Throughout his celebrated career, English tenor Alfie Boe has been defined by the music he’s made his own. This has included the starring role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, which he has performed on and off for the better part of two decades. But who is the real Alfie Boe? Here, we finally have the answer – the complete portrait of not just the singer and actor but the man. And it’s impressive.

Alfie Boe. Photo © Ray Burmiston

Hot on the heels of his latest and largely self-penned album, Face Myself, Boe has decided to step out of costume and makeup to reveal the true colours of the Lancashire lad who first grew up listening to his father’s albums of opera, Canzone Napoletana and Swing Italiano. Accordingly, the concert opens with a medley of songs Boe’s father serenaded his mother with – his rousing rendition of Mambo Italiano setting the tone for the evening and the best version of the song this writer has heard (there have been many).

Boe’s musical world extended well beyond his father’s records into the indie scene of northern England, where he regularly...