Pull A Cracker: Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus

They’re back after almost two years on ice, bar a trip to church and a brief “Outing” to the Warren on the beach in the summer. All the city’s community choirs have suffered the same lockdown fate, not just the loss of rehearsal and performance but the strength of community that those choirs afford their members.

Last Night at Brighton’s Dome Concert hall it was a joy to see them back together and celebrating their return. And filling that cavernous venue to close to capacity is testament to their popularity, a popularity based on both fan loyalty and talent. And for the most part that talent was clearly on show last night, yes I am a fan so don’t hate me for being something of a Grinch about certain elements of last night’s show.

Community based choirs are made up of people who show up and commit. Last night the choir sounded good but was light in the tenor department, solid in the baritones and basses but at times losing the melody so often in arrangements carried by the higher voices. This was more obvious in the first half of the show but happily achieved a better balance in the second half.

There are usually solos and last night was no exception. The highlights were Jonathan Taylor’s camp rendition of Warm This Christmas, Kristian Houlstan’s rich tones (auto-correct prevents me even typing the name of the song) and Graeme Clark’s brilliant What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

BGMC famously pepper their performances with comedy sketches, some better than others. Last night was a curate’s egg, some truly comic moments, mainly due to Dean Cowlard’s deliciously real Barbara, and in the second half as the comedy slipped away the story was poignant and touching, a reality so many of us know.

Grinching still, someone must have told the lighting designer he was working on “Wicked”, too much green on the choir made them look ill, and please please please, if you intend us to read the programme set list then make it legible in a dark theatre. Enough whinging, by the end of the show I simply having a Wonderful Christmas Time. Choir director Joe Paxton drives this choir forward with both skill and determination (and returned for an encore with a very enviable twinkly jacket), and Tim Nail is rock solid in his role as music director and accompanist. Fingers crossed the new year will be more relaxed for all our sensational choirs.

A small but important footnote here, Adam Betteridge was meant to sing a solo last night but withdrew out of concern for his husband, local queer legend Freddie Bateman, who is recovering in hospital from a recent stroke. Wishing them both love and for Freddie a speedy recovery.

Andrew Kay

4.12.21

Brighton Dome Concert Hall

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