The past few years have both flown by and been filled with so much, reflects Nic Doodson on the time between his casual chat with Choir of Man co-creator Andrew Kay over a drink in a beer garden at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to seven years later travelling the world with their creation.
“The Genesis of the show is that Andrew said he had an idea for a show called Choir of Man, which would be about a group of men gathering at a BBQ,” he recalls.
Doodson, developing the idea, took inspiration from his travelling days as a performer and experiencing pub culture in different countries, and decided it would be the ideal setting for Choir of Man. “A pub is a place where you’ll find every type of person, and every type of emotion.” he says. “It was a reflection of my experience of male friendship.”
“I’ve been on the creative team from the beginning,” Choir of Man Movement Director and Choreographer Freddie Huddleston explains, revealing that during those early days, he actually ended up playing one of the characters himself – the tap-dancing Handyman – and travelled the US and Australia performing. “I’ve stepped in and out of onstage roles since,” he says of his involvement in the diverse production which adapts well and easily to different spaces. What a great insight for a choreographer to have!
Describe Choir of Man? “It blurs the lines of traditional musical theatre,” says Huddleston. “It’s a lovely, warm evening, not with a classic beginning, middle and end. It’s more about sharing an evening with the characters and their community.”
Add to that plenty of familiar pop and rock solo and group songs that audiences will recognise and you’ve got a winner that is currently on board Norweigan Cruise Lines, touring in the USA until March 2026, when the UK tour commences, followed by an Australian tour beginning at the end of the year. Interesting plans in the pipeline also include a native version of Choir of Man to be produced in South Korea. Huddleston has been out to cast for this and describes it as a phenomenal experience working with translators and the South Korean creative team.
The UK leg is a major 38-week tour, visiting Wimbledon, Manchester, Glasgow, Bath, Cambridge, York and Birmingham. Thinking of the show’s upcoming audiences, the relaxed, interactive theatrical style has to be a major contributor to the production’s popularity and continued success. With some reviews claiming it is a musical for non-theatre goers, Huddleston readily accepts the comment. And really, what a great point to make; theatre that can appeal to those who wouldn’t normally come is exactly what needs to share our stages, alongside other diverse and more traditional productions.
Unusually, audiences can arrive early before the show to have a beer and a chat with cast members in the auditorium, as the stage set – which thankfully travels well and doesn’t need altering for different venues – is a working bar. A fantastic tool for breaking down barriers and increasing connection between performers and audience members. There are also drinks handed out as the evening goes on, including a comical pina colada-making scene, and plenty of ‘in the moment’ mishaps such as spilt drinks and an audience member being invited on stage, but bringing a friend up with them, altering the scene and needing cast members to respond.
“We’re taking our community to other communities,” says Huddleston, hoping the relaxed British lively local pub scene will resonate with audiences. It’s a great and valid objective: “As our digital lives progress and going out and getting together can sometimes be less likely to happen.”
Doodson hopes that audiences will come away with a sense of warmth, having felt they’ve been in friendly company. He also likes the reference that the show is “an antidote to toxic masculinity.”
Huddleston loves to make movement look great even on those who aren’t trained dancers and often has a mixed team of artists to work with – those who have had formal dance or musical theatre training, and those who haven’t. Interestingly, he points out that those who aren’t professionally trained dancers can often relax and be more natural on stage. “It’s a great opportunity, as it opens the window for musicians and singers who think they don’t dance but can move,” he says.
Choir of Man auditions begin with a first round of singing and instrument playing (something rocky which relates to the show), and each character needs to play two to three instruments rather well. Quite a tall order already, before the second round which works with actual show material and has a shuffle round as to which performer they think might suit which character; they’re all very distinctive: the Romantic, the Maestro, the Hard Man, the Pub Bore…
“Sometimes, people arrive to audition thinking they can do what they like. But quickly they realise that every mop, every drink, every bar stool is choreographed, just designed not to look like it,” smiles Huddleston. He explains his style is more about giving artists vibes describing the way in which they should move, rather than giving defined movements.
“The final audition is a workshop style; it’s about artists showing if they can work as part of a team and includes the final show number which has more unified choreography,” he explains. Auditionees can expect a good chat with the creative team, who want to see who they are, and how they get along with others, which is vital, especially for a show like Choir of Man where all the cast members have a great rapport between them.
Each character is introduced to the audience through their solos – usually a song. Though in the Handyman’s case it is a tap dance! Doodson says he personally connected most with The Poet, a quiet and more reflective character who speaks to the audience and was built around the poet Ben Norris who wrote and originally performed the character’s monologues.
I asked Huddleston what one of his favourite choreographic moments is in the show. It seemed a difficult request to pinpoint, as so many fun moments have bubbled up in conversation so far, but he highlights the men’s urinal number, which has characters singing, tapping into all the unspoken comedic unwritten rules of being in a men’s urinal.
If a critical view would be to say Choir of Man has no storyline or development as such, an opposing sentiment could be that whilst the show may not appeal to those wanting a more structured narrative or musical theatre production, the fact remains that audiences are pouring through the doors to watch!
I love hearing that Choir of Man often has roles for artists who haven’t placed in more traditional musical theatre productions, not for lack of talent. Choir of Man actually looks out for individuals who don’t make a neat line up, that look a little out of place together. To echo Huddleston’s words, we need more shows like that!
For more information on Choir of Man and for tour dates, visit www.choirofmanwestend.com.
By Louise Ryrie of Dance Informa.
