At the end of a long day at university, it’s only natural to want to go down to your local with your mates for a couple of pints and a catch-up. Luckily for me, there’s an entire musical devoted to just that! I’m not a big drinker myself so I thought I’d head down to the Arts Theatre to visit The Jungle, a unique pub with a unique clientele, including a bunch of lads who form The Choir of Man.
The Choir of Man tells the tale of a group of guys in their local pub, The Jungle, who also together form the pub’s choir. The show takes us on a journey into their lives, their personalities, and the wider British pub culture. Through a range of musical genres, we see what lies inside each of these guys, and how sometimes a pub is the one place we all need to feel at home.
What a unique show! The musical is a short but sweet rollercoaster the entire way through. The range of genres that are covered in such a short space of time is brilliant, the show is hilariously funny yet deep and sincere, and gives this musical a very unique feel to it. It also features an on-stage bar where you can go up and have a pint with the cast (in a very pretty set). What’s not to love? This group of performers have such a charisma together and work so well as a crew. They’re not just playing their roles, they are their roles.
Whilst the entire cast were all unique and performed very well, there were a few stand-out performances. Mark Irwin plays Barman and this casting choice is genius; he fully embodies your classic barman character, joking with the customers whilst remaining serious. He does a brilliant job transitioning through serious barman to consoling figure or the friend you turn to in a crisis. His voice is fierce and powerful and Mark Irwin has clearly brought a lot of himself into his performance because his character feels so genuine and the emotions of the show are clearly on his face, not his character’s.
The other stand-out performance goes to Handyman, played by Ben Goffe. His abilities in a range of performing talent is a joy to watch, with him tap dancing one minute, belting out the soundtrack the next, and giving us a trumpet serenade to top it all off. He’s a lovely person as well, sitting with us in the audience before the show started and taking pictures with the audience.
The Choir of Man is a hilariously joyful musical that is a tribute to the British pub and the people who find friends and themselves over a pint. It’s a unique concept which is hugely entertaining and a lot of fun to watch, and is an ideal jukebox musical, especially for students for first-time theatregoers.
Rating: ★★★★☆
The Choir of Man is currently showing at the Arts Theatre in the West End
