The Choir of Man at Nottingham Theatre Royal Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Louise Edwards

Nottingham’s Theatre Royal is this week transformed into The Jungle aka the best pub in the world as it welcomes The Choir of Man on its nationwide tour. Created by Nic Doodson (who is also the producer and director) and Andrew Kay, this show started at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and has since run for four years in the West End, toured in the USA, Europe, Australia, Korea and China multiple times as well as appeared on cruise ships and picked up an Olivier award nomination along the way.

Having seen the West End production a couple of times with different casts I was intrigued to see how it was interpreted for a tour as at The Arts Theatre, where is has resided, is intimate and there is quite a lot of audience interaction which may not be as easy in traditional theatres.

The stage is set with a bar at the back (a real bar where you can get beer before the production starts and also at the interval), piano and tables and chairs. There isn’t a story as such but more mini monologues (written by Ben Norris) and the pub is used as a vehicle for a group of ordinary blokes who meet up and sing. Each singer has its own character. We firstly meet the Poet who is the narrator, played by Nimi Owoyemi. He gradually introduces us to the rest of the cast – Rob Godfrey playing The Beast, Joshua Lloyd as Barman, Ben Mabberley as Joker, Gustav Melbardis as Maestro, Aaron Pottender as Bore, Jack Skelton as Handyman, Levi Tyrell Johnson as Hard man and Sam Walter as Romantic. Each an archetypal male which shows something tender about male friendship without dipping into anything sentimental.

With close harmony vocals, tap dance and spoken word these nine male performers take us through a vast selection of musical genres featuring Queen, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns n Roses and Katy Perry to name just a few. It certainly isn’t karaoke but it isn’t your traditional male voice choir either and their amazing voices are rich and measured.

As it is the opening night, local choirs have been invited and before the last song, the cast are joined on stage by Jack Blume, the musical supervisor, vocal arranger and orchestrator who invites the four Nottinghamshire based choirs to stand, featuring hundreds of singers around the theatre, to join the cast to sing Chandelier by Sia which really does raise the roof!

This show is not a normal musical but instead is a coming together, feel good experience that is recommended for everyone. When we were walking out we heard a couple behind us say “shall we come back tomorrow night?” and this is the feeling you get with Choir of Man – it is infectious, addictive and a tonic in these chaotic times that really you can’t get enough of it.

Running for around two hours with a 20 minute interval you can guarantee you will be singing along (which is welcomed) and up on your feet to dance and clap and cheer. The audience are very much involved with several women getting serenaded and men joining for the whole camaraderie. The cast dish out the beers as well as snacks to ensure everyone has the best time. Cheers to The Choir of Man – get your ticket now for a fantastic night of fun!

Rating: 4/5

Tickets from £24.50 are available here https://www.trch.co.uk/whats-on/the-choir-of-man-zxz4