Ben on Children in Need, Chitty and Company

Now based in London, he works extensively in theatre with recent MD credits including West End Misfits (The Other Palace, London), Sweet Charity (Playhouse Theatre, Hitchin), The World Goes Round (Camp Baco, Minerva, USA), Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (Imagine Theatre Ltd) and Lizzie and The Dark (Opera Schmopera).

He teaches singing for many of leading drama colleges and stage schools including Italia Conti Academy, Emil Dale Academy (EDA), PQA College, Momentum Performing Arts Academy and Bodens College of Performing Arts.

Ben is also no stranger to choral direction, having previously served as Musical Director for Military Wives Choir, York, Harmonize Contemporary Choir, also being invited as Guest Musical Director for Easingwold Singers, BBC York in Harmony and BBC Children In Need.

During lockdown, Ben is teaching via Zoom, and is Musical Supervisor and Composer for Feel It Like A Man - a online musical theatre project for Action To The Word Theatre Company (directed by Mike Cotterill). He is looking forward to taking up exciting new roles as Musical Director for Godspell (50th Anniversary Production, Off-West End) and BOND (Germany Tour) in early 2021.

Q. What is your favourite song/album and why?

A. Five Days That Changed The World by Bob Chilcott. It’s somewhere between a song and an album, I think, as a collection of five songs for SATB choir, children’s choir, piano and timpani with each song representing a human endeavour which changed the course of history forever. I had the pleasure of working on this piece during my term as Guest Musical Director for Easingwold Singers in the North of England and it was some of the best fun I’ve ever had with a choir! It’s a whirlwind of contrasting moments - some gripping, some funny, some profound and, musically, very exciting to hear and to sing. It’s fabulous, and I haven’t stopped listening to it since.

Q. What is your favourite film and why?

A. Airplane. I’ve got a very silly sense of humour and Airplane tickles me every time. It’s got the lot - Dad jokes, stupid puns, pointless melodrama... it’s hilarious.

Q. What is your favourite piece of classical music and why?

A. “A Short Ride In A Fast Machine” by John Adams. It’s taken from an orchestral work called Two Fanfares for Orchestra and it’s absolutely thrilling. It has you on the edge of your seat for the entire five minutes, heart racing. I’m especially fond of the performance given by BBC Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Marin Alsop) as part of the 2014 BBC Proms series. I wasn’t there, but so wish I could have been!

Q. Who is your favourite artist and why?

A. I know next to nothing about visual art at all, though I like art which makes a point and makes you think. I enjoy seeing the mischief Banksy comes out with! Musically, I never get tired of The Kings Singers. Their versatility, unfailing precision and good humour make them firm favorites of mine.

Q. What is your favourite play and why?

A. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is right up there. It’s hilarious! I’m a fan of Wilde anyway. I even wrote a children’s musical based on his short story The Selfish Giant which would have been staged next month by a youth theatre company in the states were it not for our friend Covid-19! The Importance of Being Earnest is truly hilarious, delightfully witty and deliciously ridiculous.

Q. What is your favourite musical and why?

A. It’s completely impossible to give just one - Company, West Side Story, Closer Than Ever and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are all favourites for different reasons. Company has to come out on top, I think. It’s such a stunning score and is one of the only shows I’ve ever seen to make me laugh and cry at different points. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a special place in my heart, though, because it was the first West End musical I ever saw at the ripe old age of six.

Q. What is your most special moment in the arts and why?

A. As a musical director my first love has always been theatre. I must say, however, that one of my most special moments in the arts so far is conducting the BBC Children in Need choir in October last year in Hintze Hall at The Natural History Museum in London. The choir was made up of junior choirs and stage schools from in and around London and the dynamic and energy I was able to achieve with them was electric. There was a great buzz in the room that night! I’ve been rebooked to conduct for them them again this year, so I’m hoping the current situation allows for another event like this sooner rather than later.

Q. What ‘classic’ just doesn’t do it for you?

A. I’m likely to be judged for this answer, but I’m not a fan of the musical RENT. I respect it as an enormous success in its day and it does serve as a cultural embodiment of the nineties, but I think it’s overrated, dated and frankly quite irritating, bar one or two great songs. Probably doesn’t help that I’ve been called upon to do “Seasons Of Love” with what feels like a million youth groups...

Q. What have you been reading/watching/listening to/revisiting during the coronavirus period?

A. During the lockdown period, I’ve been trying to catch up on classic literature that I feel I should really have read before now. To this end, after thoroughly enjoying George Orwell’s 1984, I’m now tackling Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and am enjoying it very much. Otherwise, I love listening to Radio 3 or Radio 4 Extra (for the comedy programmes mostly) and have enjoyed a few online streamed musicals.