He made the shortlist! Just a couple of days ago we voted in the nominations round of the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards. Alfie was nominated as Favourite Replacement for both Les Mis and Finding Neverland and he made the shortlist for Les Mis. Voting is now open to choose the winner so click here and vote! You can also vote for Les Mis as Favourite Long Running Show if you want.
This video from MoTab is now getting on for 2 million views!
It’s been quite a week for Alfie: announced for the Memorial Day concert on 29 May, making the shortlist for the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards and it was also announced that he’ll be appearing on the Kathie Lee and Hoda segment of the Today Show on 9 May. If you remember, Alfie sang Bring Him Home on this show in November 2015 and fans were hopeful that a return appearance would be called for.
Yes, the news is out that Alfie will return to the Memorial Day Concert for 2016! He joins Renee Fleming and Colin Powell amongst others for the Washington DC event to be held on 29 May. As we know, Alfie holds a special place in his heart for the armed forces and is a regular at the UK’s Festival of Remembrance; this will be his second appearance at the equivalent US concert. Let’s take a look at his previous appearance in 2013:
The question is: will he reprise Bring Him Home or sing something else entirely? I’d like to hear him sing again with Renee Fleming as a throwback to their duet at the Diamond Jubilee of 2012 but who knows?
This comes hot on the heels of Alfie being nominated as Favourite Replacement for either Les Mis or Finding Neverland in the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards – click here to vote but hurry as it closes on 29 April! This is just to pick the nominations though so hopefully Alfie will get through to the actual awards.
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…in the pouring rain in Trafalgar Square for the St. George’s Day celebrations:
This is Nikki Lewis’ video and it’s her birthday today so – thank you and Happy Birthday Nikki!
Of course, back in 2011, Alfie had not performed this song in public that much – he was at the beginning of his Bring Him Home journey. He would go on to perform this song many, many times – must be in the hundreds by now – and over the time, it’s interesting to see how his interpretation has changed. Here is his last concert performance at Leeds in 2015 (thanks to Linda W):
Beautiful – I confess a liking for the simple, pared down version of 2015 and I’m also quite partial to Alfie’s look these days!
A few weeks ago I asked you to tell me what Bring Him Home means to you and you duly obliged – thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. These are just a few of the comments:
Carole N: To me Bring Him Home will always be Alfie. I have listened to many versions and no one brings so much emotion to the song,i still cry when I listen to it!
Jo Cassidy: Bring Him Home is the quiet strength in the midst of noisy, busy battle scenes. It is the realisation that when things are outside our control we can hand them over to God and leave them in his strength, and the humility to know that others’ lives may be more important than our own. It is quite simply the most beautiful song that I know.
Linda Gleason: First of all it’s a prayer of supplication and it’s usually the song I run to put on my CD player when I’m really down. That it’s Alfie’s song” lightens my heart and I say the words as he sings them. My soul is healed, and I can go on.
Kathryn Frankenberger: Bring Him Home was simply the magical door that opened my ears and heart to Alfie. I’ll never be able to thank my husband enough for showing me the O2 concert on the DVD he promptly bought after hearing Alfie. I was on a trip at the time and would never have known about Alfie’s genius if not for my sweet hubby.
Thank you ladies for sharing your thoughts with us.
That was the question answered by a few people, Alfie amongst them, in today’s edition of BBC Radio 4’s Soul Music (click here to listen).
Bring Him Home is Alfie’s most famous song and also the most famous song to come out of the show for which it was written, Les Miserables. Unsurprisingly, it was voted as Alfie Boe’s Best Ever Song by fans in 2014 and is the one song which is always heard at an Alfie concert (short guest appearances excluded). Alfie himself says that he’d probably be lynched if he ever left it out and has been known to joke at concerts that “you can all go home now, that’s what you came for, isn’t it?” straight after singing the song.
