Review: The Choir of Man at the ARTS Theatre, London

The Choir of Man has become one of the shows I have always heard about while visiting London and did not get the chance to see. And with its upcoming closing date (Catch it before the 4th January 2026), I knew I had to come along to see what all the fuss was about.

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn't cost you any extra, but I may earn a commission for your purchase through my link. I was invited to see this show in exchange for an honest review. My review was not influenced by my invite.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Welcome to the Jungle! The self-described best pub in the world, which is cosily placed inside the intimate ARTS theatre on London's West End, which has been home to many theatre hits, like SIX the Musical. The pub, well designed by Oli Townsend and Verity Sadler, with a bar and stools is personalised with pictures of the different casts around the auditorium, and the classic English pub feel. This bar opens early, with audiences having the opportunity to have a drink on stage before the cast enters. I also enjoyed having the band on top of the bar, playing around with the cast before and during the performance.

I'll be frank, I can be a little bit particular about the shows I like. I am somebody who enjoys to be taken on a journey with a story, with either heartfelt sadness or joy. I really like to get to know the characters through their songs and dialogue as it helps me escape life for an hour or two. And this show does not include any of that.

Instead, it could be described as a good, old fashioned night out, with plenty of sing-along able songs thrown in. When it started, I struggled to keep up with names, details about each performer, and where the plot was going. I quickly had to accept that this show was written and created for people to have a good time, and once I accepted that, I actually did.

Songs, although were weirdly shoe horned into the show, were performed extremely well by the cast, who are incredibly talented. Jason Brock as the Romantic had smooth vocals which really elevated the songs he was in. Similarly Aled Pennock as the Bore gave a wonderful vocal performance, as did David Shute who is a swing and was on for the Barman. Ben Goffe as the Handyman tapped his way through his numbers to the audiences delight. Overall, as a cast, they performed their hearts out, leaving audiences dancing in their seats.

And as the night settled to a close, and The Parting Glass was sung, I took some time to consider my actual thoughts on this production. Yes, I would have loved each character to have a monologue where they talked about their lives (very A Chorus Line), and had songs that advanced the story. But, as Ben Norris who wrote the Monologues put it in the programme, this is a love letter to music, human connection and the most beloved national institution, the pub. And as I looked around the audience, and saw so much happiness and joy from those in attendance, I think The Choir of Man achieves its goals.

Ticket Information for The Choir Of Man:

The Choir of Man runs at the ARTS Theatre until January 4th, 2026. Tickets can be accessed through https://www.choirofmanwestend.com/ or my affiliate link here.