Roger Allam, the man behind Javert in Les Misérables, recalls his experience of singing badly for The Choral. He describes attempting to sing in the film as "terribly difficult" due to having a baritone voice and not singing for 15 years. This led him to be relieved that it had to be bad.
The Alan Bennett-scripted film is set in a Yorkshire factory town on the cusp of huge societal change, hollowed out by grief as its young men die in foreign fields. Allam plays the gentle local mill owner who funds the choral society and finds a way to assuage his own grief. The piece features Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, which initially intimidated him but proved exciting to sing.
Allam reflects on his experience playing Javert in Les Misérables, attributing its huge success to making people feel good about their moral character and stirring emotions through spectacular melodrama. He also mentions his roles in Game of Thrones, where he played a suave but beleaguered Tory MP, and Radio 4's Cabin Pressure.
Allam expresses discomfort being simply himself on television or participating in panel shows, preferring to focus on his craft as an actor. He feels most kinship with the character DI Fred Thursday in Endeavour, who is from his own working-class background.
The Choral taps into Allam's interest in exploring past lives of everyday people and creating beauty amidst hardship. He even contemplates joining a choir or taking singing lessons to discover if his voice still exists.
The Alan Bennett-scripted film is set in a Yorkshire factory town on the cusp of huge societal change, hollowed out by grief as its young men die in foreign fields. Allam plays the gentle local mill owner who funds the choral society and finds a way to assuage his own grief. The piece features Elgar's oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, which initially intimidated him but proved exciting to sing.
Allam reflects on his experience playing Javert in Les Misérables, attributing its huge success to making people feel good about their moral character and stirring emotions through spectacular melodrama. He also mentions his roles in Game of Thrones, where he played a suave but beleaguered Tory MP, and Radio 4's Cabin Pressure.
Allam expresses discomfort being simply himself on television or participating in panel shows, preferring to focus on his craft as an actor. He feels most kinship with the character DI Fred Thursday in Endeavour, who is from his own working-class background.
The Choral taps into Allam's interest in exploring past lives of everyday people and creating beauty amidst hardship. He even contemplates joining a choir or taking singing lessons to discover if his voice still exists.
I'm like "yaaas, Roger Allam is my ultimate hero!" 
I mean, the guy's been in so many iconic roles - from Javert in Les Mis to suave Tory MP in Game of Thrones 
... and he's still down-to-earth about it all. I love how he says he'd rather focus on his craft than just being himself on TV 
. I'm intrigued by this new film, The Choral - the fact that it explores everyday people's lives and creates beauty amidst hardship really resonates with me 
. And can we talk about Roger Allam's voice? 
A baritone voice can be tough to work with, but he's like "oh well, I'll just sing badly" 
... kind of like how I am when I'm trying to cook dinner and everything ends up burnt 
. Anyway, I'm definitely looking into this film and maybe even checking out some choirs or singing lessons 
. I mean, who hasn't had those moments where you're worried about sounding terrible? But it's cool that he was relieved it could be really bad - at least that way he knew his voice wouldn't be the focal point 
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. It's like, we all have our own struggles and imperfections, right? And for someone who plays such iconic characters, it's actually refreshing to see him be so honest about it. Plus, his experiences playing Javert, Game of Thrones, and other roles are pretty interesting... I feel like he has a great perspective on how to tap into the emotions of a character without being too over-the-top 
. And who knows, maybe he'll even join a choir or take singing lessons - that'd be awesome! 
maybe he'll even join a choir & bring some much-needed calm 2 the screen 
Fingers crossed he doesn't sound too awful...
. I wish he'd focus on TV shows instead of panel shows though, you know, just be himself 
, gotta respect the struggle. And can you imagine having to perform Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with a baritone voice? That's like trying to play a soprano part in La Bohème 
. Roger Allam seems like such a humble guy, I'm impressed by how he owns up to not being the best singer in The Choral 
but yeah I can see why Allam might be uncomfortable playing himself on TV, that sounds super awkward fam 
, but it's amazing how much emotion he got from singing Elgar's Dream of Gerontius 
. Maybe taking singing lessons or joining a choir could be the next step for him, who knows? 