Being an Alfie fan it’s all too easy to forget that Bring Him Home was actually written for someone, not simply for the show. Of course, I’m talking about Colm Wilkinson and one of the most interesting parts of the programme for me was an Oxford College music director talking about how the power of the tenor voice is contained in the song, producing such an emotional response in the listener; we are aware that the voice could soar into the rafters but doesn’t. The power is in the restraint and of course the words which perfectly capture the feeling of a prayer – the song is referred to as The Prayer in the show. The lyricist, Herbert Kretzmer, interviewed for the programme, said that on the face of it, it could be a difficult song to write as an atheist but wasn’t as he did not need to believe in God, just in Jean Valjean’s belief in God.
Alfie was one of several people interviewed for the programme and his contribution was short and right at the beginning. He talked movingly about how much the song means to him professionally and personally and how much he has gained by his association with it but the interesting thing was the challenge of getting the words right; get that right and the tune almost comes along by itself. Being vocally tired when singing such an emotionally charged song means that the song sounds different, “gives it a different colour”. I’ve heard Alfie sing this song many times in concert and each time has been different. Different but wonderful every time.
The other contributors were divided into two groups: music professionals (Rebecca Caine, Herbert Kretzmer and Jeremy Summer, music director at St. Peters, Oxford) and people who had turned to Bring Him Home in times of need and bereavement. Becky Douglas was one of the latter and listening to her talk about her daughter, Amber was painful but also, ultimately uplifting; out of the darkest time of her life had come joy and purpose and meaning. There was no doubt that Bring Him Home was a crucial part of Becky’s relationship to her daughter and also to her subsequent charity work. Maybe the fact that I’m also a parent meant that Becky’s story spoke to me so directly and I think that is also the reason that I found Rebecca Caine speaking about the song so moving as well. Specifically, hearing her talk about not being a parent was intensely moving. As may be expected with a song that is often associated with loss and funerals, the programme included someone who had sung Bring Him Home at a funeral. Frank Pearson, secretary of the Greater Manchester Police Male Voice Choir, spoke with grace and clarity about singing such an evocative and emotional song at the funeral of PC Dave Phillips, killed in Liverpool last year. PC Phillips was a Les Mis fan apparently and it was entirely fitting that he featured on Soul Music.
Lest you fear that the programme was unremittingly sad, let me put your mind as rest by saying that it was, as I said earlier, mainly uplifting. Listening to others talk about the power of music and the mechanics of the song itself felt like a spiritual process, whatever spiritual means to you.
So, listening to the programme inspired me to ask you what Bring Him Home means to you? Let me know below.
To help you along, here’s a playlist of Alfie singing Bring Him Home:
Alright, alright, it’s actually International Happiness Day but I got the title idea from my 9yo who looked at the 2015 Happy International Day of Happiness Alfie Boe Fans and said “it’s not really Happy Alfie Boe Day is it”? We don’t exactly see eye to eye on our musical tastes although he has been known to sing along to Alfie songs before and even uttered the immortal line (on hearing Elvis sing If I Can Dream) “this is Alfie’s song, why is Elvis singing it”.
To celebrate, these are some of my favourite Alfie tracks from each of his albums:
E Lucevan Le Stelle (Classic FM Presents) – video from first series of BBC Maestro
The song recently voted the favourite Alfie Boe recorded song, A Living Prayer (Onward) – from Songs of Praise
Funiculi Funicula (La Passione) – this was a hard choice as I could easily have chosen the whole album!
On The Street Where You Live (Bring Him Home) – from QVC, picked because my son’s choir used to sing this:
In My Daughter’s Eyes (Alfie) – for all parents and children everywhere:
Angie (Storyteller)- loved the original, this is better:
My all time favourite Alfie song (so far) is Keep Me In Your Heart (Trust) – something to do with those buttons…
Addio Sogni di Gloria (Serenata) was my favourite in the Serenata review and it hasn’t changed:
The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that Love Was A Dream is missing – as far as I’m aware we don’t have video of Alfie singing my favourite song from that album. Maybe one day…
What are your songs from all Alfie’s albums? Let us know below:
The question has long been asked of performers who have ‘made it’: How do you know when you have indeed made it? Perhaps one answer would be ‘when you’ve got your own tribute act’. And so we can safely say that Alfie Boe has made it as I had the pleasure of talking to his very own tribute act, David Marshall, a few weeks ago.
