allan clayton – opera star and bearded sensation

Anybody sophisticated enough to know their Joyce DiDonatos from their Placido Domingos will know that Allan Clayton is making tsumani-sized ripples in the world of opera right now. Everybody else had better get onto You Tube and get with the program. With a star which continues to rise by the day, Allan is among the most talented and sought-after tenors of his generation.

Appearing regularly in the most famous opera houses and festivals in the world, and accompanied by the most accomplished and renowned orchestras, Allan is an extremely busy man and we were lucky to steal a moment of his time in between tours to discuss the real passion in his life: his beard.

Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk facial hair with us. Where are you now and what is your schedule for the immediate future?

I’m at home in London at the moment, which is a pretty rare occurrence! I’ve just finished a show at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and it’s been great to be surrounded by my own stuff after seven months of touring abroad. Next week, I’m taking part in Nico Muhly’s festival at the Barbican (A Scream And An Outrage!) and then singing with the Philharmonia in a newly discovered Shostakovich opera about an orang-utan. Obviously.

How has your beard affected your professional career as opera’s most exciting young tenor?

Well, most tenors tend to be slightly more clean-cut, so it’s certainly a distinguishing feature! I think the biggest change since I’ve had a beard is that critics now seem to spend as much time describing it as the rest of my performance. Recent favourites include, “Clayton’s eccentric Robinson Crusoe-like appearance was bemusing,” and, “the tenor Allan Clayton restlessly drifting round the hall like a bearded Lady Macbeth.” I’m so proud that the latter was printed in The Times.

Would you take a role that involved shaving off your beard?

I have to all the time, unfortunately. Last year I was singing Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in New York, and the plot involves the two male characters disguising themselves with dodgy moustaches, so I had to be completely clean-shaven. I tried convincing the director that he should be bold and eschew the traditional staging in favour of a more ‘bearded’ approach, but he didn’t buy it.

Do you have a particular grooming regime and, if you do, can you give us some tips on favourite products, how often you trim….?

I’ve been hooked on Frank’s Beard Elixir by Mr Natty since I got some for my birthday – it’s a fantastic blend of oils that moisturises and conditions the beard. It smells good too… I also use Foad’s Moustache Wax when it’s a curled moustache kinda day. As far as trimming goes, I was told by a retired submarine captain (who himself has a fine, white, duck-tail beard) that if you have to trim/remove your beard, you should do it little by little over a week, or the shock can kill… I took my beard off in half an hour after six months of unchecked growth last year and realised I have no chin.

What are your views on the return of the traditional barber salons? Do you have a favourite haunt you could share with us?

Because I have to have my hair cut differently for each opera, I tend to leave it to the lovely in-house hairdressers rather than going regularly to a barber, but I have had a wonderful couple of visits to Murdock’s (downstairs in Liberty’s of London).

Who are your greatest influences – both professionally and personally – and are any of them bearded?

My dad is a huge influence on me and was a true gent in every regard: he was an RAF officer and sported an excellent moustache. Had he been alive to see my beard, I think he’d’ve been very proud. Professionally, it’s difficult for any tenor to ignore the incredible impact that Luciano Pavarotti had on our profession. A glorious voice matched by a glorious beard.

In your view, who in the public eye has the best facial hair?

The Swedish footballer Olof Mellberg usually sports an impressive, and well-groomed beard, and as a young cricket fan in the 1980s, I always admired the twin moustache threat of David Boon and Merv Hughes. My friend, the writer and historian Huw Lewis-Jones, can always be relied on for excellent facial hair

What was your plan B, career-wise

I don’t even have a plan A…

What do you think of the following views of bearded vs. clean-shaven men

a)    38% less generous
b)    36% less caring
c)    51% less cheerful

Bearded men are less caring and generous?! Absolutely not! But I’m definitely more whingey than my clean-shaven friends (and indeed everyone, ever).

Do you think you are taken more seriously with a beard?

I was saying just last night that since I have had a beard, I am addressed as ‘sir’ far more often. Anyone who knows me, though, finds it virtually impossible to treat me with anything but disdain.

A beard isn’t something I choose to wear out a couple of days a week – it’s a lifestyle choice!

Facial hair seems to be the must-have accessory of the moment – what are your views on beards as a fashion accessory?

I think it’s far more of an investment than the word ‘accessory’ suggests. A beard isn’t something I choose to wear out a couple of days a week – it’s a lifestyle choice! Maybe someone needs to print stickers saying “A beard isn’t just for Christmas”. When I was at university, it was only seen as a novelty thing for rugby tour, but now it’s back. Let’s hope it’s for good.

What have your fans got to look forward to from you this year?

After the two concerts in London, I’m off to Canada for a few weeks on tour to sing in Handel’s Theodora (I play a bearded Roman soldier). After that, it’s a busy summer of opera in Vienna, Munich and at the BBC Proms, followed by a tour of Palestine to promote the wonderful work that the Choir of London does for young musicians in the region. I’ve also got three new CDs coming out, then a new production with Fiona Shaw at Glyndebourne, more opera in Paris, Benjamin Britten centenary celebrations at Aldeburgh, and the Messiah with the New York Philharmonic at Christmas. Then a pint and a lie down.

From 14th June Allan will be performing Benjamin’s ‘Written on Skin’ at the Theater an der Wien, Austria. For Allan’s 2013 schedule visit http://www.allanclayton.com/engagements/