Alfie Boe and Michael Ball chat to Yours
With a new album together set to be released, singers extraordinaire Michael Ball and Alfie Boe tell us why they love working together
One’s a doyenne of musical theatre whose high notes and effervescent personality has earned him a following of ardent fans. The other is a softly spoken Lancashire lad whose tenor voice has blown the roof off the most important opera houses in the world. Yet, despite their differences, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe have become one of the most successful musical duos around since they joined forces last year. Their first CD, Together, became the best-selling album of 2016 and a Christmas No 1. And no one was more surprised by this fact than Michael and Alfie themselves! “The success of the album was a surprise to us every single day,” says Alfie. “We just went into the project simply to have fun and sing together.” The unlikely pair first met 11 years ago when they were both performing in a production of Kismet by the English National Opera. “It was a bit of a disaster,” Alfie laughs. “The director fell out with the choreographer and the show hadn’t been fully directed up until the dress rehearsal, so Michael and I teamed up to keep everyone’s morale up and that’s where we formed this friendship.” And it’s this chipper, comedy double-act spirit of Michael and Alfie, not to mention their unmistakeable affection for each other, that has helped make them such a success, they’re now about to release a second album. “I think people really like the dynamic and banter between us, which just comes naturally,” says
Michael, who when we meet is the more chatty of the two. “We never set out to be funny, we just enjoy taking the mickey out of each other in a nice, non-malicious way. And people seemed to like the fact we get on,” he says. “Another reason I think our partnership worked so well last year was that 2016 was a really tricky year for a lot of people personally and politically. There was a lot of friction and splitting away and I think we represented the exact opposite of that with teamwork, coming together and something positive,” Michael adds. But having both had hugely successful solo careers over the years, how did they deal with suddenly having another person’s opinions to contend with? “Everything we do is done 100 per cent together, from deciding on songs to which picture we want on the album; it’s all a team effort. Life’s too short not to make it a harmonious process and I agree with everyone anyway,” Michael smiles. Judging by the lightning-quick quips that fly back and forth at each other’s expense – Michael jibes Alfie’s ‘northern-ness’ while he sighs at Michael’s flamboyance – we can’t imagine their meetings and rehearsals are anything short of a hoot. But jokes aside, both have been surprised by just how much they’ve got out of working together. “The experience has taught me that it’s lovely to share, on every level. It would be nice to try to share the experience of performing with the people you love, but they don’t quite know what that moment feels like when you’re on stage and people are clapping as you finish a great show. Now, I look across the stage and there’s my mate who’s just done exactly the same as me, who’s in exactly the same place. That’s a wonderful feeling of community and that’s what we’re put on this earth for – to share.” And after a year of sharing everything – stages, tour buses and countless dressing rooms – Alfie and Michael’s friendship is undoubtedly stronger than ever before. “I just like the fact Alf calls a spade a shovel and is straight about everything,” says Michael. “He’s very fun-loving,” adds Alfie of Michael. “He walks into a room and is always bright and breezy.” “Am I really?!” Michael chips in. “Yeah. But, really annoying sometimes, too,” adds Alfie with a sigh. Even when they’re not working together, Alfie and Michael still make an effort to stay in touch. “We don’t live near each other but we’ll always go and support each other’s work. I loved seeing Alf when he was doing Carousel,” says Michael. “In fact, Michael and his family cooked me a roast dinner when I was on my own doing Carousel,” says Alfie. “I really owe him one for that.” Now, as well as touring the world, they’re also releasing a second album, Together Again, picking up where the last musical theatre-inspired album left off. But the big dream they’d both secretly love to fulfil is to work together on a musical. “The only thing that would get me back doing Les Misérables would be if Alfie were doing it, too, him playing Val Jean and me playing Javert. Now that would be really good fun.” And while they say they can’t confirm that’s a plan yet, we’re already excited to think this new chapter for our favourite musical double act could one day come off.
‘I look across the stage and there’s my mate… that’s a wonderful feeling’ ‘We never set out to be funny, we just enjoy taking the mickey out of each other in a nice, non-malicious way’