Review: The Choir of Man raises the roof at the Grand Theatre ★★★★

The Choir of Man – Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - reviewed by Marie Crichton

To celebrate its 10th year, The Choir of Man has embarked on an extensive UK tour, fresh from the West End. There isn't really a plot in the conventional sense, but as the title suggests it is an all-male cast, celebrating ordinary men, through humour, poetry, music and dance.

The pub setting provides a natural way for the men to interact through friendship and camaraderie, which adds emotional weight to the production. The audience becomes part of the show, actively encouraged to join in, which of course we do!

People of all ages were on their feet singing and dancing to well-known classics like Avicii's Wake Me Up, John Farnham's The Voice, Rupert Holmes' The Pina Colada song (which you carry on humming long after the show) and a rousing rendition of the Proclaimers'500 miles. The extraordinarily talented cast alternate lead vocals and play a range of instruments, notably Gustav's superb piano skills and Joshua's falsetto on Queen'sSomebody to Love. They also cleverly use tables and other pub furnishings to improvise percussion instruments, and the tap dancing, harmonies and choreography are superb.

As someone drawn to power ballads and high levels of emotion, I particularly enjoyed their renditions of Luther Vandross' Dance with My Father, Adele's Hello and the poignant folk ballad The Parting Glass which aptly closed the show. A nice surprise was that a local choir Got 2 Sing were invited to perform Sia's Chandelier alongside the cast, showcasing their talent.

The range of genres may have been incredibly vast and the set list eclectic, yet it all seemed to blend together smoothly, like one of the pints they were pulling!

The show continues at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 24th so catch it if you can!