The Choir of Man

The Choir of Man is a British musical created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay.[1] Set in a traditional British or Irish pub, the show features a working on-stage bar from which pints of beer are poured for the audience during the performance.[2] Throughout the show, the cast of nine multi-instrumentalist singers perform arrangements of well-known Pop and Rock music arranged and orchestrated by the show's Musical Supervisor Jack Blume, while dialogue takes the form of spoken word monologues written by performance poet Ben Norris.[3][4][5] The movement direction and choreography is by tap dancer Freddie Huddleston.[3][6]

The Choir of Man
GenreJukebox Musical
Show typeWest End & Touring
Date of premiereEdinburgh Fringe Festival 2017
LocationAssembly Rooms
Creative team
Creator, Director and ProducerNic Doodson
Co-Creator and ProducerAndrew Kay
Musical Supervisor, Vocal Arranger and OrchestratorJack Blume
Movement Director and ChoreographerFreddie Huddleston
Monologue WriterBen Norris

The show was first presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017,[7] and has since had seasons at venues around the world, including the Sydney Opera House[8] and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[9][2]

Since 2018, The Choir of Man has been a resident show on board the Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Encore cruise ships.[10][11]

Background

After working together since 2014 on the production of A Cappella music stage show Gobsmacked!,[12] in 2016 Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay came up with the idea for a show about 'normal men', who sing in their local pub's choir.[13] Having co-created Gobsmacked! with Doodson, Jack Blume was brought on board as the show's musical arranger. Soon afterwards Freddie Huddleston, who had previously worked with Blume on a workshop project, joined the creative team as the choreographer and movement director. The show's premiere season was at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the Assembly Rooms Music Hall on Princes Street.[14] The original cast included actor and poetry slam champion Ben Norris.[13][15] During development workshops for the show, Doodson asked Norris to write some poetic monologues to help transition between songs. These segments became a defining part of the show's tone and character, and were gradually woven throughout the production.

Production history

Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2017)

The premiere season of The Choir of Man, at the Assembly Music Hall in August 2017. The original cast included John Sheehy, Aidan Banyard, Mark Loveday, Tom Brandon, Jami Reid-Quarrell, Ben Norris, Freddie Huddleston, Peter Lawrence and Andrew Carter. This version did not include the role of a virtuoso pianist.

Adelaide Fringe Festival (2018)

Taking place at the Adelaide Fringe Festival's Gluttony site in the Flamingo tent, the show's second outing had a few changes of repertoire, new monologues, and with the addition of Connor Going to the cast, was debut of the virtuoso pianist role. In Week 2 of the festival, The Choir of Man won the Bank SA "Best Music" award.[16] At the end of the season, The Choir of Man won the Bank SA overall "Pick of the Fringe" award.[17]

West End (2021-present)

The Choir of Man made its West End debut at the Arts Theatre on 29 October 2021,[18] with the run later extended due to popular demand.[19][20] After receiving a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play in 2022,[21] the show announced it would be returning to the Arts Theatre in October 2022.[22][23]

Choir of Man at the Arts Theatre, West End 2021

Norwegian Cruise Lines

After its success at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Choir of Man was licensed for performance at sea by Norwegian Cruise lines, making its debut on the NCL Escape in 2018, and subsequently opening on board the brand new Norwegian Encore in 2019.[24] During the COVID-19 pandemic whilst theatres and cruise lines around the world were shut down,[25][26] The Choir of Man filmed a special "Live From London" performance in the empty Garrick Theatre, for NCL's EMBARK series.[27][28] This hour long special featured interviews with cast members cut into a socially-distanced concert performance of songs from the show, performed on the empty Garrick stage.

References
  1. Thomas, Sophie (2021-09-03). "'The Choir of Man' to open in the West End". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  2. "Review | 'The Choir of Man' invites you into a pub for a sticky singalong". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  3. "The Choir of Man to open in the West End | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  4. "Interview with Ben Norris". Voice Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  5. "The Choir of Man at London Wonderground". Theatre Bubble. 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  6. Wilson, Bryan-Keyth. "BWW Review: THE CHOIR OF MAN at The Grand 1894 Opera House". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  7. "#EdFringe17 Comedy Q&A: Tom Brandon from Choir of Man by Martin Walker". broadwaybaby.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  8. "The Choir of Man". Sydney Opera House. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  9. Stoltenberg, John (2018-11-22). "Review: 'The Choir of Man' at The Kennedy Center". DC Metro Theater Arts. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  10. "The Choir of Man on NCL". www.cruisecritic.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  11. "Norwegian Encore Cruise Ship | Norwegian Encore Deck Plans | Norwegian Cruise Line". www.ncl.com. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  12. Robbins, Caryn. "GOBSMACKED! The Amazing A Cappella & Beatboxing Show Announces N.A. Tour Debut". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  13. Ltd, Underbelly. "Cheers to The Choir of Man - Blog". London Wonderground. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  14. "Fringe Q&A's: The Choir of Man on finally playing the festival, Sean Connery and the binmen of Barcelona". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  15. Literature, Nottingham UNESCO City of (2017-04-17). "Ben Norris". Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  16. "BANKSA WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS - WEEK 2 | Adelaide Fringe - 18 February - 20 March 2022". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  17. "OUR AMAZING 2018 BANKSA FRINGE AWARD WINNERS | Adelaide Fringe - 18 February - 20 March 2022". adelaidefringe.com.au. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  18. "The Choir Of Man West End - The Choir Of Man Musical London". British Theatre. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  19. Thomas, Sophie (2021-11-30). "'The Choir of Man' extends West End booking period". London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  20. Limited, London Theatre Direct (2021-11-30). "The Choir of Man extends West End run". London Theatre Direct. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  21. "Olivier Awards 2022". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  22. Wild, Stephi. "THE CHOIR OF MAN Will Return to the Arts Theatre, London in Autumn 2022". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  23. Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-25). "'The Choir of Man' to return to Arts Theatre". London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  24. "The Choir of Man on NCL". www.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  25. "Cruise ship industry announces worldwide shutdown in response to coronavirus pandemic, leaving ship workers in the lurch". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  26. "'Hanging on by our fingertips': theatres fear Omicron's impact on festive season". The Guardian. 2021-12-16. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  27. "Embark Spotlights | The Choir Of Man". www.ncl.com. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  28. "The show must go on for Norwegian Cruise Line's 'Choir of Man': Travel Weekly". www.travelweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
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