The Choir of Man
Welcome to the Jungle…. with The Choir of Man. Direct from their world tour, including Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Sydney Opera House, The Choir of Man are now showing nightly at The Ice Cream Factory and Perth Fringe goers are in for a real treat with this show.
We headed along to opening night last Saturday and I can honestly say this is one of the best shows to hit Fringe World Perth in a long while. Given I have more than a few shows under my belt over the years (56 last year), I feel I’m justified and semi-qualified with my 4.5 star love for this show.
There’s more than a little something for everyone and a whole lot of fun for all with everything from your quintessential pub music to pint percussions and Piña Colada cocktails in this feel-good show that combines live music, dance and more, over 80 minutes.
Setting the scene and quenching your thirst
The stage takes the form of a typical public house ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. A pub with a real working bar sponsored by Gage Road Brewery with free-flowing beer for one and all, if you arrive promptly enough before the show. Make no mistake though, this is a pub rather than a bar. Your home away from home with all the mateship and antics you would expect from your favourite local. A place to catch up with your friends and for locals to hang out, drink, eat and do all those things you do in your local, most of all be merry. The Choir of Man adds a toe-tapping, musical variety to that mix.
On arrival, you are encouraged to join the cast on stage at the bar to grab a pint, as well as head back for a refill as the audience arrives to take their seats. Refills are also offered during the show and audience members are encouraged to get up close and personal on stage at the bar at various points throughout the night.
It’s suggested at one point ‘the more you drink the better we will sound’. For the record, I wasn’t drinking on this occasion and still more than loved the show and didn’t think at any point the multi-talented cast of nine British blokes could sound any better, individually or collectively. The music, as well as the show, was brilliant.
As you would expect with any Fringe show there is a certain cringe factor and I would anticipate a younger demographic may cringe more than most, especially at some of the audience participation elements but overall the cringe factor here, for me, was minimal.
The show is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. If you don’t include the pre-show open bar shenanigans, the show opens with an incredible rendition of Welcome to the Jungle (Guns N’ Roses), it’s your introduction to the pub and soon after its clientele. Other song highlights for me included songs from Katy Perry, Adele and John Farnham.
The Choir of Man’s ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ pub just might be my new favourite Fringe local!
If you are only seeing a handful of shows this year, add this one to your list now. With or without the beer goggles this is a fabulous show for Fringe and a great night out.
The Choir of Man
The Ice Cream Factory
Now showing until Feb 9
Tickets available here from $35 – $48
