Interview: 'It's a Bit Surreal to be Honest!' THE CHOIR OF MAN's Nic Doodson Talks Broadway, Freddie Mercury and the International Appeal of the Pub

Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, The Choir of Man emerged at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and has gone on to become an Olivier-nominated international sensation. The all-singing all-dancing musical blends high octane classics and pumping choreography with the life stories of a group of pub regulars. Over the years, the show has been adapted to include a live band and has played to audiences in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. 

One aspect of modern living close to the heart of The Choir of Man is mental health. In May, they announced an official partnership with the mental health and suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). The aim of the partnership is to raise over £10,000 for the charity's vital work which is enough to fund over 1000 conversations via CALM's life-saving helpline. Audiences will have the chance to support the partnership in various ways: purchasing a ticket, with QR code donation points in the Arts Theatre, collections on select performances and a Text2Donate opportunity that is highlighted during the closing monologue.

On 10 October, one year on since the show began its current residency at the Arts Theatre, it will hold a gala to celebrate World Mental Health Day. We spoke to Doodson about how his award-winning production came about and his next steps.

The Choir of Man is one of the great theatrical success stories of the last decade. Did you have any inklings that it would turn out this way when it debuted at the Fringe?

"Great theatrical success stories"? Wow, thank you! When we started in the Fringe we genuinely had no idea that we’d end up as a long runner on the West End with other casts in the USA, Australia, on board a cruise ship. 

It’s a bit surreal to be honest! When you show work for the first time, you get a small sense of whether it’s good or not. The first audience reactions to what you are doing are usually pretty accurate and a good indicator of whether a show has a chance. When we did our first showcase of Choir of Man, the reaction was amazing, so I began to think we may have something on our hands - but the West End? I never imagined that could ever happen.
 

Photo Credit: Helen Maybanks

The show has steadily evolved since its debut in 2017 with the addition of the virtuouso pianist and having the live band joining the cast on stage. Is the plan to continue with this kind of gradual evolution or do you have a step-change in mind for the show?

The slow organic growth has worked well for us, so I think it will continue that way. There’s a sense of “…if it ain’t broke…” that comes with the development of this show which I think is a good thing to listen to. That being said, unlike more traditional musicals we have the ability to respond to what is happening in the world around us. 

For example, we changed the script of the show after the pandemic to acknowledge the unique moment in our modern history. Similarly, we could change songs in the show to reflect how tastes change over time, or in different parts of the world. I don’t foresee any major changes coming soon but we’ll always reflect the world around us.

When did you first realise that this show had the kind of appeal that would take it around the world? 

I think that I’ve always been aware of the place the Irish/British pub holds in international psyche. For example, if you go to any major (or minor) city in the world, you’ll find one of the most popular bars is an Irish/British pub. 

When I used to tour all over the world in a band, almost every local promoter would take us to the local “pub” to buy us a drink after the show. They’re pretty much ubiquitous, though how authentic they are can be questionable. I’ve been to some pretty interesting but very well meaning interpretations of a pub in countries in the Middle East, India and Asia. So, I knew that if we got the show right, we’d be playing to an audience that already knew what a pub was and why it was important. 

But you never know until you actually do it in a foreign country and see how it goes; I guess that last summer when we were playing to sold out shows in Daegu, Korea I knew that the international appeal was pretty much nailed on.

And what's the next big target destination for The Choir of Man? 

The next big target? I mean, Broadway would be the dream wouldn’t it? From the Fringe to Broadway? That would be crazy! It’s not unheard of: our dear friends from SIX have done it, so we hope that maybe one day we can get there. In the meantime we’ve got seasons opening in Tampa, Florida and Melbourne, Australia in the next couple of months. After that, in the first part of 2024 we’re hoping to open a long running version in Chicago…and after that? Who knows…maybe we’ll get to Broadway one day.

How did the linkup with CALM come about?  

Quite simply, we approached them and they were very gracious and lovely and agreed to come on board to be one of our partners. Whilst the show has a lot of singing and dancing and bonhomie, the message at its heart is about community and we look at male mental health as well. We wanted to do more than just talk about it on stage however, we actually wanted to make a contribution to the conversation and we knew we needed help with that. CALM were the perfect partner to join up with and help us with the message.

You've spoken about having an immersive version of this show set in a pub. Since the pandemic, immersive theatre has grown hugely with both intimate and large-scale productions announced every month. Is this something you are actively looking at? 

We are. Whilst we’re not planning on leaving the West End any time soon, it is good to think about what we might want to do when we eventually do decide to move on. I’ve always loved the idea of having an *actual* pub in which to do the show. We’ve done several “proof of concept” version in pubs in New York and London and it’s always been a very different and exciting atmosphere. So we’ll continue to look for a good venue and when we find one, try to see how it might work in the future.

Finally, stuntcasting is a dirty word in the theatre industry but if you could get anyone in the world to join the cast, who would you like to see join The Choir of Man? And what would they sing?

Ooo, tough question. There are so many amazing singers out there…can I slightly dodge the question and say Freddie Mercury. And, frankly, he can sing anything he likes from the show. But it would be a shame if he didn’t sing “Somebody to Love”, wouldn’t it?!

The Choir Of Man continues at the Arts Theatre until February 2024.

Photo Credit: The Other Richard