Listen and weep

Porn, weed and a wooden park bench: Alfie Boe's big break, from London streetlife to stardom

Identifying a classically-trained singer isn't rocket science. Listen for the way they intone when they speak, check out the scarf — even in warm weather — and the required water bottle for hydration. That's nothing like Alfie Boe, the British tenor who spellbound audiences on Broadway with his tender Jean Valjean and his passionate Rodolfo.

In his story, that water bottle was alcohol, his roommates were potheads and internet porn addicts and his bed was a wooden bench in Hyde Park. Typical student life while at the Royal College of Music? Rather unlikely. But so is his fame. He has sung alongside Renée Fleming and for Queen Elizabeth II, performed on the most prestigious stages, recorded albums, filmed DVDs and even penned a book.

Boe, who's set to performed at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wortham Theater Center, took a brief respite from his busy schedule to chat with CultureMap via phone from London. En route to the U.S. for a concert tour, Boe spoke to us about his family, his journey and what audiences can expect at his performance.

CultureMap: Not to quote a song from Les Misérables — admittedly I can't help myself — but the life you dreamed to dream — unlike the character of Fantine — became real for you. Was there a moment in your career when you breathed a sigh of relief knowing that you had made it?

Alfie Boe: I don't think that, as an artist, you can ever really say that you've made it, that you have arrived. If you say that you've made it, I think it signals that you're settled and you don't have anywhere else to go or room to grow. I am nowhere near the end of my journey. It's always an ongoing thing for me.

But when people ask me about my biggest break? Was it playing Rodolfo in La Bohème on Broadway or was it playing Jean Valjean in Les Misérables or was it being a part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert? Honestly, my biggest break was getting an audition for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. That's what set me on path to having a career as a professional singer.

CM: The opening line of your memoir, Alfie: My Story, tickles my sense of curiosity. I put it right up there with "Call me Ishmael" or "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." For a music devotee to read, "Bizet nearly killed me," there has to be a juicy story there.

Though your book doesn't come out here until November, would you spoil this bit for us?

AB: Sure. That was specifically about a job I was doing for the English National Opera. I was playing the role of Nadir in Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, and I had an accident during the rehearsal period where I lost my sight. It was a bit of neglect from the opera company that I was working for. They didn't support me or help me very much. But I survived, as you can hear.

CM: I am very glad you did. In your book you speak of your difficulty with alcoholism, how you slept in many park benches, how your roommate was addicted to porn. And yet you thrived, found your break and you carved a successful career in the entertainment industry.

While many who live in the public's eye would be tempted to hide these type of life details, you talk about them openly.

AB: I don't see any reason why I should hide my past for the sake for keeping the image of what an opera singer should be like. I wasn't trained to be anything other than honest and truthful, and to show people what the pitfalls are in life when you hit hard times. I don't mean to glamorize my life or to merely use it as a point to sell a book.

I want to show people that it wasn't easy; it isn't easy for many people. I hope that people can get something from the challenges that I lived through in London and the trials that I had to overcome to be a singer.

That's something I wouldn't want to hide.

CM: Apropos music and food, as they so often flock together, I hear rumors that you are quite the chef and that there maybe a cookbook in your future? Is that true?

AB: That's a bit of a rumor I am afraid. I am not proficient enough as a cook — as a chef — to write a book about cooking. But I do love to cook and I cook all the time. But I don't think a cookbook is in the cards for me. I want to be a singer, not a chef. I think I'll avoid that one and stay home and cook for myself and my family.

I love to make lots of casseroles, traditional English dinners, Italian dishes, a mixture of things.

CM: Not unlike your repertoire. You sing many different types of music. I am sure you have a cornucopia of tunes planned for your Houston appearance. But what most want to know is: Will you sing Bring Him Home? You have to, don't you?

AB: I'll definitely will be singing Jean Valjean's Bring Him Home — yes, I have to (laughs). There will be a few songs from my album, Alfie, and I am also going to throw in some melodies that I've been working on for future recordings. And you never know, an operatic aria might just happen.

