An Interview with Alfie Boe
With sunsets and showtunes, Alfie Boe’s return to the Open Air Theatre in Scarborough should be a recipe for romance, according to the much-loved singer.
With three previous visits to Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Alfie knows the venue well and is looking forward to coming back once more – joined again by fellow stage sensation Michael Ball as they bring their Together This Summer tour to the Yorkshire coast.
The show on Thursday, June 30 will be Alfie’s fourth at the venue, following headline performances at the town’s Armed Forces Day concert in 2015 and 2018, as well as a memorable night with Michael Ball in 2017.
“One of my favourite venues”
Speaking ahead of his much-anticipated return to Scarborough OAT, Alfie said: “I have had a wonderful time there over the years – it’s a great venue and a wonderful place to perform. Scarborough OAT is one of my favourite venues. Any venue in the open air, in nature, where you’re around trees and the sunset, it’s delightful.
“When the music is playing and the sun starts to set, it becomes a very romantic setting I think.”
Alfie and Michael joined forces back in 2016, releasing their duets debut Together to huge acclaim as it became the UK’s best-selling album that year, beating the likes of Little Mix and The Rolling Stones to the Christmas Number 1 spot.
Together Again followed suit reaching Number 1 in 2017, and Back Together peaked at Number 2 in the official albums chart. In 2020, they released Together At Christmas, and followed that up with a smash-hit UK arena tour in 2021.
As a duo, they have now sold more than 1.3 million albums in the UK, received two Classic Brit Awards, sold out several headline arena tours and presented three ITV Specials.
“We all need fun and entertainment in our lives”
The Together This Summer tour promises to be something of a Ball and Boe greatest hits show, according to Alfie – with ‘celebratory summer songs’.
“All we want to do is get everyone on their feet, singing and dancing,” Alfie added. “We all need fun and entertainment in our lives after going through the pandemic. It’s time we started to enjoy life again – and this summer is the perfect time to bring people together through music. It’s a wonderful media. To be able to put on a record, to play music, to see music played, we need that. It’s good for people’s mental health, it’s therapeutic.”
And the Lancashire-born mechanic-turned-singer, who chanced upon his musical career when a customer heard him singing at work, has had his own share of therapeutic events this year. Alfie was one of eight celebrities who took part in the remarkable TV show Freeze The Fear With Wim Hof, filmed in the Italian Alps in January.
Each week, they faced a series of mental and physical challenges, and reaped the rewards of cold-water therapy and Wim ‘The Iceman’ Hof’s extraordinary breathing techniques.
“A new direction in life”
Alfie credits the experience of Freeze The Fear with helping him find a new direction in life. “I didn’t really know what to expect!” Alfie admits. “I was asked if I’d be interested, and volunteered after reading up a bit about Wim Hof and his methods and watching videos of what he does. I thought it was something I could really benefit from and needed in my life at that moment. So I took the plunge – literally. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, I really mean that. It was pretty intense in terms of the cold therapy, and a really emotional time.”
Among the challenges, the stars undertook cold water submersions and their final task saw Alfie and six of the group take a leap of faith from a 500-foot-high bridge.
“On a practical level, I still take cold showers and I do a bit of fresh-water swimming now,” said Alfie about the experience and how it has stayed with him. But more than that, I want to do some fundraising events – putting my body to the extremes in cold weather – for mental health charities. The power of the challenges and the cold, it brought something out of me in terms of sharing my experiences.
He added: “My story, and my being able to open up to talk about things, if that helps someone watching, it’s done the job. The responses on social media have been overwhelming and I would like to thank everybody for their comments. I know now, I want to be an advocate for mental health. That’s something really important to me.”
“Pull together as a nation”
Another project currently close to Alfie’s heart is the newly released recording of God Save The Queen, with Sarah Brightman, the NHS Voices Of Care Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
“The Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer are so well timed after getting through this difficult time, and I think it’s going to run throughout the summer – which will be great for somewhere like Scarborough OAT.
“It’s a great opportunity to celebrate Her Majesty herself. For one, she’s an amazing woman, and for two, she’s an incredible monarch, leader and figurehead of the country.
“The Queen understands the nation and its people, and she loves the nation and its people – and that love resonates with people. It’s also supporting one of Her Majesty’s favourite charities, the British Red Cross. The single is an opportunity to thank The Queen, to thank the NHS, to thank the British Red Cross, and pull together as a nation.”
“A right royal welcome”
With a now-lengthy stage career behind him, Alfie has met Her Majesty The Queen on several occasions. “The Queen is a wonderful woman. I was very nervous the first time I met her – like I think everyone is… You just don’t want to embarrass yourself,” the Les Misérables star admits.
“But The Queen also knows when people feel nervous and intimidated by her presence. She puts people at ease and makes people feel relaxed and in a good place when speaking to her, so you have a great conversation. She has always been like that in my experience.
“The more times I’ve met her, the more it has been like meeting an old friend – I’ve cracked a joke or two with her over the years.”
And Alfie and Michael are sure to be get a right royal welcome to Scarborough OAT on Thursday, June 30 – like the ‘old friends’ they are of the venue.
Tickets for Michael Ball and Alfie Boe Together This Summer are available now via scarboroughopenairtheatre.com
