Broadway Blogspot - Broadway Backstage

SPECIAL FEATURES HOME

BB Special Edition with ALFIE BOE ...

Q & A with Alfie Boe

Q: What would you say are the biggest similarities or differences, or even perhaps misconceptions, about the opera world versus the musical theatre world.

Alfie: Apart from the difference between the performance schedules, Music Theatre and Opera are not worlds apart. When it comes down to it we are all entertainers and servants to the public, providing a high standard of World Class music, it's only when ego's come into play that confuses the matter. Music has no division.

Q: What kind of advice do you have for performers wanting to transition from the opera world to musical theatre

Alfie: Make the transition whole heartedly and with confidence. Listen to your gut feeling and be confident in your decisions. You will get a lot of comments like??"Should you really be doing this?"??"Your voice will suffer because of the schedule"?? All this is nonsense, these are comments from people who maybe would of liked the same opportunity.

As far as your voice suffering, then all I can say is that the voice can take more than we realize, but, you must still be your own manager of it and take good care of your instrument so it lasts you a lifetime. DO NOT do anything that would jeopardize the way you sing. Recognize when you need to rest the voice.

Q: What is one piece of advice that you can give to budding performers wanting to perform on Broadway or on the West End?

Alife: Be patient. When you have time off, fill it with practice. Always be prepared for your auditions and be confident but humble with your feet firmly on the ground. There are many fine performers in the World.

Q:  Can you tell us some of the differences between performing on Broadway versus performing in the West End?

Alfie: They are very similar stages with the same enthusiasm from the audiences. The only difference is that there wasn't a Gray's Papaya on my way home from the West End.

Q:   You performed as jean Valjean in the 25th Anniversary concert production of Les Miserables and then reprised the role on the West End. Do you approach a ?Concert? version of a musical differently than a staged version.

Alfie: You must have the same intensity and focus in both situations. At the O2 Arena, because it was a huge venue and we were being filmed with many close up's, sometimes I would reduce my gestures and put more focus and intensity in the eyes and facial expressions but not overdoing it, subtlety was the key. The same energy, feeling and strength of emotion always have to be there no matter what.

Q:  How did you approach the role of Jean Valjean with so many actors coming before you.

Alfie: I tried not to take on board what other Valjean's had played before me. I approached the show as though it was a new Musical being performed for the first time. I read the book, I tried to identify with every single ounce of emotion Valjean felt in every moment. I tried to identify the same emotion in the music and transmit this clearly. The beauty with Les Miserables is that many people have played the roles and delivered their own interpretation to the show keeping it fresh, which is one of the reasons why the show is now in it's 27th year. The other reason it's been running for 27 years is that it's a wonderful work and there will be many more artists destined to be a part of it.

Q: You are quoted as saying ?There are only two kinds of music ? good music and bad music?. What do you mean by this? How has this influenced your career choices.

Alfie: Good music is songs that fill me with emotion and make the story telling a soulful experience. Music that's composed with an egotistical selfishness that has been derived by the composer and their own personal satisfaction, without consideration for the listener, is bad music.

Q: Any advice about maintaining good vocal health?

Alfie: Rest your voice when you can and don't burn the candle at both ends by too much partying. Get your sleep. DON'T SMOKE, drink in moderation. Try to be fit and healthy, physically and mentally.

Q:   As a performer what inspires you?

Alfie: My Family.

ALFIE BOE has been called opera?s working class hero, opera?s bad boy and Britain?s top tenor, but he has one title he?s especially fond of: singer.

?I don?t classify myself as an opera singer or a classical tenor. I?m a singer,? the affable Boe says. ?If you give yourself a title, you?re categorized and that?s what you do. That?s not the case with me. I want to embrace all music, all genres. I don?t see boundaries, I just see music.?

The music, all kinds, flows on ?Alfie,? Boe?s new album on Decca. The set traverses a wide spectrum from standards like ?Someone to Watch Over Me? to more modern fare, such as ?The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face? and ?In My Daughter?s Eyes,? to beloved Broadway classics, ?Music Of The Night? from ?Phantom of the Opera,? and ?Bring Him Home? from ?Les Miserables.? He?s also joined by Led Zeppelin?s legendary front man Robert Plant and theatrical star/pop star Nick Jonas on two unforgettable duets.

Boe?s soaring, expressive tenor unifies the repertoire as he breathes life into each of the songs, his interpretations allowing the listener to experience the tune as if for the first time. ?You?re creating an imaginary world for the listener to step into,? he says. ?You?re creating an escape.?

