IMB Theatre, IPAC, Wollongong, Thursday 1 October 2026
I admit I didn’t have great expectations for this show. Nine blokes singing songs in a pub? Sounds unlikely.
When I booked my Merrigong 2026 subscription season, this slot was taken by Runt, the stage play based on the book by Craig Tilvey. Tilvey pleading guilty to child exploitation material charges led to the play being suspended, and it was replaced in Merrigong‘s schedule by this musical.
I could have chosen another production but it seemed easier to just go with The Choir of Man.
I’m glad I did!
Of course, if I’d done a little research I’d have known that what started in a tiny North London venue became a 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit and has grown into a global phenomenon, from Adelaide to the West End (picking up an Olivier nomination), USA, across the UK, cruise ships, Korea, and China.
This Australian tour started in Brisbane and after the Wollongong season has a return season at the Sydney Opera House in December and January.
I clearly underestimated it.
The idea is pretty basic: a celebration of popular songs sung in a recreated pub (with real beer on tap) by a motley crew of men who just happen to be great singers and multi-instrumentalists. There’s some wild choreography, as well, involving chairs, table tops, boxes, and what must be a very sturdy bar.
They all have nicknames that refer to their onstage characters: the Joker, the Romantic, Swing, the Handyman, the Romantic, the guitar playing Beast, the piano playing Maestro, and the Barman.
The songs are interspersed by a series of monologues delivered by the Poet that explain the special role that pubs play in the lives of ordinary men. These are core to the show, verbalising people, places, and relationships that give context to the show and lift it way above a singalong.
There’s no fourth wall – in fact there were audience members having a beer on stage before the show, and several were called up during the stage. The audience is constantly encouraged to sing along, dance in their seats, and generally make a lot of noise – which the IPAC people certainly did. Several times, cast members wandered into the audience to hand cups of beer.
Every cast members gets a star turn or two, showing amazing vocal skills and winning personalities. The theatrical conceit of them all being good mates is totally convincing, with the lads geeing each other up, throwing their arms around each and generally having a great time together.
The staging is brilliant. The pub set is delightful, the sound is brilliant, and the IPAC lighting people were kept very busy.
Of course, the choice of songs is a critical factor here, and those choices were smart and engaging, as was they way they were delivered.
The pub is called “The Jungle” and the first song is the Guns ‘n’ Roses screamer Welcome to the Jungle delivered in roaring nine part harmony. I was not expecting that.
I won’t list all the songs, suffice to say the eclectic play list includes Queen, Adele, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Katy Perry, The Proclaimers, a Broadway musical number, and more.
Two that are worth special mention were Paul Simon’s 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, in which the military-style snare drum that underpins the original was replaced by some truly dazzling tap dancing, and John Farnham’s You’re the Voice, a guaranteed crowd pleaser that had everyone singing along at top volume, including the older gentlemen to my left and the young boy to my right (and me, of course!).
Given the pub setting, it shouldn’t suprise that there was a scene with a urinal, played to great comic effect.
A nice touch was the identification of the nine men with different parts of the United Kingdom, making it a celebration of nationality and regional character, as well.
Ninety minutes with no interval raced by and we all could have stayed for another 90.
Highly recommended.