It is hard not to fall under Paul Tabone’s spell. A polished lyric tenor with a firm bel canto grounding, he is also an amiable raconteur who knows how to work a crowd.

Showmanship is the word that springs to mind.

Paul Tabone salutes Andrew Bocelli. Photo © JJ Antmann

He has enjoyed stints at Venice’s La Fenice and the National Opera in Bucharest, but Australian audiences will best remember him as Squelch in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies and Piangi in The Phantom of the Opera – roles he has played around the world, including well over 1000 performances in the original London production of Phantom.

But this show isn’t about him.

Yes, we hear how the former rugby league front-rower from Ingham grew up listening to Mario Lanza and Enrico Caruso, and Tabone obliges with perfect renditions of O Sole Mio and Lucio Dalla’s Caruso.

We are told about a failed opera audition in Modena where, unbeknownst to Tabone, Luciano Pavarotti’s widow Nicoletta Mantovani first laid eyes on him.

Paul Tabone in a virtual duet with Édith Piaf in his salute to Andrea Bocelli. Photo © JJ Antmann

After receiving a surprise phone call from Mantovani, Tabone found himself sharing the stage with Plácido Domingo and Andrea Bocelli as part of the Arena di Verona Centennial celebrations.

With just moments to spare, Bocelli was asked to stand in for an indisposed José Carreras, and Tabone tells us it is the musicianship he witnessed that night that inspires him to this day.

And it is that musicianship that Tabone celebrates here, as well as Bocelli and the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation’s championing of classical crossover as not only a way of promoting opera and music with a classical foundation to mainstream audiences, but also a legitimate bridge between opera and popular music.

If there is one moment in the concert that truly captures this spirit, it is Tabone’s breathtaking recreation of Bocelli’s virtual duet of La Vie en rose with the late Édith Piaf, performed in Portofino in 2012.

John Scanlan in Paul Tabone salutes Andrea Bocelli. Photo © JJ Antmann

Along the way we are treated to Bocelli’s iconic duets with Céline Dion (The Prayer) and Sarah Brightman (Canto della terra and Time to Say Goodbye) sung to thrilling effect with guest performers from The Artists Lab, through which Tabone and choreographer Simone Sault provide mentoring, training and performance opportunities here and abroad.

Tabone is to be lauded for his generosity in sharing the stage with these emerging talents, and his ear for vocal blending is evident, particularly during the finale of Time to Say Goodbye.

The lineup will change throughout the tour. On this occasion, it includes Jade Riordan, Chelsea Bonnano and Blue Mountains local Megan Brielle, who makes her operatic debut here with a plaintive reading of Mimi’s aria Donde lieta usci from Puccini’s La bohème and will shortly tour Germany in a concert featuring the music of Hans Zimmer.

Special mention must go to 14-year-old John Scanlan from Townsville, who steals the audience’s hearts with his captivating renditions of The Holy City and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

Glenn Amer in Paul Tabone salutes Andrea Bocelli. Photo © JJ Antmann

A student of Tabone, Scanlan is travelling around the country as part of this tour. His voice broke only days before this performance, prompting a quick transposition of the songs by pianist Glenn Amer.

Still retaining his boy soprano, he reveals beautifully soulful lower notes and seamlessly transitions between the two registers. Children always earn the loudest applause, but here it is justly deserved. Scanlan’s voice will still change, but what it’s revealing makes him one to watch.

The concert features a seamless blend of lush, orchestral backing tracks and live piano played by Amer, who opens the second act with an impromptu medley of Puccini hits.

Amer was Rita Hunter’s accompanist for many years, but he is also an aficionado of Liberace. In both his and Tabone’s performances we see that potent combination of virtuosity and showmanship – there’s that word again.

Tabone’s recently released album This Is Me held the No. 1 spot for eight weeks on the ARIA Classical Crossover chart. Hearing him perform live, it’s little wonder why, and the queue to buy his CD after the concert speaks for itself.

If he comes to a theatre near you, do yourself a favour and go.

Paul Tabone Salutes Andrea Bocelli is touring through 2027, with performances at Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria on 4 October; Redland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland on 28 October; Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour, NSW on 31 October; and at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, NSW on 3 October, 2027. More information available here.