The boys are back in town…
THE CHOIR OF MAN had a successful season at the Opera House earlier this year and has snuck back in for another month long season as we reach the tail end of 2019.
I attended opening night, the house was full and the audience was rapt.
This is a very appealing show. For one thing I can not envisage any show having a more relaxed, laid back feel to it than this one has..
Pre show the audience is invited up onto the stage to have a beer and a chat with the performers and other audience members. The stage has been set up as if we are in any old local pub replete with a proper bar area set up. This pub has a name – The Jungle.
The free beers on offer, pulled by one of the performers, mean that not long after the doors are open, the stage is full to over-flowing with people chatting away to a performer or to other audience members.
The show has to go on so when we hit show time, 7pm, the stage is cleared for the performers to do their thing with the audience in a very chilled state of mind!
The songs pour out of them – to name just a few, he Adele song ‘Hello’, Paul Simon’s classic ‘Fifty ways to leave a lover’, the classic show tune ‘The Impossible Dream’ from ‘Man of la Mancha’, John Farnham’s ‘Your The Voice’ and Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’.
Some songs were belted out, others more soulfully sung. A woman in the audience is brought up on stage and serenaded by the guitarist with a love song. A bit predictable but tastefully staged.
Some of my favourite moments were the acapella songs, with nine voices singing artfully in harmony sans instruments.
Another highlight was a very poignant rendition of a song I am not familiar with, ‘Dance with my father’, about a son, now grown up, wanting to repair his fractured relationship with his father by having one more dance. There is a hint or a feeling that the father has passed away.
There was the trusty old pub piano for the performers to gather around, and the audience was invited sometimes to singalong.
The group of nine performers were talented musically; plenty of instruments were played. This was a quick list that I compiled: piano, flute, trumpet, folk guitar, accordion, banjo, mandolin and tambourine.
There was an unexpected bonus. One of the performers proved to be a great tap dancer, which he showed off in a few of the songs. The audience applauded warmly.
The Jungle proved to be a great pub to visit. There was a clear narrative line through the show that it was a homage to ‘old style’ pub life…sitting down with your mates over a few beers, nattering away and even singing a few songs.
It’s an interesting area to explore…how much have the modern , sophisticated cafes impinged on the pub scene?! I know of a few ‘trusty’ pubs that have closed down over recent years. Still there’s nothing like reaching the end of the working week and going to the pub. It’s a delicate balance…
It just isn’t a cabaret show without witticisms and this show had some. Here are a few I managed to jot down : ‘he had a voice like Pavarotti but dressed like he was a minor Agatha Christie character’…’The more you drink, the better we sound. Beauty is in the eyes of the beer holder.’
THE CHOIR OF MAN comprised Alistair Higgins, Peter Hughes, Tom Brandon, Denis Grindel, Matthew Beveridge, Daniel Harnett, Jordan Oliver, Mark Loveday and Richard “Dickie” Lock
THE CHOIR OF MAN opened at the Studio Theatre, Sydney Opera House on Thursday 7th November and is playing until Sunday 1st December. It looks set to have another good season, and deservedly so.
