
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. Sometimes you want to be surrounded by people to experience the intimacy of being in public. Lately the types of places where someone could venture to for either experience are dwindling in numbers. It's the loss of third places, a place that is neither your home nor your workplace, but a location to go and experience community. Covid has changed many things but one endearing and lasting desire is for a third place to go for a friendly chat, a drink, or simply to be with people and listen to an incredible soundtrack with original and unique renditions of your favorite songs. There is no better show in Chicago that captures the beauty of the humanities and the need to preserve third spaces more than The Choir of Man, now playing at the Apollo Theatre.

Welcome to The Jungle, we've got fun and heart! The Choir of Man is an uplifting celebration of community and friendship where everyone is welcome. Set in the best pub in the world, a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine hair raising harmonies, foot stomping singalongs, world class tap dance, and poetic meditations on the power of community. Featuring pop, classic rock, folk melodies, and pub anthems from artists such as Adele, Paul Simon, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luther Vandross and more, The Choir of Man is 90 minutes of feel good entertainment that has something for everyone and is unlike anything else in Chicago.
If Pitch Perfect, Coyote Ugly, and School of Rock had a baby, it still wouldn’t be as fun,genuine, or entertaining as The Choir of Man; it’s a party, it’s a concert, it’s an immersive experience, it’s your neighborhood bar filled with exceptionally talented sings, musicians, and performers. From the moment you walk into the Apollo Theatre you feel welcomed as an old friend, invited to sit and stay for a yarn, to sing, to dance, to party. Like any good evening at the bar, there isn’t a particular storyline or climactic plot. Instead, the ensemble cast share their stories with you and reflect on community and commradery in a post-Covid world where third places are becoming more and more scarce. The performances have an improvisational element to it that plays off and responds to the vibes of the audience, including pulling willing participants onto stage to be serenaded to. The song arrangements include beautiful renditions of favorite songs that challenge the way you view and hear the songs; like “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover,” performed by Shane McDaid accompanied by George Knappe whose tap dancing sequence adds a poetic rhythm and heartbeat to the number; “Some Nights” performed by Benji Lord and the ensemble cast that would rival The Bellas Cups song; or a sad, bittersweet arrangement of Chandelier that gave me goosebumps. Though unlike a good night out at the pub, the cast encourage photos and short videos, asking only that the audience share the good ones. The level of familiarity and inclusiveness The Choir of Man sets is a love letter to community, to friends, to family, and to those third spaces that allow us to come together to sing, dance, tell stories, or simply just be together.

The Choir of Man was made for a city like Chicago, capturing the bittersweetness of a bygone era. With beautiful and original song arrangements, a welcoming and immersive atmosphere, and a captivating and engaging ensemble cast, this show will sure to be top your 2024 favorites list. Like the fleetingness of a Chicago Spring, The Choir of Man is only here in town for a short engagement. So grab a pint, sit for a spell, and at closing time remember you don't have to go home but you can't stay there.
The Choir of Man is now playing through May 26th, 2024 at the Apollo Theater at 2550 N Lincoln Ave, grab a pint and your tickets before closing time.
*Extended to July 14th!
There’s something magical about stories. Stories have the power to transcend time, reaching across the centuries to share their thoughts,…
Produced in partnership with JunkHeart, The Metal Shop Performance Lab is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Anatomy of a Suicide, August…
Black Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor proudly announces Black Ensemble's Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, as part of…
Welcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, this month’s…
Award-winning Redtwist Theatre presents Deserted, playing June 14 through August 2, a world premiere by Melanie Coffey and directed by Laura Sturm*, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn…
Black Ensemble Theater continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the return of the celebrated musical revue Men of Soul, written and directed by Artistic…
Now fully activated, Collaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in…
Definition Theatre's Amplify New Play Program exists to elevate emerging voices, and Netta Walker's keerah certainly arrives with ambition. Loosely…
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast…
No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre is thrilled to continue its third season with The Importance of Being Earnest, written by…
Following is critically acclaimed productions of Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Kokandy Productions once again celebrates the great Stephen…
Some theatrical experiences ask you to sit back and watch. "The Last Word" invites you to pull up a chair,…
Paramount Theatre’s smash hit, immersive musical Million Dollar Quartet wrapped its spring run at downtown Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre this…
Paramount Theatre is proud to host the world’s most influential name in comedy, The Second City, back for for a…
Studebaker Theater (Erica Berger and Jacob Harvey), P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) and Audible, in collaboration with Teatro Vista…
About Face Theatre is proud to announce its 32nd season featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop and the Midwest Premiere of i…
Broadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by…
Lookingglass Theatre Company presents Ice Cream Circus! 2026, a free, family-friendly theatrical event presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out…
The South Florida based YI Love Jewish and Chicago-based Arts Judaica proudly join forces to present a limited engagement of the Chicago…
JK Entertainment is proud to announce the final production of their inaugural season: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the cult-classic created…
Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s…
Hot off their record-breaking, award-winning runs of Jekyll & Hyde and Amélie, Kokandy Productions is pleased to launch its 2026 Season with the revolutionary "love-rock"…
Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly…
PrideArts announced today that Craig Ramsay and Catherine Wreford will bring the magic of Broadway to the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at…
Music Theater Works is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the second production of its 2026 season, West Side…
David Koechner stormed into The Den Theatre’s Mainstage this weekend with the kind of unruly, big‑hearted presence that instantly reminded…
Chicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays…
Spaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile…
Set in Chicago’s oldest fire station (now Firehouse Art Studio) the immersive play "Fire House” is only loosely tethered to…
Spamalot rides into the Windy City courtesy of Broadway In Chicago, inviting theatergoers to join King Arthur’s quest now through…
Collaboraction Theatre announces June shows and events in its new House of Belonging in Humboldt Park
Redtwist Theatre presents Anatomy of A Suicide August 12-30
Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, an evening of entertainment and community
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.