Choir of Man

Manchester Opera House 

*** RAISE YOUR GLASSES & FEEL UPLIFTED ***

*** CHEERS! TO THE CHOIR OF MAN CAST ***

*** GRAB YOUR BESTIES - CHOIR OF MAN BECONS YOU TO HAVE A GREAT TIME ***

*** CHOIR OF MAN - IMMERSIVE - INTERACTIVE - RAUCOUS ***

CHOIR OF MAN has been shown around the world but we hadn’t heard a lot about it. The show has x9 performers.

I can only think of x1 other show where you are allowed to walk near or on the edge of the stage - Cabaret The Kit Kat Club in London & NYC. So tonight’s show was pretty neat that you could go up onto the Opera House stage and meet your mates, buy a pint and interact with the x9 talented cast members. You could return to ‘The Jungle’ pub during the interval also. So that’s pretty ground breaking to be allowed that honour.

Immersive theatre is everywhere. Currently in NYNY you can act alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Every Brilliant Thing. Allowing audience members to become part of the show is proving more & more popular. In Choir Of Man x10 audience members each night are plucked from the auditorium to be part of the show. Would you feel comfortable doing this? Pop on your glad rags just in case it’s you!

The show has a basic narrative with fellow Manc OLUWALONIMI (NIMI) OWOYEMI as ‘THE POET’. He’s there to weave what little plot there is. Talking about the Pub being a relic of the past but describing what an amazing, talented, supportive community lies behind each & every pub door waiting to be discovered. This boozer we find ourselves in is ‘THE JUNGLE’. You maybe luck enough to get a free pint, a piná colada or even some ready salted or salt n’ vinegar crisps launched at you via catapults! - No really…. You might.

There’s the Goliath in stature & talent - GUSTAV MELBARDIS our stand out performer tonight. He plays ‘Maestro’ on the piano. Very quick on the ivories and was a lightening bolt of energy - in stage and in the audience.

The cast sing a lot - Teenage Dream, Save Tonight, 500 miles, Chandelier, Hello, with each of the talented troupe allowed time to shine whether it be on the piano, tap dancing their way around the bar or poetry.

We were expecting a conventional theatre musical set up with a thread of story. Character development. That isn’t what this show is about or tries to do. It’s essentially a massive sing-a-long pop inspired knees up. You could say it touches upon the juke box genre…. But even those musicals have a deeper purpose underneath the glossy sets and costumes.

Choir Of Man celebrates community. It celebrates men. It cleverly attracts local choirs to take part in a closing song. When the house lights came on in the auditorium the cast sang with the 300+ strong choir members to ‘CHANDELIER’. It was effective. It left the full house on their feet and cheering. Isn’t that what good theatre is about?…. Bringing people together. To have a good time. A sing-a-long. To leave more jolly & uplifted than when you first arrived. If that’s the goal…. Then ‘tick’.

There's a rousing rendition at the finale reminiscent of Disney's Beauty & The Beast's - Gaston's Tavern-esquę scene with the tankard dance. Clinking glasses at high speed which actually proves very satisfying to watch.

Infact - 2024/25 proved tricky for theatres keeping audience members from singing along to shows…. CHOIR OF MAN is raucous at times and the cast actively encourage you to sing with them. We just wanted to feel like our musical theatre evening was a glass half full…. But left feeling it was a tad half empty.

With UK pubs shutting at a rate of x40 > x50 per month…. We feel that ‘THE JUNGLE’ will have a better future as it’s returning to The Lowry this October.

Book now via below:

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-choir-of-man/opera-house-manchester/