As a Brit, I think I can speak for most of us when I say there’s a certain comfort in a proper night at the pub. The kind with slightly sticky floors, the smell of beer that lingers, and conversations that somehow move from surface-level to oddly personal within minutes.
We can all admit to visiting a pub to switch off, lean in, or just exist for a couple of hours without thinking too much about anything else. A good pub can really feel like home.
Watching The Choir of Man at the Manchester Opera House taps into that exact feeling, just reworked into a theatrical form.
The shift happens early. Walking through the doors, the performance is already spilling into the space. Not in a way that feels staged or overly polished, but in a way that makes you pause for a second and realise you’re no longer just arriving – you’re already in it.
It doesn’t feel like a theatre waiting for a show. Something is already in motion, and you know you’re in for a good night.
Immersive, high-energy, and unlike anything else on stage right now.
As soon as the doors open, audience members are welcomed onto the stage – home to The Jungle Pub. You’re immediately intrigued and pulled into the energy. The cast then arrive, but not with a grand entrance. It’s as if they’ve been there the whole night.
The cast immediately bring the energy: cards on tables, drinks in hand, pints stacking up, and cast members making their way into the stalls. It’s loose, but never messy.
And the longer it goes on, the more it stops feeling like a performance you’re observing and starts to feel like a night you’ve accidentally joined.
The production team and cast clearly have one goal – to give the audience a genuinely good experience. You feel part of the environment almost instantly. It’s immersive, but never forced.
The Choir of Man
There’s no fourth wall in this show. The cast don’t separate themselves from the environment they’ve built, and there’s no visible switch between ‘on’ and ‘off’ – the energy just holds.
Between the nine of them, the group feels balanced. Everyone has their own personality, but no one competes for attention. That’s what makes the standout moments land naturally rather than feeling staged.
Gustav Melbardis brings an unpredictable, comedic energy, while Rob Godfrey’s vocals could command any room he sings in.
And then there’s Owuwalonimi Owoyemi (Nimi), whose monologues guide you through the show. They introduce the cast and the pub with a poetic tone that feels grounded rather than theatrical. They don’t feel like performances in the traditional sense, more like someone choosing to speak honestly in the middle of the noise.
While each character has a nickname, the use of their real names throughout adds something unexpected. It removes the usual distance and makes the connections feel more immediate, like people you already know, or could easily meet.
The Jungle Pub
During the interval, I headed onto the stage to experience the working pub properly. Audience members were ordering pints, sitting on bar stools, while cast members moved through the stalls offering drinks and pulling people into beer pong games.
The set doesn’t try to be overly clever. It commits to what you’d expect, with bold wallpaper, layered artwork, and stools that look like they’ve seen years of use. It feels lived-in rather than designed.
The immersive nature isn’t limited to the interval either. It runs throughout the entire show with the cast handing pints out mid-performance, throwing crisps and beer mats into the crowd, and pulling audience members on the stage.
And yet, underneath the high energy, there’s control. It never tips into chaos, despite encouraging the audience to drink, sing, and fully lean into it.
What actually stays with you
I initially questioned whether the vocals would hold up, particularly in a jukebox-style show where audience participation is encouraged. But the cast are genuinely impressive. Everyone has their moment, and none of them feel like filler.
But it’s the atmosphere that truly stays with you.
The whole experience builds into something shared rather than delivered. It’s unpredictable, buzzing with energy, and feels different depending on the audience in the room. On this night, the crowd met it exactly where it needed to be – loud, open, and willing to have fun.
Final thoughts
Drawing on themes of community, escapism, and the value of opening up to others, The Choir of Man doesn’t feel like a show you’ve simply watched. It feels like a really good night you’ve been part of.
It’s difficult to compare to anything else, mainly because it doesn’t follow the usual rules. It’s less about polished structure and more about creating something that feels real in the moment.
The Choir of Man is just a fantastic night at the pub, shaped slightly differently – and one that stays with you longer than expected.
The Choir of Man is running at Opera House, Manchester until 9 May. Book your tickets now.
*Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review
Kelsey Haslam is the founding editor of Magenta Adventures Travel Publication and a freelance travel writer with a focus on community-based travel, culture-led experiences, and theatre tourism. She is passionate about spotlighting lesser-known destinations and connecting travellers with meaningful, human-centred stories.
Her published work includes destination features and luxury hotel reviews for leading travel outlets such as A Luxury Travel Blog, Beau Monde Traveler, and Luxury Lifestyle Magazine.
Explore more about Kelsey’s background on the About Page.
