After 10 years and selling 26 million recordings, Il Divo has their act down pat.
The operatic pop group made up of French pop star Sebastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, American tenor David Miller and Swiss tenor Urs Buhler starts a song big, ends it huge and, in between numbers, flirts with women in the audience.
That was the drill at Thursday’s opening of “Il Divo, A Musical Affair: The Greatest Songs of Broadway Live” at the Marquis Theatre.
The six-concert run coincides with the release of Il Divo’s new album of showtunes. Call it synergy.
And call it a shame that the group discovered a decade ago by music impresario Simon Cowell — one of his artistic babies — often came off disconnected to what they were singing in their Broadway debut. It made for several murky versions of iconic theater songs.
Garish projections during the show’s two hours — and three costume changes — didn’t do much to help.
What they lacked in feeling and interpretative power they made up for in volume on classics like “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Impossible Dream,” “Bring Him Home” and the ever-rousing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which they performed as an encore.
Guest star and “Aida” Tony winner Heather Headley joined the group on “Memory” and “Music of the Night.” She went it alone on “Run to You,” from the Broadway-bound musical “The Bodyguard,” and “Home,” the evening’s high point.
The night’s oddest point was Il Divo covering “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.” It was just tone deaf to have Evita’s passionate solo chopped up like a slab of Buenos Aires beef and performed by four men.
Die-hard Il Divo fans probably won’t mind. But musical theater lovers might shed a tear.
jdziemianowicz@nydailynews.com
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