Brighton Theatre Royal Review: The Choir of Man

Summary

Rating: ★★★★★
Running Dates: Tuesday 21th April- Saturday 25th April
Where to see it: Brighton Theatre Royal
Duration: 2 hours 5 minutes (incl. interval)

Review

“They say hell is other people- but not here”.

The Choir of Man exploded onto the stage of Brighton’s Theatre Royal as a joyful celebration of connection, community, and the magic of shared spaces.

Photography by Mark Senior

From the moment you enter the theatre, you can tell this won’t be an ordinary show. There is a working bar on the stage and the stools, chairs and tables are filled not just by performers but by audience members, invited up to be real patrons of The Jungle before the show begins. 

Guiding us through the evening is the Poet, whose monologues reflect on the importance of these shared social spaces, the character types who frequent them, and the role they play in the lives of others. Later, in a genuinely moving scene, he celebrates the individuality of the performers themselves, their roots and what “home” truly means to them.

At its heart, the show is an ode to the public house in a time when community hubs are closing down at a rapid rate across the country. It celebrates both the fleeting sparks of connection, like the spontaneous hug when a shared team scores, and the lasting friendships these spaces quietly nurture over time. The narrative thread is accompanied by spectacular covers of Adele, Queen, Guns n’ Roses and many others, performed with exceptional energy and impressive talent. The audience claps, laughs, and sings along, occasionally getting caught up in moments of unexpected reflection.

Through the immersive audience participation, the celebration of community spirit is amplified and the line between spectator and performer is blurred, turning the theatre itself into a kind of community much like the pub it celebrates.

Photography by Mark Senior

The surprises didn’t end there. 100 members of the audience stood up and revealed themselves as members of Buskateers, a local community choir group, who have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, with a mission to fight loneliness and isolation. As the choir sang with the performers, the audience was reminded of the powerful themes that cut through the chaos and fun of the evening.

Like the best nights at the pub, The Choir of Man leaves you wishing it didn’t have to end.

Written by Phoebe Simpson

We were kindly gifted these tickets in exchange for a review