Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN, King's Theatre

First staged at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, The Choir of Man is a musical set in a pub known as The Jungle. Nine regulars meet for drinks and a sing-along with some stories along the way.

It’s a fun setup as audience members are invited onstage to enjoy a drink in the bar. Throughout the evening, people are selected to join the men in the bar and this is done to great comedic effect and the Glasgow crowd are well up for a bit of fun.

The cast rattle through a variety of well-known songs such as “500 Miles”; “Somebody to Love”; “You’re The Voice” and “Teenage Dream”. A particularly nice moment is when they are joined by local community choirs for a collaboration of Sia’s “Chandelier” though it was an unusual choice to have the same song performed twice throughout the evening.

The Choir of Man is a whole heap of fun, but it feels a bit shallow at times. The men have fantastic voices but the jokes are cheap (particularly one with a urinal) and the backstories are all too fleeting. It seems to be reaching for some kind of emotional arc but never quite getting there.

Gustav Melbardis gives a standout turn in his role but the others don’t really have a chance to develop or show much personality. Everyone sounds great, and the cast's synergy is commendable, with the final number particularly impressive.

The Choir of Man is an entertaining night out, but it lacks any kind of real connection with the audience. It’s easy to see how this could be charming as a Fringe hit, but it hasn’t quite succeeded in levelling up to large-scale theatre.

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