The Choir of Man supports Comic Relief 2023

On Red Nose Day the Olivier Award nominated international stage sensation The Choir of Man will dedicate both its shows to Comic Relief. The cast and creative team will also be involved in a top-secret celebrity challenge this year – with more to be revealed!

The Olivier Award nominated international stage sensation, The Choir of Man, currently playing at the Arts Theatre in the West End, has partnered with Comic Relief this year. It will dedicate three performances to fundraise for Red Nose Day. These are the evening performance on Thursday 16th March and both performances on Friday 17th March.

Audiences at the Arts Theatre will have the opportunity to donate in situ pre and post show, with donation points set up in the theatre, and an on-stage message from ‘The Poet’ Connor Hanley, highlighting the importance of the work that the charity does in the UK and internationally.

Director and co-creator Nic Doodson says: “The Choir of Man is a show all about being stronger together and how working as a community we can better tackle the challenges we face. At The Choir of Man, we use humour, warmth and the cast’s incredible energy to show how powerful it is when people come together to laugh, cry and talk, particularly in the toughest times of their lives.

We feel that a partnership with Comic Relief is a perfect fit, and we are thrilled to be supporting the work they do, particularly for projects that help tackle the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food poverty.

The cast and creative team will also be taking part in one of the top-secret celebrity fundraising challenges, on Thursday 16th March – more will be revealed, but we can confirm audiences for the 7.30pm show that night will be in for a special treat!”

The Choir of Man is a British musical originally created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay. Set in a traditional pub, the show features a working on-stage bar from which pints of beer are poured for the audience during the performance.

Throughout the show, the cast perform arrangements of well-known pop and rock music arranged and orchestrated by the show’s Jack Blume, while dialogue takes the form of spoken word monologues written by performance poet Ben Norris. The movement direction and choreography are by tap dancer Freddie Huddleston.

The show was first presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and has since had seasons at venues around the world, including the Sydney Opera House and the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. Its West End debut at the Arts Theatre was on 29th October 2021. After receiving a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play in 2022, the show announced it would be returning to the Arts Theatre in October 2022.

Samir Patel, Chief Executive of Comic Relief, says: “We are truly humbled by the incredible things our generous supporters do to fundraise for Red Nose Day. It is wonderful to see so many people come together to make a difference and have some fun along the way. We love hearing about what people are up to around the country.

“We would like to thank the amazing company of The Choir of Man for supporting Comic Relief this year. The money raised for Red Nose Day will help people going through the toughest times of their lives, here in the UK and around the world. We hope audiences will be inspired both on the day and going forward- whether you hold a bake sale, get sponsored to do a challenge, buy a Red Nose or T-shirt, or pick up the phone to donate, we are so thankful for everything you do.”

www.choirofmanwestend.com continues in the West End until August 2023.