The Arts Theatre is set to become The Jungle once more, with the return of Overstudies’ favourite The Choir of Man from 1 October. Billed as ‘a celebration of community and friendship’ the show gives an insight into the lives of nine ordinary blokes, set to a soundtrack of some of the greatest hits from the last fifty years. It’s the perfect antidote to the winter blues, and you can read our full review of the 2021/2 run here. Casting for the new run at the Arts Theatre has been announced, and we were also able to get a glimpse of the guys in action at a launch event at CoMden’s The Farrier pub earlier on this week.
Leading the company is Ben Norris (The Choir of Man original company, The Archers) as The Poet, who also wrote much of the spoken verse contained within the show. Joining him is Michael Baxter (Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour, Gypsy) as The Maestro, Levi Tyrell-Johnson (making his professional debut) as The Hard Man, Owen Bolton (also making his professional debut) as The Beast, Jordan Oliver (The Choir of Man, The Sound of Music) as The Handyman, Lemuel Knights (Finalist in The Voice UK, The Choir of Man) as The Barman, Matt Beveridge (The Choir of Man, Titanic) as The Romantic, Matt Nalton (Jersey Boys, Beautiful) as The Pub Bore and Matt Thorpe (Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You) as The Joker. They are joined by Mark Irwin (The Choir of Man, The Commitments), Sam Ebenezer (The Mousetrap, Cinderella), Gavin Ryan (West Side Story, also his West End debut) and Lucas Koch (Million Dollar Quartet, also his West End debut) as swings.
At the press launch we were treated to slimmed-down renditions of the show; Wake Me Up / Save Tonight, Teenage Dream (with a cameo from a fellow theatre writer plucked from the audience – we won’t spoil the surprise!) and The Parting Glass, which was also dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was appropriate too for The Farrier to have been chosen as the place for the launch – it was at a table in this same room where The Choir of Man was initially conceived by creators Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, before growing to become the sensation that is today. In addition to the West End, the show has played at the Coventry and Edinburgh festivals, internationally in South Korea, Australia and on tour in North America and even on a cruise ship.
Speaking at The Farrier, Ben Norris had this to say about the return of the show: “there’ll be something for you there… you’ll probably know all the songs… we’ll give you some beer, have a dance [and] feel some feelings… you’ll leave the theatre with a massive smile on your face”. We certainly couldn’t agree more – and yes, you do get a free pint!
The Choir of Man returns to the Arts Theatre from 1 October, with tickets starting from £12.50 on sale now. Performances are at 7.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, with Friday and Saturday matinees at 3.30pm and Sunday performances at 3.30pm. The show is booking 12 February 2023.
