Seth MacFarlane is one incredibly talented gentleman. The writer, best known for his hit animated sitcom "Family Guy," commanded the stage at last night's BBC Proms. The evening, which celebrated Broadway's best show tunes, was arranged by the John Wilson Orchestra and featured Seth MacFarlane, Anna-Jane Casey, Rodney Earl Clarke, Elizabeth Llewellyn, Sierra Boggess and Julian Ovenden.
MacFarlane, who belted tunes like “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man and sang a duet with Anna-Jane Casey on “Sue Me” from Guys and Dolls, is obviously no stranger to show tunes. In 2011, MacFarlane released his debut album, “Music Is Better Than Words,” an American songbook album that received two nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards. And in 2009, he appeared in the BBC's Prom 22 with the John Wilson Orchestra in “A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals.”
Broadcaster Stephen Fry described last night's event as "blissitude," on his Twitter account. However, not everyone was as impressed with MacFarlane's performance. The Guardian's Michael Billington called MacFarlane a "big disappointment," who "proved to be a blank baritone of the kind you associate with luxury hotel lounges."
Despite mixed reactions to MacFarlane's performance at Monday night's Proms, MacFarlane will likely not stop singing anytime soon. "One of the things we try to do on Family Guy is to liven it up a little bit, not be afraid to let people hear the music. In a lot of cases in film, producers and directors are scared of music -- afraid that it's intrusive and distracting; they don't know what to do with it," he told the Guardian.
Take a look through the Twitter slideshow below to see various reactions from the event and be sure to check out the video of MacFarlane's duet with Anna-Jane Casey above.