As one listen to ?Alfie? exemplifies, whether it?s rock or classical, theatrical or blues, Boe?s singular talent is bringing the music alive for the listener. ?Whatever style a song is, it is about creating an emotion,? Boe says. ?If you don?t have an emotional connection to the music, you?re not much of an artist,? he states. ?It?s part of the job. You have to be able to connect with what you?re saying.?

It was Boe?s stirring, yearning version of ?Bring Him Home? that made him a household name in his native England. His performance as Jean Valjean in the 25th anniversary ?Les Miserables? concert at London?s O2 Arena in 2010, later released around the world on DVD, instantly became the stuff of legend. (He surrounded the appearance by playing the role in London?s West End at the Queen?s Theater). ?I?ll never tire of singing ?Bring Him Home?,? Boe says. ?It?s so connected with me and it changed my life.?

That life started in Fleetwood, in the north of England, 38 years ago, where Boe was one of nine children. His parents exposed him to all kinds of music as he grew up. Although he loved rock and roll as much as any other style, the young apprentice mechanic would entertain himself and his fellow workers by performing operatic arias while tending to the cars. One of his discerning customers with connections liked what he heard and suggested that Boe audition for the D?oyly Carte Opera Company in London. Boe was accepted and his days as a mechanic were over.

After studying his craft for several years, Boe quit his opera studies to audition for what came his breakthrough role in Baz Lurhmann?s Broadway production of Puccini?s ?La Boheme? in 2002. The production won Boe?s Rodolfo and the rest of the principal ensemble a special Tony for Excellence in Theater.

More than anything, ?La Boheme? fulfilled a massive dream of Boe?s: coming to America. ?I stepped into Times Square at 4 a.m.,? he says, recalling his arrival to audition for ?La Boheme.? ?I?d wanted to be in America from when I was 11. I?d discovered Elvis Presley, and rock and roll and the Beach Boys. I loved that world. I used to long to get to America. Listening to that music made me think America was like candy; it gave me the same feeling as a kind who was in a candy shop: that vibrancy, that smell, that taste.?

Boe certainly felt like a kid in a candy shop again lately when he had the opportunity to record with Plant, on ?Alfie.? The two perform Tim Buckley?s beautiful ?Song To the Siren? together, a tune Boe first heard on Plant?s 2002 solo album, ?Dreamland.? Boe has his American wife, Sarah, to thank for the Plant connection. His wife wanted to go meet some friends at a bar, and ?I was really tired and just wanted to sit at home with her with takeout and a beer.? Luckily, Sarah insisted. As they were chatting with their friends, ?the door opens, and this choir of angels starts to sing, and Robert Plant walks in,? Boe recalls. Gathering up his nerve, Boe soldiered up to Plant, introduced himself and mentioned they both recorded for Decca. An hour-long conversation ensued (perhaps spurred on by the fact that Plant?s companion was a big ?Les Miz? fan).

That meeting led to Plant?s appearance on the album and Boe learned that he and his idol shared more than a record label: ?He doesn?t believe there are any boundaries either,? Boe says. ?He never changed his voice no matter what he?s singing, which I think is beautiful.?

Boe and Jonas met on more equal footing: Jonas portrayed Marius in the 25th anniversary of ?Les Miz? alongside Boe. ?I just rang him and said, ?Hey Nick, do you want to do ?Empty Chairs? on my new album?? He said, he?d love to and he flew over and spent a couple of days here,? Boe says.

While Boe hopes new fans can begin their musical journey with him via ?Alfie,? they can also get to know Boe better through ?Alfie Live,? his PBS special, recorded at London?s Royal Albert Hall, which begins airing in June. The show features Boe performing selections from both his first album, ?Bring Him Home,? and ?Alfie,? along with a few surprise guests, including the Spice Girls? Mel C, who duets with Boe on the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell classic, ?You?re All I Need To Get By.?

Boe, who lives in London with his American wife and two small children, but still maintains a residence in America, is ready for his love affair with America to continue. He can?t wait for his fall 2012 U.S. tour. Boe, who has sold out tours throughout Europe and Australia, recently performed two shows in Idaho, which only served to further whet his appetite to get in front of an American crowd. ?I didn?t think anyone would know me [but] everyone was on their feet and screaming. I was like ?Hang on, you?ve never seen me before?,? he laughs. ?I just love the enthusiasm that the American audiences have. They seriously go to a concert to have a damn good time. I feel so connected with America. I love the people.? And they will, no doubt, love the singer.