel like your own friends by the time you leave.

Be sure to pull up a stool at The Jungle when it arrives at your local and marvel at the immense talent of this company of quadruple threats!

Runs until 20th June 2026, before continuing on tour