Review: CHOIR, Chichester Festival Theatre

Photo credit: Helen Murray

Much has been written about the beneficial physical and psychological phenomena associated with singing in a group - heartbeats fall into step, breathing synchronises. Playwright Gurpreet Bhatti Kaur writes that joining a choir helped her deal with and heal from the difficult circumstances of her mother’s death. Her new play Choir, which is currently receiving its world premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre, captures the power of choral singing in a joyful paean to community spirit and friendship.

Kaur’s new play follows the journey of the Morgan Jackson Singers as they prepare for their first concert performance and appearance on The One Show. The play unfolds in a room above a pub - impeccably realised by designer Anisha Fields, down to the scratched parquet flooring and assorted random boxes of crisps.

This production feels cosy, familiar and reminiscent in tone to the BBC’s Detectorists - a gently comic show that finds affectionate humour in a disparate group of strangers united by a shared hobby.

Laura Checkley leads the ensemble as Morgan - her passion for music and faith in her choir unshakeable and infectious. Each member of the choir brings a unique and delightful flair to their distinct and quirky characters - bumbling beige Ken, bitchy overgrown theatre kid Paul, sweet and nervous Anna, bickering loud mouths Joy and Esther, and dippy Sheila.

Keenan Munn-Francis completes the cast as Freddie - a tentative and naive new addition to the choir who dreams of becoming a professional singer.

This mix of characters creates crafted comic balance that is deftly handled by Hannah Joss’ direction.

What really elevates this play is Michael Henry’s musical direction and arrangements, paired with lighting and sound design, which magically transports the audience out of the room above the pub and onto a dreamlike stage where the characters, lost in the music, become the pop superstars - the Whitneys, the Beyoncés, the Amy Winehouses - that they idolise.

This is a gorgeously affectionately wrought production, and as winner of UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre 2024, Chichester feels like the perfect place to host this production. A warm and welcoming hug of a show.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett

Choir plays at Chichester Festival Theatre until 30 August, with further info here.