As the 15 piece orchestra begin to play, and we hear disembodied voices from somewhere offstage begin to sing the opening lines of Somewhere from West Side Story, the capacity audience at the Brighton Centre know that they are about to witness something very special.
Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are two of the most popular stars of Musical Theatre and each could have entertained the crowd quite easily alone but, as they showed on their recent collaborative album, they are simply unstoppable when they are “Together“.
Dean Martin’s 1960 hit Ain’t that a Kick in the Head follows Somewhere, and gives us the first hint that this evening is not all about singing the greatest songs from the very best musicals. With numbers made famous by Christina Perri (A Thousand Years), Stevie Wonder (For Once in my Life), The Who (Love, Reign o’er Me from Quadrophenia) and Speak Softly Love from the Godfather – all tracks from the Together album – the variety of content is both staggering and extremely entertaining.
Michael Ball’s wonderfully expressive voice blends well with the stunning power of Alfie Boe’s operatic tenor voice and the combination offers such a contrast in styles that each number becomes a “two for one” and, with three backing singers and the full orchestra, the finished product gives the audience plenty to clap and cheer about.
Other highlights from the show include a selection of Elvis songs, a medley of the very best James Bond themes (Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, Skyfall, From Russia with Love, Thunderball etc) and a splendid mash up of What A Wonderful World and Over The Rainbow.
Despite the huge variety of styles on offer the Musical Theatre lovers in the audience have plenty to keep them happy as well with songs from Phantom of the Opera, Blood Brothers, a finale medley from Les Miserables (Bring Him Home, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, I Dreamed A Dream) and the crowd pleasing encore number, You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel.
Whether you like musical theatre or not, you can’t fail to admire these two consumate performers and the friendship between them is great to see. The pauses between numbers provide plenty of chances for their individual personalities to shine through, and their banter together provides plenty of laughs.
The pair return to the Brighton Centre for a second concert in December, due to the phenomenal demand for tickets, with many of the first night audience members planning to return to experience this truly magical musical evening all over again.
**** Four Stars
