Every now and again, a show comes along that catches an audience completely off guard.
A show that has people smiling within minutes, singing along before they know it and, when the final note is sung, wishing they could simply stay in their seats and watch the whole thing all over again.
The Choir of Man is that show.
Currently taking over the stage at Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre, this extraordinary production manages to combine a concert, musical, comedy, pub lock-in and genuinely touching celebration of friendship into one of the most enjoyable nights I have experienced at the theatre in a very long time.
And from the moment the audience enters the auditorium, it is clear this isn’t going to be an ordinary night at the theatre.
Welcome to The Jungle
The setting is a traditional pub called The Jungle – and this isn’t merely a backdrop.
It’s a working pub.
Before the show begins, audience members are invited onto the stage to mingle with the cast and, brilliantly, order themselves a pint from the bar.
It happens again during the interval, and it is such a simple idea that completely changes the relationship between those on the stage and those sitting in the auditorium.
The usual invisible wall between performer and audience has gone before the show has even properly started.
For the next couple of hours, nobody is simply watching The Choir of Man.
Everyone has been invited into their pub.
And what a pub it is.
Nine men, one pub and some extraordinary voices
At the heart of The Choir of Man are nine men who, from the moment they appear together, have utterly believable chemistry.
There is something incredibly natural about their relationship.
Watching them together, it feels as though these characters have been meeting in this same pub every day for the last 20 or 30 years.
They tease each other. They laugh together. They tell stories. They argue. They dance. They look out for one another.
And, most importantly, they sing.
Boy, can they sing.
The vocals throughout the evening are exceptional.
The show races through a brilliantly varied soundtrack of familiar music, but this never feels like somebody has simply assembled a playlist of crowd-pleasers and put it onto a theatre stage.
Each number has its place.
Some are enormous, energetic performances designed to get the Wyvern rocking. Others are stripped back and surprisingly intimate.
There are moments that have the audience laughing followed, sometimes only minutes later, by something far more poignant.
And that’s where The Choir of Man becomes much more than the big singalong night out it might initially appear to be.
It’s about far more than the music
Underneath all the songs, pints and laughter is a show with something important to say.
This is a celebration of male friendship.
It is about having somewhere to belong and people around when life isn’t going quite as planned.
Underneath the music and laughter is a celebration of friendship, community and having somewhere to belong. Through the stories shared between the songs, we get to know these nine men and understand just how much The Jungle – and the friendships formed within it – means to them.
Yet it never feels preachy or overly sentimental.
Those themes simply emerge through the stories of the men standing in front of the audience.
Perhaps that is why the whole thing feels so authentic.
There is a warmth to The Choir of Man that is very difficult to manufacture.
By the end of the evening, these don’t feel like nine performers who have arrived in Swindon to put on a show.
They feel like nine mates who have invited the entire Wyvern into their local for the night.
And then came Chandelier…
There are plenty of outstanding musical moments during the evening.
But then comes Chandelier.
Sia’s hit closes the first act and it is, quite simply, sensational.
The arrangement. The harmonies. The staging. The voices.
Everything comes together for one of those rare theatrical moments when the audience almost seems to collectively realise that they are watching something very special.
Goosebumps doesn’t really cover it.
As the final notes rang around the Wyvern there was really only one appropriate reaction:
Wow. Just wow.
It would have been quite enough to leave Chandelier there as one of the undisputed highlights of the evening.
But Swindon had another surprise coming.
A special Swindon moment
Towards the end of the second half, members of Sing Space Choir joined The Choir of Man from their seats in the auditorium.
And Chandelier returned.
This time those already extraordinary vocals were joined by the sound of a choir, creating a moment that felt particularly special for the Swindon audience.
Hearing all those voices filling the Wyvern was phenomenal.
The first performance had been one of the highlights of the night.
The second took it somewhere else entirely.
It was powerful, joyous and one of those moments that will stay in the memory long after the curtain has come down.
A show that understands what a great night out should be
The genius of The Choir of Man is that it never forgets its audience.
There is tremendous musicianship on that stage. The singing is superb, the movement and choreography are fantastic and the comic timing is spot on.
But none of it feels like the performers are showing the audience how clever they are.
Instead, everything is about bringing the room together.
The audience is encouraged to sing.
People clap along.
And somewhere along the way an auditorium full of strangers starts to feel just a little bit like a room full of friends.
That’s quite an achievement.
The pub itself becomes more than just the setting for the evening.
It represents somewhere people can meet, talk, laugh, celebrate, commiserate and simply be together.
For a couple of hours, The Jungle belongs to everybody.
One of those shows you immediately want to see again
There are shows that are admired for their technical brilliance.
There are shows that leave an audience discussing an extraordinary performance.
And then there are shows that simply make people feel good.
The Choir of Man manages all three.
It is joyous without becoming cheesy.
Emotional without becoming overly sentimental.
Interactive without making anybody wish they’d chosen a seat several rows further back.
And musically, it is outstanding.
The biggest compliment I can give it is perhaps the simplest.
I could watch it again today.
In fact, I’d happily watch it again and again and again.
It is difficult to imagine many people leaving the Wyvern after this show without a huge smile on their face.
Don’t miss it while it’s in Swindon
The Choir of Man is only at the Wyvern Theatre until Saturday, which means Swindon has just a few more opportunities to experience it.
And this is one of those occasions when I would genuinely urge people not to leave it until after the show has gone to discover what they have missed.
Go and see it.
Take a partner. Take some friends. Take the family. Take somebody who claims they don’t normally like musicals.
Get there early.
Head onto the stage.
Have a pint in The Jungle.
Then sit back and enjoy one of the most uplifting nights currently available in Swindon.
Tickets are still available online and from the Wyvern Theatre box office.
Because when Saturday night arrives, The Jungle will close its doors in Swindon and The Choir of Man will move on.
And anyone who had the chance to be there but didn’t take it might just find themselves wishing they had.
The Choir of Man at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon: ★★★★★
Quite simply, an incredible night of music, friendship and pure joy. Do not miss it.
