By Justin Flynn
Punters will be able to grab a pint, leave their worries at the door and let The Choir of Man show take them on a pub journey like no other later this month.
The Choir of Man, coming to Geelong direct from the Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the latest production from Andrew Kay and Nic Doodson and the runaway hit of the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival
It’s a high energy production set inside a British pub with a working bar and nine performers combining high energy dance, live percussion and foot stomping choreography with the extraordinary voices of nine singer musicians who perform everything from singalong classics to classic rock.
Production member Ben Norris, a two-time UK national poetry slam champion, said the cast was looking forward to getting to Geelong.
“We had the mayor of Adelaide at one of our shows and he said it was great, but will go down especially well and be an even bigger hit in the smaller cities and towns,” he told the Indy.
“I’m super excited to get to Geelong and see what you all think of the show.”
The Choir of Man features an everyman choir which performs a diverse repertoire including rock anthems, folk, choral and opera; all in a format that also combines song with slam poetry and an occasional break out of tap.
And yes, they serve real beer from the bar up on stage.
“We’re actually drinking non-alcoholic beer while we’re on stage, but the audience is definitely drinking real beer,” Norris says.
“We’ll all usually feel like a real pint after the show, though.”
Audience participation, as you can imagine with a couple of brews under the belt, is encouraged.
“I’m not sure I was aware of just how much fun people can have during the show,” Norris says.
“We all bring something really different to the table. To perform alongside a tap dancer, opera singer and well-trained musical-theatre boys, it’s just so different.”
Although Norris, from Nottingham, has an aunt who lives in Tasmania and he has been to Australia once, when he was 10, he says he not familiar with Geelong, but is looking forward to seeing our city.
“I must admit my Australian geography aside from the state capitals, is pretty poor so I’m looking forward to seeing more of the country,” he says.
“The show looks like fun because it is fun. You’d be hard pushed to find a group of blokes who don’t enjoy a pint and good dance and singalong at a pub – the whole thing is so infectious.”
The Choir of Man, rated PG, is choreographed by Freddie Huddlestone and will perform at GPAC on 22 March.