David is a professional singer of many years, mostly working in the corporate arena and on the entertainment circuit with a classical / musical theatre repertoire. How he came to add the Alfie tribute to his act is remarkably similar to how Alfie first got started. Remember the customer at TVR who told Alfie about the D’oyly Carte auditions? Well, after a performance at the Belfry golf club a couple of years ago, a member of the audience asked David if he had ever considered becoming an Alfie Boe tribute act. In fact, David had never considered this and didn’t really change his mind…at that point. A year on, the same man again approached David and urged him to think about it again as there seemed to be a gap in the tribute act market. At that point, as with Alfie at TVR, David realised that there was an opportunity there and so he did some research and found no other Alfie Boe tribute acts. The idea was planted and having looked at Alfie’s back catalogue, David says that “I was already singing about 25 of Alfie’s songs so it wasn’t a stretch for me”.
This was in the middle of 2015 and since then David has been working on his voice to sound more like Alfie and has also spent many an hour watching clips of Alfie’s concerts on YouTube and of course, the concert DVDs. Apparently it has been quite hard to get the right tone as David has a slightly higher tenor range than Alfie. He is also quick to mention that die hard, super fans would “probably say that I haven’t got it quite right as yet – but I’m still working on it all the time.” See for yourself:
The main tribute repertoire that David includes in the show includes the more classical, musical theatre end of Alfie’s back catalogue as the audiences that book David as Alfie Boe are more interested and even request, those songs. Although there are some more modern songs included, there aren’t many as they don’t seem as popular with the audiences. The exceptions are Classic Quadrophenia and Queen, which David included as he know Alfie loves Freddie Mercury and the music of Queen. Happily for David, his own core audience is, broadly speaking, the same as Alfie’s and so he already has a natural audience for his new tribute act.
Alfie is apparently unaware of his new found ‘made it’ status with his own tribute act and so we don’t know what he thinks of it. I guess he knows now – would love to know his view!
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Tuesday 1 March saw the first night of John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean in Broadway’s Les Mis. As with the first nights of the previous incumbents of the role, our intrepid New York reporter, Roberta Kappus was there and I’m thrilled to bring you her review:
Years of experience on the stage were in evidence as John Owen-Jones took over the role of Jean Valjean on Broadway. From an unrepentant convict to a dying old man, John Owen-Jones gave a masterful performance conveying feelings and emotions flawlessly. By a shrug of a shoulder or an added inflection on a word John changed the focus of a scene. From the beginning his skills were apparent.
On his first day of freedom when Valjean drinks from a stream you can see and feel his sensation of release and satisfaction at the cool taste of the water. He pauses and savours both the freedom and the water and lets you feel it with him. Most impressive was Who Am I. John doesn’t just struggle with the question of turning himself in as another has been mistakenly identified as JVJ but conveys the life and death consequences of his decision and includes the audience in the process. The closest I could come to this portrayal was seeing JVJ as an attorney who strongly believes in his client’s case and the audience is his jury. He strides back and forth across the front of the stage facing the audience, stretching out his arms as though to embrace the audience. It is very effective and as an audience member you feel involved.
Another striking element in his performance is the aging of JVJ. This starts almost at the beginning when he rescues the man from the runaway cart. It is not an easy task and John is winded and out of breath following the rescue. It continues through his first scene in Paris where he is no longer strong enough to fend off the thugs. In his scenes at home with Cosette his shoulders are rounded and his stride is no longer as strong and sure as in the beginning. The aging continues through his final scene when he is truly a feeble, old man. After the show I went back and read the interview with John on this blog (click here). John described his interpretation of the aging exactly as he acted it. It was masterful and no doubt came from John’s years of experience.
Les Mis is a show that is sung throughout and John does not disappoint. I almost feel as though I do not have to say anything about his singing since he is so well known through his albums and YouTube. He was excellent and his singing appeared to be effortless. Throughout he changed the impact of a line in a song by an added inflection on a word. His Bring Him Home was not only sung but also acted. His hands were clasped in prayer as he pleaded with God. He directed God’s gaze to Marius as though God was a presence on the stage. The acting definitely strengthened the emotional impact of the song.
