CHOIR! CHOIR! CHOIR!
Entire audience gets into the show
It’s not often an audience goes to a show for the sole purpose of being part of it.
But that’s what Daveed Goldman and Nabu Adilman have created with Choir! Choir! Choir!, a musical show originating in Toronto. Unlike most musical acts, Goldman and Adilman’s show relies entirely on getting the audience involved.
By the end of the night, the audience becomes the singers — harmonizing together in a pre-selected song and coming out of their collective shells as a group.
“Singing is a very vulnerable thing to do, especially if you’re not trained,” Adilman said. “In Choir! Choir! Choir!, everyone is invited — trained singers, untrained singers, every single person is who wants to be involved in this is invited.”
Singing, for people who aren’t musically trained or inclined, is something that Adilman said can create a lot of nervousness for people. The goal of Choir! Choir! Choir! is to help people be part of something greater than themselves — and get through that nervousness that’s holding them back. The show runs twice a week in Toronto when Goldman and Adilman are in town, but Adilman said they’ve become a full-time touring show for concerts and special events.
At its core, Adilman said, the show is supposed to be fun and funny. When audience members arrive at the Broadway Theatre on Feb. 12, they’ll get a lyric sheet at the front. The current tour has the show focusing on famous songs by ABBA, and the night is spent making people laugh together and sing together.
Despite the joy and humour that are trademarks of Choir! Choir! Choir!, the show has also touched
It’s goodness and it’s joy and it’s fun, and you always need that encouragement, because life is hard and singing makes you feel good.
people in a much more profound way. Adilman said they have participants come up to them after every show to thank them for a great night of music.
One story stands out among the others for Adilman: He recalled receiving a very heartfelt letter from a woman who had become a regular at their Toronto shows. The first time she ever came to a show was with a friend, shortly after the death of her husband. Adilman said she thanked them in the letter for helping her find joy in life again — and that’s the kind of happiness they want to be able to spark with Choir! Choir! Choir!
“It really has this sort of chain reaction of positivity,” he said. “It’s goodness and it’s joy and it’s fun, and you always need that encouragement, because life is hard and singing makes you feel good,” Adilman said.
There have been other big, emotional moments for Goldman and Adilman, such as leading a large group in renditions of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah during a protest march in Portland to performing with David Byrne in New York.
Coming to Saskatoon in the middle of a snowy and stormy February has a sense of symmetry for Adilman: The show celebrated its eighth anniversary at the beginning of the month, and Adilman said the very first show took place during blizzard conditions.
And for their first show in the city, Adilman said they’re hoping to make a safe, creative and fun space at the Broadway Theatre.
“It’s a great time to connect with the community and yourself — and sing some ABBA tunes,” he said. “At the core of it, we’re coming to have a party in Saskatoon and we want everyone there.”