Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN at The Arts Center At Iowa Western

I just spent one of the most fun nights I’ve ever spent in a theatre. THE CHOIR OF MAN  touring the United States consists of a fabulously multi-talented group of nine men from the UK who sing, dance and carouse around the pub they call The Jungle.

Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, the idea for the musical came from their desire to depict male friends bonding in a pub, sharing songs, laughs and laments.

This high spirited Olivier-nominated musical is unlike any other I’ve seen. No tight story line…just personal stories told through the Poet’s lips, written by Monologue Writer BEN NORRIS.

The nine characters represent various archetypal personalities. There is the Barman, the Beast, the Romantic, the Hardman, the Handyman, the Maestro, the Joker, the Bore, and the Poet. These men all have different musical gifts and each is so good it is impossible to choose a favorite.

Jack Blume, Vocal Arranger and Orchestrator, has crafted an incredible mix of music employing twenty musical instruments often being traded among the musicians. Songs running from big numbers with nine part harmony to melodies sweetly sung by a soloist and backed up by his mates are well known, but arranged with a new and fresh ear. Opening the show with a blood stirring “Welcome to the Jungle” instantly captivates. Popular favorites like, “Teenage Dream,” and "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" are reinvented with multiple harmonies. “Hello,” and “Dance With My Father” are chillingly moving. Voices singing a cappella are mesmerizing.

Choreographer and Movement Director FREDDIE HUDDLESTON is credited with creating nonstop action that appears spontaneous. The men jump up on the bar, dance on a table, tap dance a rhythmic beat to the singer, and use the entire stage and even the aisles. Mops are props, but also used to mop up the beer that splashes from mugs as the men dance. Beer glasses are tossed to an actor who builds a tower along with the audience anticipation. Cards are built into houses supporting a beer mug.

There is so much interaction with the audience. Audience members are invited to the stage bar prior to the beginning of the show with the bartender “pullin’ pints.” Mugs of beer are handed out during the show by cast members moving up and down the aisles. Packages of “crisps” are tossed out. People are pulled up on stage to participate in the shenanigans. We sing along, raise our hands, and cheer as we are drawn into every moment.

There is a good deal of humor in this show, including one scene I won’t spoil, but you will find yourself laughing until you cry through the entire sketch.

THE CHOIR OF MAN is a concert of intoxicating harmonious male voices. It is a celebration of masculinity rife with electric energy. It is a sharing of mates and music and camaraderie. If you are anywhere in the vicinity of one of their tour stops, do not miss it on peril of losing out on the best night you’ve had in a long while.