A NIGHT OUT AT THE PUB
‘The Choir of Man’ sets up a good time at The Lensic
Cast members from “The Choir of Man” say their show is the best night out at the pub the audience will ever have.
That’s because the show’s bar is not just part of a theatrical set. Real kegs are hooked up and the nine-man cast includes a certified server. One hour before the show, guests ages 21 and over can head up on stage and have a beer with the performers.
“We chat with them, get to know them, because that’s sort of the message of the show — friendship and community,” said cast member Denis Grindel. “So we like to start off on the right foot and get to know our audience.”
“The Choir of Man,” a concert-like show featuring nine English and Irish men performing hit songs, embarked on its first tour across the pond last September. Over the past two years, it has had well-received performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia, and on a cruise ship line. It will be stopping in Santa Fe later this week at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
“It is just a feel-good show, a night jam-packed with songs from every genre, every decade,” said Grindel, a Donegal, Ireland, native who plays the show’s narrator. This tour is his first visit to the U.S.
“People just leave feeling like
they’ve gained nine new friends, I think,” Grindel said.
Even during the show, audience members might get pulled on stage to have a few beers, or sing or be serenaded to. There are other kinds of audience participation meant to surprise.
“It’s a real immersive type show,” said Grindel.
Throughout the tour, most of the beer used in the shows has been supplied by local breweries, according to Peter Lawrence, another cast member originally from Rhiwbina, Wales.
Santa Fe is no different. Second Street Brewery will be the suds provider for Wednesday’s show, according to Lensic spokesperson Dianna Delling. “The Choir of Man” bartender/performer will have passed New Mexico’s online certification beforehand, and guests will be carded and hand-stamped before going on the stage during the pre-show.
Even with pints being poured throughout, Lawrence said it’s still an all-ages, family-friendly performance. It’s not unusual to have kids and babies in the audience.
“That’s the beauty of it,” said Lawrence. “Although it’s set in a pub, the pub in some ways is in no way the center of the show.
It’s really about the community. The pub is just like the backdrop or the message board we’ve decided to use to get the message across. You’ll see anybody.”
“They just won’t get a free beer,” Grindel added with a laugh, referring to the kids who come.
“That’s what it’s like in Ireland and England. We grew up going into the pub for Sunday lunch. That’s the way it was.”
The performance is set up as nine buddies head out to their local pub for a night out. All the performers have nicknames that fit the different characters one might find in a bar, like the “Casanova,” the “Joker” and the “Piano Man.”
The pub is called The Jungle, appropriate for the opening number, Guns n Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” The show concludes with an old Celtic toasting song called “The Parting Glass.”
In between, “The Choir of Man” will do renditions of songs by acts from of many musical genres, including Paul Simon, Queen, Sia and Adele. Grindel said the set list allows everyone in the audience to recognize a song.
“Essentially, each song is like, you get to see the inner working of each character in the pub,” said Grindel.
The performers say the show also breaks down male stereotypes and promotes a “healthy version of masculinity.” But Lawrence said “The Choir of Man” is also escapism, something he said is very much needed right now.
“Sometimes, people have tried to maybe overanalyze parts of the show and it’s like, you know what? It’s just about having a good time, being together with the people who mean the most to you, whether you’re (going through) a bad time or a great time,” said Lawrence.