The Together tour is in full swing and last night it was the turn of Brighton and our guest reviewers, Heather and Sam.  Sam had never seen Alfie live and was unsure what to expect but needn’t have worried, from start to end it was magic and she didn’t want it to end.  Here are her and Heather’s thoughts:

When you hear that two giants of the music world are collaborating in an album and nation wide tour it tends to set the heart a flutter.  The Together Tour landed at The Brighton Centre on Tuesday 15 November and it was clear from the first note that it was going to be an amazing evening. A simple set, a small but well balanced orchestra and three backing singers set the scene.

There could never be any doubt that we were in for a real treat of an evening but as the show unfolded, we were blessed with not only wonderful music but fun and laughter. There was reference to the album and many of the songs performed are from Together. They also mentioned the memorabilia that is available for fans to purchase – from coasters and mugs to t-shirts and fleeces (all of which is, in my opinion rather expensive).  The entertainment was, as expected, first class.  The choice of musical numbers was inspired – songs from
Blood Brothers (Tell Me It’s Not True), Phantom and The Godfather were off set with wonderfully unexpected items such as What a Wonderful World and Over the Rainbow combined into one song – cleverly arranged and beautifully sung. In between the songs, the banter between Michael and Alfie had us laughing, at times almost to the point of tears. Mr Boe is something of a giggler – after singing Speak Softly Love, he struggled to tell us, through his giggles, that he nearly counted out loud before starting to sing at one point during the song. He had us in fits of laughter as he pretended to have trouble getting onto a stool, thus requiring assistance from a certain Mr Ball.  At various stages
throughout the evening it was evident that Alfie was trying to stifle a giggling fit. It was great to see both Michael and Alfie obviously enjoying themselves whilst entertaining a packed venue.
There were, for me, a couple of unexpected moments during the show – firstly, Alfie Boe does Elvis!! To hear a classically trained singer do rock and roll was a real treat. Secondly, I was amazed by Michael Ball’s passion. He sang a song from Jesus Christ Superstar which I have never heard performed outside that show and left me moved almost to tears.  It brought home to me just how good he is.  Each of our entertainers did a solo spot which enabled them to showcase their individual style. Audience participation was encouraged and we got stuck in with great enthusiasm.  Alfie had us almost singing harmonies while Michael, having said we couldn’t join in with Love Changes Everything, then invited us to do so.

I could comment on every song that was performed, but it’s easier to just say that the entire evening was pure magic. A simple set, with different graphics projected onto the back wall depending on the theme of the music, an excellent group of musicians and singers provided the perfect accompaniment to the awesome voices of Messrs Ball and Boe. The evening concluded with a compilation of songs from Les Miserables – a show where Alfie doesn’t sing Bring Him Home would be like the Royal Variety Show without the National Anthem! The encore was more of a sing along – the audience on their feet joining in with You’ll Never Walk Alone – a wonderful way to end a perfect evening.

Thanks to Sam and Heather for giving us their thoughts on Brighton – our next guest review will be from Liverpool.

Together is available here:

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