Combining high energy dance with live music and foot-stomping choreography, 'The Choir Of Man' showcases the talents of nine ordinary guys.
Throwing genre out the window, 'The Choir Of Man' perform everything from sing-along classics to classic rock.
Here, one of the performers Tom Brandon answers some questions about what to expect.
What are you hoping this show will bring to Adelaide Fringe?
Excitement, fun, craic, friendships and plenty of beers! Most of us (myself included) have never been to Australia, so for us this is incredibly exciting.
What goes into preparing for a show like 'The Choir Of Man'?
A lot of vocal harmony work. We pride ourselves on being genuine, down-to-earth lads, that you’d typically encounter in a pub – but equally we are all very focused and keen on creating a sound that the audience are blown away by. Our Musical Director Jack Blume has come up with the most incredible musical arrangements of well-known songs that people won’t have heard before, and we want to do them justice every time we perform them.
Image © Andy Phillipson
What's your role in the performance?
I’m “one of the lads”. There are nine of us onstage and we all bring something different and unique to the table, essentially playing a version of ourselves. I play the “hard man” (but I’m a softie really...).
'The Choir Of Man' combines live music with high energy choreography to a whole bunch of different music genres. Where did the idea for this come from?
'The Choir Of Man' was the brain child of Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay – a UK and an Australian producer (respectively). Nic had always wanted to do a show which featured real men singing great songs and showing how much camaraderie there can be had from men just being men together. We loved the idea of setting it in a pub which is such a traditional “man” setting yet showing all sides of male interaction as friends, brothers, supporters, cheerleaders and most of all mates. We use the songs in the show to illustrate those male relationships – it sounds very deep and in a way it is, but it’s also just great fun and a brilliant night out.
Why does this show belong at Adelaide Fringe?
We tried out the show in Edinburgh last year, and it was a huge success – selling out our 650 seat venue by the end of the run, which, for a brand new show, is incredible. We had people from all over the world unanimously loving it and we know Aussies like a party – so no better place for it than the biggest fringe festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Image © Andy Phillipson
You guys were a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe as well.. What does it feel like to receive such positive feedback for something you work so hard on?
It was overwhelming. We knew in rehearsals we had a good product, but for it to take off as it has done is incredible. We’re doing a US tour after this and the show just keeps growing and growing. Cliché, but it really is a dream come true to be travelling the world with a show you love doing and even better to be doing it with some of your best mates.
What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way with this show?
As the show is set in a pub, we wanted to recreate that British/Irish pub fun spontaneous atmosphere, so it was tricky getting the right balance between staging and choreographing and ensuring it doesn’t appear too 'polished' or 'fixed'.
And on the other side, what is one of your fondest memories being a part of it?
Until you have an audience, you can’t be sure if the show is as good as you think or hope it might be. Our opening night in Edinburgh when the entire audience rose to their feet. That’s the moment when it all began for me.
Use the lyric of a song in 'The Choir Of Man' as best you can to describe the show.
“Goodnight, and joy be with you all.”
