Choir of Man

There’s a moment before The Choir of Man even officially begins where you realise this is going to be a very different night at the theatre. As the audience walks into Milton Keynes Theatre, the cast are already on stage inside the fully working pub set, pulling pints, chatting to audience members and creating the warm chaos of a Friday night down the local. By the time the lights properly go down, the atmosphere is already electric.

Set inside fictional pub “The Jungle”, The Choir of Man doesn’t really have a traditional plot – and it doesn’t need one. Instead, it’s a celebration of friendship, community, vulnerability and music, held together by poetic interludes from Lewis Dragisic as The Poet, whose heartfelt monologues give the evening emotional weight amongst the singalongs and choreography.

The nine-piece cast are phenomenal throughout. Their harmonies are spine-tingling, whether tackling rock anthems, emotional ballads or pub classics, and the sheer versatility on display is astonishing. One minute they’re delivering thunderous percussion routines on the bar, the next they’re producing delicate vocal arrangements worthy of an a cappella concert. The show’s song choices bounce between Queen, Sia, Adele, Avicii and more, but every number feels rooted in the spirit of togetherness.

What makes The Choir of Man so effective is its complete rejection of cynicism. In lesser hands, an all-male pub choir singing crowd-pleasers could easily descend into laddish cliché. Instead, this show becomes an antidote to toxic masculinity — a celebration of men being open, supportive, emotional and joyful together. There’s real poignancy beneath the laughter too, particularly in its reflections on the slow disappearance of British pubs and the role they play as community hubs, sanctuaries and places of connection.

The audience interaction is brilliantly judged. A few lucky theatregoers are brought on stage to join in the fun, pints are handed out, and there’s an infectious sense that everyone in the room is part of the same gathering rather than simply watching a performance. It genuinely feels like being inside your favourite local boozer — just with much better singing.

Tuesday night’s performance also featured a very special surprise. Hundreds of singers from local choirs Collaboration Choir and The Busketeers joined the cast for an extraordinary rendition of Sia’s Chandelier, filling the theatre with a wall of sound that was genuinely breathtaking. It transformed an already uplifting evening into something unforgettable.

The Choir of Man may not tell a conventional story, but what it delivers is something far more powerful: a reminder of the importance of community, kindness, music and human connection. Funny, moving, immersive and packed with astonishing vocal talent, this is one of the most joyous nights currently touring the UK.