I don't really consider myself an opera singer anymore even though I love to sing that genre of music. I just don't like the title of classical singer. I don't like the title of pop singer. I don't like the title opera singer. I just want to be known as a singer and not be tied down a single genre.

CM: How do you balance being a father and a traveling artist? Has your little girl Gracie shown any interest in music?

AB: It's very hard. It's part of the job so you have to deal with it and get used to it. It's a difficult balance, but I make it work. I spend a lot of time on the road away from my family.

My daughter is very artistic. She loves to sing; she loves to dance; she loves to paint. She's a talented little girl. I think that the older she gets, her talent is going to manifest even more. It's beautiful to hear her sing.

CM: Don't you have a birthday coming up?

AB: I'll be 39 by the time I get to Houston.

CM: And what will you do to celebrate? Should we throw you a party?

AB: (Laughs) It will be on the road. What can I do? I plan on eating a lot of steak while I am there.

Coming back to America and playing to Houston audiences is very exciting for me. It feels like I am coming home because I spent so much time in America. My wife is American. I've been connected to American culture and American life for a long time.

It feels like home to me now.

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Alfie Boe will perform at Wortham Theater Center on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $34 and can be purchased online or by calling 713-222-5400.

Movie Review

Daniel Craig shines in Queer, an unapologetic tale of love and loss

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer

Photo courtesy of A24

Drew Starkey and Daniel Craig in Queer.

As recently as the late 2010s, if a movie was made about an LGBTQ+ character, it was more than likely about their coming out experience. Romance, if it existed, was typically chaste, and actual sex was almost completely out of the question. Things have changed dramatically in the 2020s, to the point that a major movie star has no issue starring in a film called Queer.

Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film features William Lee (Daniel Craig), whom everyone calls just Lee, a writer living in 1950s-era Mexico City who spends most of his time haunting local bars with friends like fellow writer Joe Guidry (Jason Schwartzman) and hitting on younger men. His early interactions in the film seem to indicate that Lee has a bad reputation within the local gay community, as multiple people avoid him or give him odd looks.

Lee senses an opportunity when he encounters a newcomer, Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). Despite some awkward interactions, the two of them start spending time together, although Lee has much more invested in the relationship than Eugene does. Their hit-and-miss bond continues until Lee, who’s starting to get into drugs in addition to the booze, convinces Eugene to accompany him on a trip to South America.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by Justin Kuritzkes (making their second straight film together after Challengers), early on the film seems to be mostly about the divide between an older person who’s grown comfortable in his ways and a younger person who’s living a relatively carefree life. The introduction of drugs into the plot changes things, though, with Lee searching out more ways to open his eyes to what the world has to offer.

Guadagnino and his team use some interesting visual storytelling techniques to introduce ideas that may not be present in the actual script. The most successful, demonstrated in multiple scenes, is the superimposition of movements by Lee over what’s actually taking place in the scene. The subtle overlay gives the audience insight into Lee’s true feelings, showing what he can’t or won’t say out loud.

Music also plays a big part in how the plot is perceived, with the use of anachronistic songs from Nirvana and Prince serving to heighten certain moments. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is not as in-your-face as the one they did for Challengers, but it complements the film well, especially when the plot starts to get trippy in its final half hour.

Craig, who appears sweaty and disheveled for much of the film, is about as far from the suaveness of James Bond as you can get in this role. He takes multiple risks with his performance and almost all of them pay off. Starkey’s character is subdued by comparison, but still comes off well. Schwartzman and Lesley Manville are given showy roles, with both using altered appearances that make them nearly unrecognizable to deliver memorable performances.

Queer is not as accessible as Challengers was storytelling-wise, but the fact that it tells a story about gay men living their lives as they see fit with no interference or questions shows how far the film world has come in a short period of time. It also continues Guadagnino’s streak of making audacious films in a way that few other filmmakers are willing or able to approach.

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Queer is now playing in theaters.

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