What: The Choir of Man
Where: Gluttony – The Moa
Duration: 60-80 minutes
Genre: Music / Comedy
(Reviewed by John Glennie)
This show is always a crowd pleaser and certainly hasn’t failed to replicate that despite some COVID restrictions. It has it all with high energy dance, live music and foot stomping choreography with the incredible talent of nine ordinary guys who perform everything from sing-along classics to classic rock.
On arrival, the tradition was to head up onto the stage and grab a free pint of beer before taking your seat. This year you still get a free beer but it is cans of Coopers Pale Ale served on a long paddle by a masked “bar tender”.
These guys are polished performers with the MC using poetry to set the various scenes. Their voices are incredible, and harmonies are faultless, performing some songs A Capella and others backed by instruments – guitar, banjo, piano, percussion, trumpet and bagpipes. We even get treated to some tap dance.
Audience participation is paramount with some ladies getting singled out by torchlight to fulfil the relevant scenario. All of it was filled with brilliant musicianship and good-old English humour.
Choir of Man is still one of the best Fringe show I have seen and I keep coming back each year. It was a first for my companion and she was raving about how great it was. Please, to quote a former music TV presenter, “do yourself a favour and don’t miss this show!”
Imagine the greatest pub gig you’ve ever been to and multiply it by ten and you’ll still be nowhere near the fun that this show exudes throughout. Not only is the concert set in a pub, but it has a real bar from which the cast will issue ice-cold tinnies as audience members relax and drink in the action!
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