Fringe: Choir Of Man ****

Assembly Rooms (Venue 20)

No matter how hard you look, you won’t find a more joyful hour of entertainment on the Fringe.

But Choir Of Man is much more than just a feel-good show.

It’s a celebration of music, of community, and of one of the places which brought people together for generations – the pub.

It’s a homage to the places where everybody knew your name, and while their old style boozer, may be every bit as romanticised as Sam Malone’s fabled TV pub, it’s also just as welcoming.

Pre-show, audience members can wander on stage for a beer and pull; up a bar stool, while cast members roam the aisles handing out drinks.

It’s a neat way of creating a buzz in the room, and welcoming your audience as they filter into the room – such is the relaxed atmosphere, there seems no great hurry to start the show.

The premise of Choir Of Man is simple

Some pubs have football teams or darts teams. The Jungle, their boozer, has a choir - nine guys who celebrate life, and its characters, through music.

They have the audience on their feet within two songs, and bring folk from the crowd to the stage keep the buzz going with some smashing, stomping choreography, and a score that ranges from Adele to Paul Simon to rousing choral sounds.

And when they call time, the audience is on its feet calling for more.

In a nutshell, Choir Of Man is great fun; slick, sharp, and wonderfully entertaining.

If they ever open a pub for real, save me a bar stool ...

Choir Of Man ****

Assembly Rooms

Until August 27, 6.35 pm

Ticket info at Ed Fringe