BWW Exclusive: Ben Fankhauser on His BEAUTIFUL Life & the Latest NEWSIES News

By Wayman Wong

For Ben Fankhauser, life is "Beautiful." He's about to celebrate his one-year anniversary touring in that Broadway bio musical about Carole King. It showcases Abby Mueller, the sister of its original Tony-winning star, Jessie Mueller. In "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical," Fankhauser plays Barry Mann, who teamed up with Cynthia Weil to co-write top pop hits like "On Broadway" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."

His comic delivery and powerful pipes have earned him rave reviews from Boston and Buffalo to San Francisco, where he's now playing through Sept. 18 at the Orpheum. Most notably, he's gotten the highest praise from the very Mann he portrays, Barry Mann: ''I just love the way Ben played me, and he was terrific. Ben [also] probably looks the most like me than all the other guys who played me."

Fankhauser is best-known as Davey from Disney's "Newsies." He made his Broadway debut "carrying the banner," alongside Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay and Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Though the show closed in 2014, Disney recently announced that it'll film the stage version once and for all, with a mix of original and touring cast members. And happily, Jordan, Fankhauser, Lindsay and Keenan-Bolger will return to headline it. It'll be taped Sept. 11 before an invited audience in Los Angeles, and the movie will come out in early 2017.

We chatted with Fankhauser about "Newsies" and the busy, multi-city tour of "Beautiful" that has kept this "poor guy's head spinning."

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Congrats on "Beautiful," but I gotta ask about the ''Newsies'' movie first. What was your reaction to the news?

Excited. There's a part of me that wanted to capture [''Newsies''] forever. I immediately thought of how I was gonna do the show again [which closed Aug. 24, 2014 on Broadway]. I started going through some sequences and realized it was fresh as ever, and I hadn't forgotten anything. It's gonna be great. [Jeremy, Kara, Andrew and I] have all been texting each other about it.

But you're in San Francisco doing ''Beautiful,'' which plays through Sept. 18. How will you juggle the taping?

"Beautiful" will let me off for two weeks for ''Newsies'' rehearsals. I'll be gone from Aug. 30 and return to "Beautiful" on Sept. 13. Not long ago, I got a call from Disney asking about my availability, and the producers of ''Beautiful'' were really great. They didn't miss a beat. They knew my history with ''Newsies'' and why it was important to me. It might be important for the "Beautiful" family, too.

Because if you get more fans from the "Newsies" movie, they might want to see you in the tour of "Beautiful," too.

Exactly!

Did you ever consider doing the national tour of "Newsies"?

Not really. They once asked me about being a replacement after the tour went out, but I already had gotten "Beautiful." But if I didn't have "Beautiful," I don't think I would've done the "Newsies" tour. When the show wrapped up [after 1,004 performances] on Broadway, I closed it as a chapter in my life. But somehow to shoot the live movie felt like an appropriate way to reopen it. It's really special that my Broadway debut will be captured on film. I feel overwhelmed about it all, and it'll be an incredible experience.

Have any of you joked about being possibly the world's oldest newsboys? You're 27 and Jeremy and Andrew are 31.

Ha-ha-ha! We haven't joked about that yet, but it's definitely going to feel surreal to don the newsboy cap once again. I think we're all really thrilled that we get to do ''Newsies'' one last time.

So tell me about ''Beautiful.'' What's it been like touring with it?

A blast. We started last September in Providence, R.I., and we're finishing up our first year in San Francisco, where the show first premiered [in 2013], so it's a return engagement. I can't think of a better place to spend six weeks. I look around at the [Victorian] houses, and they've got such character. I love the hills, I like the vibe on the West Coast, and the weather is pretty mild.

How would you describe your character of Barry Mann?

Barry's a really soulful artist. And his songwriting partner and personal partner, Cynthia Weil, are best friends and competitors with Carole King and Gerry Goffin [who is played by Liam Tobin]. Barry's passionate. He goes after Cynthia and falls in love with her with all his heart. And he does the same thing with his music. He goes full throttle, and I can relate to that. As an actor, you have to have this unending passion and fire to keep going, even when you don't get the job. Barry's also the comic relief in "Beautiful,'' and he's a big hypochondriac, but that's not what defines him. When I was building his character in rehearsals, Woody Allen was a big inspiration. I needed a way in to play a hypochondriac because in the wrong way, Barry could come off negative. But Woody helped me understand the humanity of someone who was searching for answers, that his hypochondria was a byproduct of his intense scrutiny of the world.

