“A poetic love letter to the third space- an uplifting musical ode to the humble British pub and the friends we make inside them”
This show appears to have been made in the same wholesome factory where they created Keanu Reeves and Mr Rogers. There’s something so lovely and uplifting about a room full of the nicest blokes just letting off steam, having a pint (or three), and putting the world to rights through the medium of fantastic songs.
Choir of Man is nearly a decade in the making before it goes on a UK tour; its creators Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay have put together something genuinely special and uniquely British. We are immersed in The Jungle, a pub like any other you’ve likely been in- Victorian décor, sticky floors, and knowledgeable bar staff. Led through the evening’s proceedings is our bard: Paul McArthur weaves poetry with his lilting Scottish accent, a friendly face and a gentle tone mingling with his mates in his favourite space. I should probably point out that there is in fact a working bar on stage and the audience is not only encouraged to grab a pint before proceedings, but pints are passed out throughout as well as packets of crisps and if you’re lucky, a piña colada.
Through musical interludes, some retro such as The Proclaimers’ I would walk 500 Miles, or the more recent Hello by Adele, every single one of the cast is brought to life. They are each given a character- hardman, romantic, beast and so on, but the performers’ actual lived experience is referenced and they use their real names. All the men deliberately look like normal guys you’d have a pint with, a wonderful casting choice that means each and every one of them comes across as a good egg.
Between the banter, the pints, the humour and the heartbreak, beautiful harmonising, sensational musicianship and an audience rapport so electric I’m pretty sure the performers could become mates with the doorknobs. Though there is no plot per se, the overarching theme is one of friendship, emotional intelligence and checking in on people, especially the men in your life.
The standouts for me were Levi Tyrell Johnson, playing the charismatic “hardman”- his voice velvety and powerful, and Ben Goffe- his tapdancing skills were fabulous and his comedic timing had the audience rapt.
Ultimately, this show packs far much of an emotional gut punch than it has any right to. I found myself weeping during several moments (a beautiful a capella rendition of The Parting Glass, for example). You will laugh, you will cry, you will probably be half cut on beer. There is absolutely no way you could leave the perfectly sized Arts Theatre without having had a great time. It’s such a wonderful, honest, heartfelt show. Not a single joke or harmony is out of place. A musical set in a pub about a bunch of blokes with varying emotional baggage doesn’t sound like an obvious top night out but I promise you, I promise you, you will leave this building more life-affirmed, more confident, more reassured that everything probably really will be alright. And you can’t put a price on that feeling. Well, maybe the price of a couple of pints and packet of crisps. Get down to your local, have a chat with a mate, and you too can put the world to rights to a fine rendition of the piña colada song.