The Choir Of Man - UK Tour, Nottingham Theatre Royal

★★★★☆ 

The Choir of Man at Nottingham Theatre Royal is easily one of the biggest feel-good hits currently touring the UK, and it isn’t hard to see why audiences have fallen so hard for it. Part pub lock-in, part gig, part spoken-word performance and part communal singalong. The Choir of Man invites audiences into a fictional pub called 'The Jungle' and asks them to spend an evening simply enjoying each other's company.

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Nine men gather in their local pub, each representing a familiar archetype rather than a fully developed character. Guided by The Poet's spoken-word reflections, the evening unfolds through a series of pop songs, audience interactions, and moments of communal celebration. There is no conventional plot driving events forward. Instead, the show asks audiences to invest in the idea of The Jungle itself: a place where people meet, connect and find belonging in one another's company.

Whether you connect with The Choir of Man depends almost entirely on how willing you are to embrace its central concept, as this is not musical theatre in the traditional sense. There are no dramatic stakes, no character arcs and very little conflict. Instead, the production trades on a series of theatrical devices: audience members invited onto the stage, performers breaking the fourth wall, call-and-response participation, old-school entertainment set pieces, and a relentless effort to make everyone feel part of the party.

The remarkable thing is that many of these ideas should feel gimmicky. Commemorative beer mats fly into the audience. A box of Walkers crisps slingshotted out. Beer pong appears. Cocktails are mixed. Audience members become part of the action. Yet director Nic Doodson largely avoids making the production feel cynical because every interaction is delivered with care and with optimal entertainment value. These moments feel overwhelmingly welcoming rather than embarrassing or confrontational. The audience wasn't spectators; they were regulars at The Jungle.

The cast of The Choir of Man. Photo Credit: Mark Senior.

Musically, the show is operating on an entirely different level. Jack Blume's arrangements are sensational. Familiar songs are reshaped into something that feels distinctive enough to belong to The Choir of Man's own musical language. There is a confidence to the orchestration that means the material, which could easily have become karaoke, is breathtaking. This production has a sound, and it commits to that sound wholeheartedly. The a cappella arrangement of Sia's “Chandelier” is sublime, transforming a modern pop anthem into a moment of genuine, spine-tingling power. It is one of several occasions where the show's musical craftsmanship silences any doubts about its artistic credentials.

The evening's standout performance comes from Joshua Lloyd as The Barman. His rendition of Queen's “Somebody To Love” lands with the force of a West End showstopper. Lloyd’s voice is extraordinary, but the performance succeeds because of the charm underneath it. Lloyd understands that the audience is already willing him to succeed and responds with a magnetic ease that makes the entire room lean forward.

Movement director Freddie Huddleston ensures the visual energy never drops. Jack Skelton's tap routine earns one of the evening's biggest reactions, while the choreographed glass-tapping finale turns the cast into a human percussion ensemble. The sequence feels halfway between musical theatre and Stomp, creating a piece of showmanship that is impossible not to admire, and it earned an early standing ovation.

The cast's audience interaction deserves particular praise. Gustav Melbardis's wonderfully cheeky handling of "500 Miles" captures exactly what makes the production work. The audience desperately wants to sing along, and the arrangement teases that anticipation. Theatre's greatest strength is its inability to be replicated exactly, and The Choir of Man understands that because every interaction feels specific to this night's performance. Yet this is where my reservations begin. I’ll confess: I admired this production far more than I enjoyed it.

For me, the constant stimulation became exhausting. There is always something happening somewhere. A game, a joke, a dance break, a percussion sequence, an audience interaction. I frequently found myself unsure where to focus; the show never stops trying to entertain you. The writing relies on familiar entertainment tricks. Many of the jokes, audience interactions and character moments are built from old-school variety entertainment traditions; the sort of material designed to win over a crowd quickly rather than reveal anything particularly insightful. Once you see the mechanics underneath, the illusion begins to fade.

The spoken-word material by Ben Norris helps provide coherence, and I genuinely enjoyed The Poet's reflections on community and human connection. Nimi Owoyemi delivers them with sincerity and skill. Yet the monologues arrive when the audience is craving another song. They perform an essential structural function, but they also expose how thin the show's dramatic framework really is. Especially with two long sections that introduce all 9 cast members. The interval similarly feels unnecessary. This material lends itself to the punchier momentum of a single uninterrupted act, which is had in the West End.

Still, it would be wrong of me to deny the achievement here. Around me sat hundreds of people having an absolutely wonderful time. The final reprise of "Chandelier", joined by Nottingham choirs: The Collaboration Choir, Pipes, Liberty Singers, Beeston Voices Community Choir and Totally Vocally Acapella Choir, created one of the most unforgettable moments of the evening. Their combined voices filled the Theatre Royal with something genuinely beautiful.

The Choir of Man wasn't entirely my pint. I found its barrage of entertainment occasionally overwhelming, and its lack of narrative left me emotionally at arm's length. Yet the craftsmanship is undeniable, the musical performances are exceptional, and the sense of community it creates is genuine rather than manufactured. This is a unique theatrical experience that deserves to be seen at least once. You may leave feeling like you've gained nine new friends. If nothing else, you'll certainly leave humming along with the Choir of Man.