Presented by Andrew Kay and Nic
Doodson
At Playhouse, Arts
Centre Melbourne, until Jan 12, 2020
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ****1/2
Review also published in print ( not online) in Herald Sun on Friday Jan 3, 2020. KH |
| Front_George Bray, Ben Langridge_image credit David and Chris Cann |
The Choir of
Man is just the ticket if you’re after a rollicking, musical night of singin’,
talkin’, dancin’ and drinkin’ in the New Year.
Nic Doodson’s vivacious, uplifting and celebratory 80-minute production is
set in an old-fashioned, English pub called The Jungle in which nine multi-talented blokes – AKA The
Choir of Man – dance, spin yarns and sing a repertoire of pop songs, rock
anthems, pub and folk tunes.
The show is
filled with thrilling harmonies and a
cappella singing that will raise the hairs on your arms, inspired
musical arrangements (Jack Blume) of
instruments including guitar, piano, banjo, trumpet, clarinet and violin, as
well as the foot-stomping, percussive rhythms of a tap dancer (Guy Salim).
The audience is encouraged to participate, not only by singing along, but
also some lucky bodies are invited on stage to drink beer, be serenaded
one-on-one, or included in a raucous rendition of The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles.
Doodson’s direction is inventive, assured, complex and seamless, while
the poetic, social commentary (Ben Norris) spoken by Narrator, George Bray,
laments the loss of pubs to luxury apartments – ‘the easy casualties of time’ –
and encourages us to value community and communication.
This joyous show has many highlights: a soaring and moving
rendition of Adele’s anthemic song, Hello (Johnny Sheehy); a raunchy version of
Queen’s Somebody to Love (Tom Gadie); a rousing You’re the Voice (Mikey Shearer) with
singalong; and Sia’s Chandelier, sung a
cappella.
The nine men display their musical versatility in an
instrumental number, three men sing a goofy trio standing at a urinal, and Bray
delivers the poignant melody, Dance With My Father.
This vibrant production not only entertains but
also urges us to preserve the spirit of those close-knit communities that used
to meet at their local for a few brews and some yarn-spinning – until
developers bought the block!
By Kate Herbert
 |
| Front-George Bray_image credit David and Chris Cann |
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