A ‘jukebox musical’ with a difference - The Choir of Man - shows at the Wolverhampton Grand this week. The hit show began life on the Edinburgh Fringe, made waves in the West End, and has enjoyed runs around the globe, but this is the first time it has embarked on a UK tour. Don’t miss the chance to catch this riot of a show before it leaves the Midlands. 

There’s no plot to speak of, barely any dialogue between characters, and the walls of the set are confined to a single location - that setting is the play’s central focus. The audience is warmly welcomed into everyone’s local pub, The Jungle, complete with wood panelling, saloon doors and sticky carpets. 

In the meantime, the entertainment is raucously, foot-stompingly uplifting. The nine actor-musicians on stage bring to life karaoke classics with joyous energy, courtesy of the show’s orchestrator and arranger, Jack Blume. 

Some visitors can literally pop in to the pub - audience members are willingly pulled up onto the stage for certain numbers, and the bar is charmingly open for business during the interval, where real pints are pulled and paid for. The set, designed by Oli Townsend and Verity Sadler, works fantastically well, truly transforming the Grand’s stage into an archetypal British watering hole.

In the fabric of the pub, theatrical and musical devices have been squirrelled away, in plain sight. A bar stool becomes a cajon drum, the tables and bar are platforms for rousing dance numbers, and tankards are clinked together as percussion - not just raising a toast. 

The Choir of Man themselves are all equally impressive. We are introduced to the bar’s regulars by The Poet, played by Oluwalonimi (Nimi) Owoyemi, with words by Ben Norrs - offering a lyrical and romantic description of his eight fellow drinking companions. 

These are the guitar-wielding Beast (Rob Godfrey) and half-soaked Maestro (Gustav Melbardis), who accompany most of the musical numbers - although all the players pick up an instrument or two at various points throughout the performance.

The Romantic (Sam Walter) and the Bore (Aaron Pottenger) bring a slightly more subdued energy to their scenes, while the Barman (Joshua Lloyd) and Joker (Ben Mabberley) provide some laugh-out-loud moments. The Hardman was last night played by James Hudson, and Jack Skelton, as the Handyman, took a tap-dancing turn in 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, which was both bursting with nervous energy and undeniably highly skillful. 

The charm of The Choir of Man doesn’t come solely from its showstopping harmonies or well-crafted odes to community, but from the charismatic and inviting stage presence of its nine performers. The play feels deeply personal, both to the actors, and to their audience - who will no doubt be making their way home uplifted, with an earworm and a promise that they’d be welcome any time for another pint at The Jungle

5 Stars on Tue, 20 Oct 2026

In essence, The Choir Of Man is about nine ordinary blokes who sing rock & pop covers in their local pub choir, while also playing a variety of musical instruments and dancing - but that basic description falls well short of conveying just how fabulous an evening of entertainment the show actually provides.

Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, The Choir Of Man premiered at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and made its West End debut four years later, earning an Olivier Award nomination for best entertainment or comedy play.

Another run-of-the-mill jukebox musical this show most definitely is not. It’s a completely unique theatrical event. The relatively small Festival Theatre in Malvern is an ideal venue in which to enjoy the intimate experience and uninhibited party atmosphere which the show creates. Audience interaction is actively encouraged, and you might even find yourself pulled up on stage, offered a pint from the real working bar, or even serenaded! If you’re not that lucky, be prepared to sing along, clap, stomp your feet and be an integral part of creating a warm, party-like atmosphere.

Instead of a plot, the cast blend beautiful harmonies with energetic dance routines and spoken-word poetry in order to look beneath the surface of traditional pub culture. Issues such as the importance of being part of a community, friendship, vulnerability, and dealing with male mental health issues are all explored (the show’s primary charity partner is suicide-prevention organisation Calm - Campaign Against Living Miserably).

Each of the nine performers presents a different type of pub personality - the joker, the romantic, the hard man etc. Jack Skelton, as the handyman, deserves a special mention. His superb tap-dancing - performed across the bar and pub tables to Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - delighted the audience and was fabulous to watch. Joshua Lloyd, as the barman, also stood out from the crowd, giving a powerful and memorable rendition of Queen’s Somebody To Love (and receiving plenty of appreciative and thunderous applause in return).

On the opening night, local choirs are invited to take part in the show. Last night there were 84 members from these choirs in the audience. They stood and sang Chandelier by Sia in a cappella style with the cast. The effect was simply beautiful and earned a standing ovation from the rest of the audience.  

The final number, Parting Glass, is a traditional Scottish and Irish song, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It was allegedly the most popular parting song sung in Scotland before Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne. A haunting and bittersweet number, the song acts as a temporary brake on the show's rowdy pub energy, briefly switching the focus to deeper themes of human connection and friendship.

Packed with a fabulous combination of acoustic and folk covers of well-known songs from artists such as Guns N’ Roses, Adele and Katy Perry - to name but a few - and further enhanced by brilliant musicianship and excellent choreography, The Choir Of Man provides an irresistible feelgood vibe. 

If high-energy shows bursting with upbeat songs and pumped with positivity is your thing, then this is definitely a night at the theatre well worth experiencing.

Five stars

The Choir Of Man was reviewed by Sue Hull on Tuesday 21 July at Malvern Theatres

5 Stars on Tue, 21 Jul 2026

The Choir Of Man is full of fun and hugely entertaining. Lying somewhere between musical theatre and a cabaret show, it’s an eclectic mix of songs performed in a variety of styles - and judging by the audience reaction at The Alexandra on Tuesday night, the show hits just the right spot.

There’s no plot as such. Rather, it introduces us to nine very different characters who meet at their local pub, The Jungle, and who bond through a shared love of singing. Where other pubs have a football or a darts team, The Jungle has a choir, and each member of this group gets their turn to shine. They are types who are instantly recognisable - the jovial and personable landlord, the joker and prankster, the chap who fixes everything, the slightly square, sensible one, the storyteller - yet their differences are forgotten as they come together to interact and support each other as they rejoice in their love of music.

And what music it is! The hits come thick and fast - Queen, Springsteen, Paul Simon, Adele, Sia, Guns N’ Roses, Katy Perry - anybody who’s enjoyed music over the last few decades will be delighted by the seemingly random choice of songs. The infectious, toe-tapping rhythm of The Proclaimers’ 500 miles had everybody singing along, and a routine verging on slapstick, performed to the one-hit-wonder that is Rupert Holmes’ Piña Colada Song, was a true highlight.

The opening scene is original and quirky - as you take your seat, the stage is already full of performers and punters, the beer is flowing and the party has begun. This sets the somewhat off-beat tone for the spectacle that is to come. There’s plenty of audience participation - in fact it’s positively encouraged - and the actors feed off the reactions they get. There are elements of pantomime, we see tap dancing and juggling, energetic - verging on frenetic - dance routines and, throughout, a healthy dose of humour.

The Choir Of Man is a beautifully whimsical and unpredictable show. That it has developed something of a cult following and played to sell-out crowds around the world is no surprise. It’s billed as an evening of ‘feelgood, foot-stomping entertainment’, and if that’s what you’re looking for, then it will not disappoint.

The Choir Of Man was reviewed by Rachel Smith on Tuesday 14 July at The Alexandra, Birmingham, where it shows until Saturday 18 July

5 Stars on Wed, 15 Jul 2026