I have been fortunate enough to see three Jean Valjeans over the last few months – Ramin Karimloo, Alfie Boe and John Owen-Jones. Each brings his own interpretation to the role and emphasises his strengths. Each makes Les Mis his own story and each has been worth seeing. If you have the chance, you should see John Owen-Jones in the role.
Yet another fabulous review, Roberta – thank you. As it has been your privilege to see these three performers, it has been my pleasure and privilege to publish such gifted reviews from you.
Yes, it’s official that thoughtsofjustafan is the Official Alfie Boe Fan Blog! If you love Alfie Boe and his music, this is the place to be – all the news as and when it happens and lots of fun to be had too.
Luckily I know just the way to celebrate this (and also Alfie’s last day as Jean Valjean on Broadway) by announcing the winner of the Alfie Boe Les Mis Goodie Bag.
Thank you to all the entrants who answered the following question:
How many productions of Les Mis has Alfie Boe appeared in?
The correct answer was 3 productions – and well done to the 87 people who got it right. Those productions are:
25th anniversary concert, West End and Broadway.
The winner (picked at random) is Maureen MacDonald who will receive a signed Les Mis playbill, a Les Mis programme, a City Guide featuring Alfie on the cover, a signed photo and a stick of Classic Quadrophenia rock. Please click here Maureen to send me your address!
Hope everyone in New York for Alfie’s last day has a great time – have a great last show Alfie!
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So, with news of Alfie’s next move (I understand the final agreements are being ironed out this week) in our minds, today it’s time to think about Les Mis. There are just a handful of performances left to catch Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, so it’s competition time!
The prize is a signed Les Mis playbill, a Les Mis programme (featuring Alfie), a New York City Guide featuring Alfie on the cover and a signed photo. I’ll even throw in a stick of Classic Quadrophenia rock!
To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is answer the following question:
How many productions of Les Mis has Alfie Boe appeared in?
Competition now closed
To be in with a chance of winning you will need to be subscribed to this blog – so do it now!
A winner will be picked at random on Saturday 27 February – good luck!
To help you think, here is the next Broadway Jean Valjean, John Owen-Jones (thanks to Linda for sharing):
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if you like what you see and want to enter the competition
Advent is upon us and we are fast counting down to Christmas! It’s the time of year when we can listen to our favourite Christmas music without feeling guilty that it’s the wrong time of year so I thought that it was high time we revived thoughtsofjustafan’s Alfie Boe album of the month with Home for the Holidays. In the absence of an Alfie Christmas album, I’ve been listening to the CD and watching the DVD for a good few weeks now – you’re not going to tell me I’m the only one surely?
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s (MoTab) annual Christmas concerts invite world renowned classical singers as their special guests (Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins have appeared in recent years). The concerts are filmed and shown on TV before being released on CD and DVD the following year – it takes a while to edit and it then makes sense to wait until nearer Christmas to release the finished product. Alfie appeared at these concerts in 2012 which was made all the more special as he and Sarah have a home in Salt Lake City; one of the most moving parts of the concert was Alfie thanking the audience for “bringing me home”, a neat link in to his most famous song.
A few views for this video…a cool 1.6 million!
As much as I love Bring Him Home, my favourite songs from Home for the Holidays are I Wonder as I Wander and Angels, From the Realms of Glory. The former features John Rutter’s arrangement (also seen on Alfie’s 2007 Onward album). A behind the scenes interview with the musical directors of the concert shows that Alfie was initially reluctant to perform this song, but I’m so glad he did.
If you don’t yet own this on CD (and only 37% of fans did in our 2014 poll) then you are missing out. It’s available here:
Only 43% of fans owned the DVD which may have something to do with the fact that it’s not readily available in the UK. Click below to buy from Deseret Books (where Alfie did a signing session the following year). As far as I am aware, it’s playable in the UK – I bought it from Deseret and it works just fine.
I have a copy of this album to give away to one lucky reader who can answer this question:
Who wrote I Wonder as I Wander?
The competition is now closed! The lucky winner (picked at random) is Ann Warren! Please click here to send me your details.
This competition is open to everyone, not just UK residents (although I can’t say whether you will receive it for Christmas, due to the vagaries of the postal system)! I’ll even throw in a copy of Sleigh Ride, the Boston Pop album that features Alfie on O Holy Night!
