Alfie Boe

Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English tenor and actor, notably performing in musical theatre.

He is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in London, the '' 25th Anniversary Concert'', the 2014 Broadway revival and the '' All-Star Staged Concert''. He played the lead role in '' Finding Neverland'' on Broadway beginning 29 March 2016. As well, Boe shared a Tony Award with the other members of the ensemble cast of Baz Luhrmann's 2002 revival of ''La bohème'' in 2003. He has sold more than one million albums in the United Kingdom.

One of his most recent performances include Together in Vegas (with Michael Ball). On October 2022 he announced that he would be doing a solo tour in 2023.

Background

Boe, the youngest in a family of nine children, was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, and brought up in nearby Fleetwood. He is of Irish and Norwegian descent. His mother and father named him after the Italian name of Pope John XXIII. He attended St Wulstan's and St Edmund's School and Cardinal Allen Catholic High School in Fleetwood. His earliest musical memories were of listening to his father's Richard Tauber records and he discovered Puccini's ''La bohème'' for the first time.

Boe's first public performance, aged 14, was at Fleetwood's Marine Hall in a "Songs from the Shows" presentation organised by inspirational local singing teacher Lottie Dawson. He said that although he sang only a couple of lines he was extremely nervous.

At the age of 17, Boe became an apprentice mechanic at the TVR factory in Bispham, Blackpool. He enjoyed entertaining his colleagues by singing opera arias while he polished the cars, and one day was overheard by a client with connections in the music industry who was so impressed that he suggested Boe should go to London and audition for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. His audition was a success and he gave up polishing cars to embark on a singing career. Boe has not been able to trace the customer who suggested he go for the audition, having lost the man's business card.

Singing and acting career

Boe moved to London and studied singing at the Royal College of Music, the National Opera Studio and the Royal Opera House's Vilar Young Artists Programme. In 1999 and 2000, he was featured as the "opera dude" on albums by the Clint Boon Experience, led by the former organist of the Inspiral Carpets. In 1999 he sang Ernesto for Scottish Opera in their Opera-Go-Round production of ''Don Pasquale'', touring widely throughout Scotland.

Broadway and West End

Baz Luhrmann, who had spent two years looking for the lead for his Broadway production of ''La bohème'', approached Boe for the role. Boe subsequently appeared (credited as Alfred Boe) on the 2002 Broadway Cast Recording released by Bazmark Live. Boe and the other principal leads received the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 2003. He has also sung the role at Glyndebourne and the English National Opera.

In 2006, Boe was signed to the Classic FM Presents label as their first signing in a new venture for the radio station, and his album ''Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe'' reached number three in the UK classical chart. At the 2006 Canterbury Festival, on 27 October, Boe performed with soprano Hayley Westenra at a concert in Canterbury Cathedral. In November 2006 he was signed to the EMI Classics label and his first album on that label, ''Onward'', was released in March 2007.

Boe toured the United Kingdom with the Fron Male Voice Choir in February 2007 and took part in the first Classic FM webcast concert with soprano Natasha Marsh in March. The same month, he was appointed as an ambassador of the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation, a British educational charity working to inspire and educate children by introducing them to the arts. Boe's role being to bring music, and opera in particular for those children involved.

In April, Boe starred opposite Lesley Garrett and Willard White in the ITV ''Music of Morse'' concert at the Royal Albert Hall. He was also nominated for a Classical BRIT for Best Album, missing out to Paul McCartney at the ceremony on 3 May 2007.

Boe performed with Michael Ball in the English National Opera production of '' Kismet''. His live performance of the song " Stranger in Paradise" from ''Kismet'' on the Michael Parkinson show was released as a download single on 25 June 2007. In August, Boe realised an ambition to record an album of Neapolitan songs which was released in November under the title ''La Passione''. On 24 August 2007 he performed at the Arundel Festival alongside Natasha Marsh. On 19 October 2007 he performed at Canterbury Cathedral during the Canterbury Festival. Boe performed at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on 10 November 2007.

On 31 January 2008, Boe performed at the Pleasure Beach Arena, Blackpool to more than 1,600 local children in a special Music Quest concert to introduce the classics to a new generation. The concert celebrated the end of the Music Quest three-year project, which was sponsored by the Prince of Wales Arts & Kids Foundation and Classic FM MusicMakers.

''Les Misérables''

On 3 October 2010, Boe took the role of Jean Valjean in a concert performance of the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the O2 Arena in London to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show, released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The concert encore performance of " Bring Him Home", credited as the "Valjean Quartet" – Boe with Colm Wilkinson, John Owen-Jones and Simon Bowman, each of whom has portrayed Valjean in various theatrical productions, was re-recorded at the Abbey Road Studios and released as a charity CD single and download on 13 December 2010. On 16 December 2010, Boe once again performed as Valjean in the Royal Variety Performance in front of Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall singing " What Have I Done?", and "Bring Him Home" again alongside Wilkinson, Owen-Jones and Bowman.

Boe appeared as Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre in London from 23 June to 26 November 2011. His friend Matt Lucas also joined the cast as Thenardier. During his run as Valjean, Boe appeared in the "''Les Misérables'' v Lend Me a Tenor Battle of the Tenors" at Soho's Winnett Street in London on 13 July 2011. In August, Boe performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at Beau Sejour and Gloucester Hall.

In 2015, he reprised the role of Valjean in the Broadway revival of ''Les Misérables'' at the Imperial Theatre in New York City. He succeeded Ramin Karimloo, who played Enjolras in the 25th Anniversary concert, on 1 September 2015.

In February 2019, Boe announced he would reprise the role of Valjean at the Gielgud Theatre in a staged concert production of ''Les Misérables''. Boe shared the role with John Owen-Jones and starred opposite Michael Ball (Inspector Javert); with whom he has performed on numerous occasions and Matt Lucas (Thénardier). The production opened on 10 August 2019, at the Gielgud Theatre and closed 2 December 2019.

Other performances

In January 2011, Boe performed for English National Opera in ''La Bohème'' and ''The Mikado''. In March 2011, Boe performed three concerts in Idaho: two in Rexburg, and one in Sun Valley. In April, Boe appeared in ''The Great British Musical – The Famous and the Future'' at the Criterion Theatre and the St George's Day celebration concert in Trafalgar Square. In May, Boe performed at the Classical BRIT Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall, in the Isle of Man, and headlined the Hampton Court Palace Festival finale on 18 June 2011.

Boe appeared in the BBC
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