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Review: Michael Ball & Alfie Boe
Before 2010, Alfie Boe was a successful tenor but unknown much beyond opera circles. Then in 2010 everything changed for him. He took the lead role of Jean Valjean in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Miserables and hasn’t looked back. West End and Broadway runs followed as well as multi-album record deals and worldwide acclaim from fans and critics alike.
Tonight, he is united with musical theatre stalwart Michael Ball. A man who starred in the original production of Les Miserables and who has number one albums and a Radio 2 show to boot. Either of these singers could fill the Colston Hall on their own so it’s unsurprising that the hall is packed to the rafters with eager fans.
Boe and Ball know exactly what the audience want tonight and they deliver it in spadefuls. No messing around with experiments or self-indulgence – they blast out the songs they are known for and are adored in return. One could be dismissive about this sort of light entertainment but that would do a disservice to the talent on display. Boe’s voice soars tonight – his operatic tones elevate some otherwise tired musical theatre numbers to something quite special. His solo version of Love Reign O’er Me from Quadrophenia is spectacular. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Ball might be in his shadow, but his most famous song – Love Changes Everything – is one of the evening’s highlights.
is needed now More than ever
Their recent album Together is not just about musical theatre and tonight’s show reflects that. An Elvis medley, a swing section and a James Bond arrangement sit comfortably alongside the musical songs. There is an affable charm to Boe and a natural friendship between the two that allows them to segue neatly between sections.
They end the main set with the musical that has come to dominate both their careers and deliver a clever medley from Les Miserables. The audience leave ecstatic – escapism it might be but after all that’s happened in the world this week, who can blame them?
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