The Ten Tenors are known throughout the world, with 21 albums under their belts over a 15-year period. The group made a stop at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center on their Ten Tenors on Broadway tour on Thursday, April 24.

The seats of Luhrs filled quickly as classic music filled the auditorium, all waiting to see this famous Australian group. WHAG 96.3’s meteorologist walked on stage to give the band a quick introduction, then revealing the band as he slid back and the curtain went up.

The first thing that was quickly noticed was the stage setup. The red stage had three lower sets of steps, which held all 10 members, in front and the two bigger tiers that held the piano and drum set on the lower of the two and the string players on the higher one, all set against a back dropped screen that changed with each song. And if this alone were not enough, under each step was a string of colored lights, only adding to the mood.

Although the group quickly took back the attention, dressed in black tuxedos and bowties, once they opened their mouths, singing out “New York, New York” from the musical “On the Town.” The Tenors introduced themselves, starting, what would turn out to be, a series of hilarious banter with the audience and between the group members themselves.

They went into the song “Cheek to Cheek” a cabaret-styled song, that had the Ten Tenors, spread out on stage, not moving much. This gave the feeling of being laid back hotel lounge.

They then moved on to “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” from “Guys and Dolls,” using chairs to help emphasize the “sit down” lyrics in the song. They also had a tribute to “The Sound of Music,” singing some popular songs such as “The Hills Are Alive” and “My Favorite Things.”

Between songs, the group explained why, although many of these musicals were older, they were still classics and still being played all around the world. They also were, from what many considered, “The Golden Age of Broadway,” giving even more reason for them to sing these iconic songs.

Still staying with the older, more classic musicals, they sang “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” from “Oklahoma” and “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from “Man of La Mancha,” silencing the crowd for the heartfelt song.

The group also encouraged the audience to sing along to the songs they knew, taking notice to several audience members who were even saying they could dance in the aisles if they felt compelled.

They then finished the first part of the show with a tribute to “West Side Story,” “Falling Slowly” from “Once” and “Somebody To Love,” which many members of the audience felt the urge to to sing along.

The Tenors came back from their short break with “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, also heard in the animated film “Madagascar” while dressed in gray tuxedos and bowties.

They explained that this part of the show would hold more contemporary pieces, since there were notable pieces in more recent Broadway shows. Although they joked they would never sing something by Beyoncé, making the audience laugh, when they pronounced Beyoncé incorrectly.

They moved into a tribute to “Jersey Boys” singing songs from the famous quartet that inspired the musical. They took off their bowties to emphasize the laid back nature of the orginal singing group and the musical itself. The songs included, “Sherry,” “Walk Like A Man” and “My Eyes Adore You.”

To accompany this music, the group also danced, only adding to the fun. They used the microphone stands as part of some of their dancing, which helped show the group’s synchronization.

They took on a somber tone, creating an emotional moment when they transitioned to “Bring Him Home” from “Les Misérables,” a musical better known known for its recent movie adaption.
Then it was on to “Seize the Day” from the new Broadway show “Newsies,” which the Tenors were surprised not many members of the audience had seen yet.

The show took another sobering turn as they sang “Here’s To The Heroes,” a song written just for the group. As they sang, the screen changed from pictures of nurses and doctors to firefighters and soldiers.

They explained that many of them had personal ties; one member in particular explained he had two family members who fought deadly fires in Australia, since their summer brush fires could blaze on for weeks.

The mood continued as they sang “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, made popular again in Dreamworks’ movie, “Shrek.”

They finished out with “Defying Gravity” from the hit musical “Wicked,” “Music of the Night” from “Phantom of the Opera” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. Although, they hinted at the fact they would come out once more for a final song, they finished with “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.” Though the show was over, they were not done.

They had a signing afterward, where fans could meet and chat with them. Cameron Barclay, the only member from New Zealand, had plenty to say to fans about the band and his experiences.
He explained why they chose to do a show all about Broadway.

He said since The Tenors are already a classical crossover, it just seemed like natural progression, as well as the fact that much of the public enjoys musicals.

He also explained that they chose their songs by slowly whittling them down over a few years. Since the original list was 140 songs, it was no wonder it took a few years to get several different songs into one show.

He also admitted that his favorite songs to perform are the ones from the “Jersey Boys” tribute because it involved dancing and singing. He added that his favorite song depended on what show he was doing that night.

From all of this, it was only to be expected that the group that has been around for 15 years gave a wonderful performance worth seeing again.

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