Ex-grammar school student brings Opera Boys farewell tour home to Lancaster
A Lancaster Royal Grammar School alumnus returned home last week as The Opera Boys brought their farewell tour to the city.
The Opera Boys, the classical-crossover group created by Rob Cherry, brought their tour to the Grand Theatre on September 17, combining opera, humour, musical theatre and modern day classics.
Founded by Rob in 2012, The Opera Boys have grown into a successful four-piece act featuring performers with backgrounds in the West End and on Broadway.
Over the years, the group has performed to audiences across the UK and internationally.
For Rob, who attended Lancaster Royal Grammar School and trained in musical theatre, the Lancaster performance was a particularly fitting stop on the group's farewell tour.
He began performing at the age of 16 and has since worked nationally and internationally before establishing The Opera Boys more than a decade ago.
The group has also developed a close relationship with Stagecoach Performing Arts Kendal & Lancaster, who have performed alongside The Opera Boys at the Lancaster Grand every year.
That tradition continued during the farewell tour, with young performers from Stagecoach once again joining the professional performers on stage.
Rob said the partnership was particularly important because of his own experiences growing up as a performer.
“We all started performing as children and so try and give opportunities to young performers to be involved in professional shows,” he said.
Joining The Opera Boys on tour is Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts, who shot to fame in 2007 when he won the first series of the ITV talent show after his now-famous audition performance of Nessun Dorma.
The Lancaster date marked the beginning of a packed final tour for The Opera Boys, with 31 shows still to come across England and Wales, before the tour concludes on November 1.