How was it meeting the legendary Carole King?

Carole's just like she is in the show: the most humble, sweetest, kindest, unassuming artist you could ever know. I met her once before I was in "Beautiful." I was singing in a benefit concert that she was also headlining. I told her that I was gonna be playing Barry in the national tour, and she said: 'Omigod, you're gonna have to hear my songs every night!' Carole then came to see us in Boston and gave us the best compliment: She said she was watching her life up there. And that speaks volumes to the work we try to do.

Did you see "Beautiful" on Broadway, starring Jessie Mueller?

I sure did. I saw it in previews and loved it. And then I saw it again and told my agents that if "Beautiful" was doing a tour, I should probably be in it. I knew the show was perfect for me because of the sensibility of the characters. They're artists. They're songwriters. I connect really well with that. So when I got the script and audition packet, I went to town on them and had a blast.

How's it touring with Abby Mueller, Jessie's sister?

Those two sisters are incredible. Abby is brilliant. She is so raw and deeply emotional. She so fully and completely embodies Carole's journey. And her powerhouse voice is outrageous. Abby also gives Carole an arc, vocally. When you first meet her at age 16 in Brooklyn, she's got no chops. By the time she sings "A Natural Woman" [in Act II], she'll blow you away.

What can you tell us about Becky Gulsvig, who plays Cynthia?

We have really good chemistry. Becky brings this grounded confidence and maturity, and I bring this playful, frantic and focused energy. We balance each other out. Becky's got a powerhouse voice, too. I love doing duets with her [like "He's Sure the Boy I Love" and "Walking in the Rain"]. Plus, Barry and Cynthia's love story is fun to follow.

How did it feel when Barry and Cynthia actually came to see you?

Awesome. We'd been waiting for them all year, and they came in L.A. They were so sweet. We gave 'em a great show, and they were so happy. They're watching a superhero version of themselves onstage. There's nothing better than that. We also got to hang with them at a press event [for "Beautiful"] and hear their stories, and that was such a trip.

What's your favorite Carole King tune? And Weil and Mann?

This week, it's "It's Too Late." The lyric is so strong and poignant. It's got a great groove. It really hits home for me. And my favorite Weil and Mann song isn't in "Beautiful." It's "Somewhere Out There" [from "An American Tail"], which got them an Oscar nomination [and two Grammys]. But my favorite Weil and Mann song to sing in the show is "We Gotta Get Out of This Place."

"Beautiful" isn't your first national tour. In 2009, you did "Spring Awakening," and you've said, "We had our fair share of showmances. When you do a show about sex and hormones, it's destined to happen." Well, "Beautiful" is about two couples who combine showbiz and romance, so how would this tour compare in the showmance department?

That's a good question. The "Spring Awakening" tour was such a young group of kids. We had ages 17 through maybe 26. It was a lot of people's very, very first experience. It was a big party out there. And it was a lotta fun. Most of the cast in "Beautiful" are older and more seasoned; they're married or have significant others. There aren't as many showmances, but we still have a lotta fun.

You played Ernst to Andy Mientus' Hanschen, as the two gay teens in "Spring Awakening." And on Andy's Twitter account, he was asked: "What's it like to kiss Ben Fankhauser?'' Andy wrote: ''Not as fun as you'd think because we'd just done 'Totally Fucked' and were panting and sweating and gross.'' So in the interest of equal time, ''What's it like to kiss Andy Mientus?''

Oh my god. I remember my first audition with Andy. Andy went for it in such a way that was perfect for the characters because I was so surprised. And that's what the scene is about: a boy getting kissed by another boy and not knowing what to do. Andy's an amazing actor, and he was a lotta fun to do that role with. Andy brought so much every day, and he's a passionate kisser.

To bring things full-circle, you grew up loving the 1992 movie of "Newsies." You even played Crutchie in an illegal kids' version when you were 10 years old in Cleveland. Could you have ever guessed that "Newsies" would be such a big part of your career?

It's so outrageous. It blows my mind. I did "Newsies" at summer camp, and now I'm doing the live taping of the iconic Broadway smash hit. It feels like it was meant to be. I can't believe it. Somehow, all these pieces fell into place. I graduated from [Ithaca College], and the ["Newsies"] audition came when I needed it most. From there [to Broadway]. It's been really cool!