Alfie Boe Brings Home 2011 WOS Awards Concert

Tony Award-winning opera tenor Alfie Boe has joined the star-studded line-up for next month’s 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards Concert, which is held in aid of this year’s adopted charity The Theatrical Guild at 7pm on Sunday 20 February 2011 at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre.
Boe will reprise his rendition of “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables, which he performed to show-stopping effect in October at the 25th anniversary concert of the Boublil and Schonberg musical at The O2. He appears in the Awards Concert ahead of returning to the role of Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Mis at the Queen’s Theatre later this year. Further ahead, he’s tipped to star in the forthcoming big-screen adaptation of the musical.

The Les Misérables concert at The O2 is a frontrunner for Theatre Event of the Year and Best Ensemble Performance in the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards, which cover the 2010 theatregoing year. For its various milestone offerings, the long-running blockbuster musical has received five nominations overall. It’s also been shortlisted for: Best Musical Revival and Best Actor in a Musical for John Owen-Jones for the anniversary production at the Barbican and Best West End Show for the ongoing Queen’s Theatre production.

Boe, who only became a professional singer after being overheard singing while polishing a car, won a Tony Award for his performance in Baz Lurhmann’s Broadway production of La boheme in 2006. His many other credits include Kismet, The Merry Widow and The Pearl Fishers for English National Opera.

Concert tickets, which range from £25-£47.50, are now on sale and can be booked by phone on 0844 482 5133 or online at www.whatsonstage.com/concert.

As previously announced, the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards Concert will be co-hosted by Christopher Biggins and the line-up to date, subject to availability, will include: Ramin Karimloo, Hadley Fraser, Rosemary Ashe, Madalena Alberto, David Shannon, Hannah Levane and Jodie Jacobs, accompanied by the West End Gospel Choir and dancers from Arts Ed; as well as show performances from OperaUpClose’s record-breaking modern version of La Boheme (Rhian Lois, Laurence Meikle and Martin Nelson), nominated for Best Off-West End Production and now returned for another sell-out season at Soho Theatre; Brits-abroad comedy and Best New Musical nominee Departure Lounge (Steven Webb, Jack Shalloo, Liam Tamne and Hollyoaks heartthrob Chris Fountain); and, as previously announced, a sneak-peek of the upcoming world premiere of Ghost The Musical (Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy).

Top (l-r): Alfie Boe; Hadley Fraser & Ramin Karimloo; Christopher Biggins.
Bottom: Rosemary Ashe; Richard Fleeshman & Caissie Levy; Departure Lounge cast.

The Concert is directed and devised by Russell Labey, with musical supervision by Iain Vince Gatt, lighting by Mike Robertson, sound by Ben Harrison and choreography by Lizzi Gee. It’s produced by Stuart Piper and Jason Haigh-Ellery on behalf of Whatsonstage.com, with general and production management by Jon Bath for Cole Kitchenn Ltd.

And who will be collecting trophies? Voting continues until 31 January – CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!!! – but the winners remain a secret until the night! Amongst the nominees so far RSVPed to attend the event are: Sheridan Smith, Meera Syal, Arlene Phillips, Tamzin Outhwaite, Jill Halfpenny, Jenny Jules, Jemima Rooper, Emma Cunniffe, Adam James, Nigel Lindsay, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Alex Gaumond, Chris Ellis-Stanton, Scarlett Strallen, Josefina Gabrielle, Joseph Millson, Michael Xavier, Paul J Medford, Dave Willetts, Simon Callow, Bob Golding, Howard Brenton, Timothy Sheader, Miriam Buether, Joanne Scotcher, Morgan Large, Peter Mumford, Stephen Mear, Robyn Addison, Jacob Casselden and Daniel Kaluuya.

Concert tickets, which range from £25-£47.50, are now on sale and can be booked by phone on 0844 482 5133 or online at www.whatsonstage.com/concert.

As with the Launch Party, at which shortlists were announced in December, the Awards Concert is held in aid of this year’s adopted charity, The Theatrical Guild, which was founded by actors to provide financial and other support to front of house and backstage staff in times of need.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

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