By Mim Williams
What better way to spend a sunny Tuesday in York, during the middle of the World Cup, a time when everybody is either at home or at a pub watching football, than going to the theatre to watch The Choir of Man? Funnily enough, it’s set in a pub and fuelled with masculine energy!
My partner and I didn’t know what to expect; I had seen the show advertised and was eager to see whether it would live up to the hype. The show is an uplifting, high-energy musical which is set in a lively British pub. It flips masculine stereotypes by championing male mental health and the vital importance of friendship and community, and ultimately brings positive vibes all round.
When entering The Grand Opera York, the show hadn’t yet started, and already the cast had the audience up on stage drinking pints, which created the image of your local pub! As a result, you could feel the excitement building up before the show had even started.
Then straight to it, we were ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, where we learned all about the locals and how they use escaping to the local pub for a pint as a way to break away from the stresses of daily life. The characters were all introduced by Nimi (The Poet), and they all had their own nicknames: The Maestro, Bore, Handyman, Hardman, Romantic, Beast, Swing, Barman, Joker & Swing.
The storyline itself has key messages, especially for males, encouraging blokes to speak and express their feelings when they feel the need to. Within modern society, men are more encouraged to do so because they were socialised not to express their feelings and would simply be told to ‘man up’. The musical also discusses the idea that social spaces such as pubs are important places for people to feel part of a community, and this is portrayed through an array of songs. The musical creates a whole array of emotions with fantastic songs, from love and loss to laughter – my favourite numbers were Sia’s ‘Chandelier’ and Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a Prayer ‘. The audience was encouraged to get up and dance to this one!
What’s important to note is that each individual cast member displays their own amazing and unique talents. Nimi Owoyemi, who plays The Poet, and has recently graduated from university with a law degree, took us on a journey throughout the show with his infectious smile and cheeky banter. Sam Walter, who stars as The Romantic and who has trained at the Royal Academy of Music and starred in other shows including Kinky Boots and Love is Blue, had the most incredible vocals that simply blew the audience away. The Barman was also showing off his groove, and the Pina Colada had me completely mesmerised. Jack Skelton, who stars as The Handyman and who has trained at the Sharon Berry School of Dance and gone on to gain a diploma in musical theatre, showed off his superb, high-energy tap dancing skills across the bar and tables. I was tired just watching, so I cannot begin to imagine how he must’ve felt.
There was a sense of high audience engagement throughout the night, which I was relieved of, as you never know what to expect at the theatre, but after watching members of the audience being serenaded, danced with, and even having pints with the cast, I felt truly immersed within the show. Again, these highlights brought home what the show is trying to portray, which is the key importance of socialisation and community.
My partner said that The Choir of Man was the best show he has ever seen! This may be because it has a lot of things Pat enjoys, with pubs, pints, and lots of songs to sing along to; we couldn’t stop telling each other how much we enjoyed the show on the way home. It truly makes you realise how much a local pub can lift your spirits and is such an important hub for people to socialise and be part of a community. So, get yourself down for a fab, fun-filled evening – you are sure not to be disappointed.
The Choir of Man runs at York Grand Opera House until 4 July. Visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-choir-of-man/grand-opera-house-york/ to get your tickets!
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