Four amazing voices combining a programme of opera, classical, West End and pop genres took to the stage of Carmarthen Lyric Theatre on Friday evening. The Opera Boys were in town, on the second date of an extensive UK tour.
The smartly attired quartet launched into an evening of incredible vocal performances with their rendition of Luifgi Denza’s Neapolitan composition Funiculi Funicula. This number brought cheers from the audience and set a precedent for the whole show of both performer and audience interaction.
Further classical pieces including Verdi’s The Drinking Song, Bring Him Home from Les Miserables and a rendition of the James Bond theme Thunderball originally performed by Tom Jones were all included in the set-list showing a diverse but strong display of vocal presentation.
The opera Boys are currently touring the UK
Between every song, The Opera Boys encouraged the audience to participate by either singing, clapping or cheering along. Everyone in attendance enjoyed the performance including the singers themselves.
For their rendition of O Sole Mio, The Opera Boys invited one audience member (Gemma from Newcastle Emlyn) to sit on a stool on stage while they serenaded her. There were also further points during the show where they stepped away from the stage and interacted with the audience, including a rendition of Volare, in which the audience were split in half to see who could sing the loudest. There were certainly plenty of opportunities for the Welsh audience to prove how well they could sing!
With performances of Ave Maria and The Toreador Song (the latter of which was sung in French) The Opera Boys displayed a talent for making classical music accessible, while keeping proceedings light and fun, but still maintaining moments of seriousness.
There was also a splendid selection of pop classics, Frank Sinatra’s My Way, Dean Martin’s That’s Amore, Bette Midler’s The Rose and Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. My own favourite moment of the evening was their rendition of The Impossible Dream, a real hair standing on the back of your neck moment.
As the evening due to a close a large queue built up to meet and congratulate the boys on an exceptional performance. I have never seen such a queue which only proves what a big hit they were!