Review: Choir of man – The voice of the people in a musical extravaganza!

This is more than just a musical, it’s a little bit of everyone, it’s real-life mates in the boozer that just happens to be a jukebox musical!

‘Choir of Man’ is a musical set in ‘The Jungle’ a little snazzier version of the everyday British boozer, and it felt like that, because you could use it! The audience were able to enter the stage and buy a pint with the cast before the show and during the interval, while the cast mill around drinking and having a laugh, who knew the opera house would make such a good pub!

This show follows a band of mates, each with their stories, trials and more specifically, their own talent! Each member of the cast was uber talented in their own way, songs instruments, dancing… in fact some of them played across the board and in that sense you can see that some people are born for certain shows, and these lads were meant to do this.

I’ve grown fond of the jukebox musicals over the years, and this is proof of how good a jukebox musical can be. The choice of music and they way it was performed was just excellent – its hard to pick favourites as so many stood out. The audience interaction of ‘Teenage Dream’, the tap number involved in ‘50 ways to leave your lover’, the tankard dance of ‘Some Nights’ – that is musical excellence of the highest order, and I still have to remind myself that this is about a pub! Wow! A special mention must go to ‘Dance With My Father Again!’ – Nimi (whose performance I will address shortly) deserves every accolade for this number alone. It put the shows theme into perspective and you could tell each audience member was going through their own thoughts and feelings with this one, again, the pub is the place for that! People feeling their own way but being together in a room but all together enjoying the same moment in time, and this song captivated that – this was Nimi’s moment!

Nimi played the poet. The voice for the audience and he was perfect, he had that likeable, cheeky chappy attitude that every pub seems to have. His relationship with all the men was fantastic. His vocals, his muscal talent, tha dancing – it all came together in a character performance for the ages, and the sky has to be the limit for his career and I expect to see him in massive hights down the road.

 I cant individually comment on all 9 because this review would become a small novel! But Niall Woodson (Barman), Rob Godfrey (Beast), Aaron Pottenger (Bore), Jack Skelton (Handyman), Levi Johnson (Hardman), Ben Mabberly (Joker), Gustav Melbardis (Maestro) and Sam Walter (Romantic) with Nimi included too… This is the perfect cast, the most talented ensemble I’ve ever seen. Not just down to musical talent but with the feeling they put into it. This wasn’t just a musical it was real. Real relationships, real feelings and real moments of what life in a pub between mates really is. I consider myself a relatively season thespian, but if I was ever able to have even 1/5 of the talent that was pumped into this show I’d be happy.

‘Choir of Man’ is available until Saturday 9^th May, and I would encourage everyone to go and see it. People may not like jukebox musicals or may not like it as a musical as they prefer more linear stories but this is an important piece. A perfect piece. And far and away my favourite musical from now on. Do not miss this one! Tickets available at: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-choir-of-man/opera-house-manchester/