A Charm Offensive : Interview with Andrew Alexander from Teatro

Left to right: Stephen, Andrew, Jeremiah and Simon

Singer Andrew Alexander from quartet Teatro – who specialise in musical theatre songs with a twist – is riding high on the popular zeitgeist. Not only is musical theatre having an all-singing, all-dancing moment, with TV shows such as How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria; Any Dream Will Do and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s recent foray into Hollyoaks, alerting the masses to Teatro's brand of music ( they’ve been called Theatreland’s First Supergroup ) but he’s also part of the growing East/ West cultural exchange. The group are performing at next week’s Charming Vietnam Gala ( singing solo and with three Vietnamese sopranos) two nights of spectacular performance, song and fashion from some of that country’s top artists. The Gala – in the company of Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung in his first visit to this country in 15 years - comes at a time when the UK is in the throes of China Now, a series of exhibitions and events in the run-up to the Bejing Olympics. And, is further proof that the arts can - and should - not only blur boundaries between genres but cross international borders to discover new inspiration, collaborations and influences. We caught up with him:

You must be chuffed to be performing at the Gala.
Yes, it’s great to be invited. I spent my gap year after university in Vietnam, and really loved it.

And you’re doing your bit for East/ West relations..
It sounds a bit of a tired cliché, but the arts do cross boundaries.
Because the group ( Stephen Rahman- Hughes, Andrew, Jeremiah James and Simon Bailey )  sing musical theatre songs we’re pretty international as everyone knows them. Audiences from China to South America and  Hungary can sing along.

And, here, musical theatre is having a rennaisance...
With all the TV shows it’s increasingly popular, which is great for us and for the West End, as there are far more people going to the theatre now.

Were you ever tempted to audition for one of  these reality shows?
No, because I was already performing in the West End, But I don’t think they’re necessarily a bad thing. I know Lee ( the winner of Any Dream Will Do ) and he’s a great performer. If  these programmes are turning out people like him then they can only be good.

How did you get into musical theatre?
I saw a DVD of Les Miserables when I was 16 and that inspired me to get into it. I’d done Choral singing at school,  then after Uni went to the Royal College of Music.

You released your first album in November which has been really well received…
I’ve got a nice plaque on my wall to say that we’ve sold 100,000 copies.

So now you’re promoting it, and touring?
Yeah, the highlight so far was performing at the Royal Variety Show, where we met the Queen.

What did she say to you?
That she enjoyed the show, and, as it was in Liverpool, said we must have had quite a journey to get there!

And I’m sure you have lots of other female fans?
We do have some keen supporters. We turned on the Christmas Lights in Marylebone last year, and two German girls flew over specially to see us. And we’ve had knickers thrown at us on-stage.

That’s not something you see every day in the West End.  But, touring can be gruelling as well as fun..
We’re used to it. We’ve all trained so it’s OK.

What are your tips for keeping your voice ship-shape? I’ve heard that you should avoid dairy and eat apples.
Exactly; apples are good for your voice, and dairy clogs up the throat. Also inhaling steam from boiling water is really good. And you have to warm up before you sing.

Loma-Ann Bonner

The Charming Vietnam Gala:  4th and 5th of March. Reception, 7pm.  Gala, 8pm. 
Westminster Central Hall, Storey's Gate, Westminster, London, SW1H 9NH. 020 7334 3922
Tickets are £100 for Golden Circle and £75 for Silver Circle,  VIP:  £125.
Email duyendangvietnam@newworldfashiongroup.com or call 0208 525 2501 or 07925 518 298.
www.charmingvietnamgala.com

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