Alfie Boe says Michael Ball 'doesn't allow whistling backstage' due to superstition
Alfie Boe has revealed Michael Ball's strange theatre superstition and the 'ridiculous' thing people have to do if his backstage rule is broken.
The pair recently released their sixth album together, titled Together At Home and are due to begin their 2025 tour later this month across 12 major UK arenas.
Appearing on Saturday Kitchen Live today (March 1), Alfie told host Matt Tebbutt along with chefs Bryn Williams and Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed that Michael 'doesn't allow whistling backstage'.
Heaven for Alfie! Click here to find Matt's recipe for this herb and ricotta ravioli and nutmeg buttered leeks: https://t.co/8AnFRmTn8r pic.twitter.com/5X0wluff5E
— SaturdayKitchen (@SaturdayKitchen) March 1, 2025
Alfie shared: 'Back in the day, stage crew used to be sailors. When sailors weren't at sea, they'd come to work in theatres because they knew how to rig scenery, like they'd rig the masks and things, so they knew how to do that.
'The way they communicated on board ships was by whistling to each other so they did that in theatres.
'So if you whistle backstage, the superstition is a piece of scenery will come flying in.'
When Alfie was asked what Michael "makes him do" if he's caught whistling, he responded: 'Oh my goodness he does this ridiculous thing, he says you have go out of the room, turn around three times, swear, spit, knock on the door and asked to be let back in.'
He joked: 'I've done it so many times.'
Alfie continued: 'The problem is, I'm at home in my apartment and I'm walking around the house and I'm just about to whistle and I'm like 'I can't whistle'.'
Elsewhere on the BBC cooking programme, Alfie admitted he doesn't have any pre-show rituals but Michael does (and it includes a very sweet gesture).
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He explained: 'We do this hand slap. We do this clap high five thing before we go on and then he's at one side of the stage and I'm at the other and we have our earpieces in.
'And we always whisper to each other just before we walk out on stage, we always whisper 'love you, love you too'.'
Alfie Boe and Michael Ball's Together At Home UK tour beings on March 29 at Cardiff's Utilita Arena.
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