BWW Interviews: Legendary Performer Ben Vereen

In an industry as unpredictable as show business, it is truly a unique experience to meet one of the longtime greats - a performer who has done everything from Broadway to off-Broadway, film, television, children's specials and variety circuits, who been everywhere from London to Abu Dhabi and back over the course of a nearly 45 year career.  It is particularly exciting to be sitting next to this same someone, who I personally grew up watching on T.V. in shows and specials like the unforgettable "Roots," and who created some of the most famous roles in show business that have been copied thousands of times by professionals, amateurs and students alike, including 'Judas Iscariot' in Jesus Christ Superstar (Tony nomination), and 'Leading Player' in Pippin (Tony Award). This is a man who has made almost as much of a name for himself on stage as he has off, as an activist for diabetes awareness and arts in education, a motivational speaker, acting coach, mentor, and lecturer in black history (amongst other things) throughout the country.  

This week, BroadwayWorld met up with Ben Vereen, who, after 45 years in the public eye, has no plans of slowing down.  In fact, quite the opposite.  Vereen is currently starring as the legendary African American character actor Stepin Fetchit in Will Power's Fetch Clay, Make Man at the McCarter Theatre through February 14, which tells the story of the unlikely friendship between boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Fetchit.  Thereafter, Vereen will focus all of himself on the development of an autobiographical show, From Brooklyn to Broadway, about his life in the business and the times in which he grew up - a piece he eventually intends to play on Broadway. Vereen will perform musical excerpts from the show in a special benefit concert for the McCarter Theatre on Monday, February 1.

Ben Vereen is a man still on a journey - and a mission. Here, he talks about the genesis and progress of From Brooklyn to Broadway, shares his thoughts on why, after many offers from others, he finally agreed to work on a project about his old friend, Stepin Fetchit, and gushes on just how much he can't get enough of Broadway's Memphis.

What was is like working with Will Power? He has such an interesting style and has done some great work in New York.

It was wonderful. We're still working with him, we're still in development. What I admire about Will is that he took the time to examine someone's life. The reason why we're here is that I made a commitment to Stepin Fetchit and Will's was the closest piece I felt that began to at least talk about Stepin Fetchit the way that Fetch talked to me when we were hanging out. And so that's how I got involved. We're still working on this, we're still developing this, but he's got the right foundation, the right pieces in place, to make it work.

Had you been approached to play Stepin Fetchit before in other productions?

Well, for awhile I avoided them. Finally this one came along along, my manager sent it to me and I read it and it was close to what Step had told me about his relationship with Ali. So I was curious to see where they were going to go with this. So I came out last year for a reading. And then I did another reading and I met with him in LA, we had a talk, so...I'm here.

What was it about Fetch Clay, Make Man that ultimately won you over?

In the program I say that I dedicate myself to all those unsung heroes who were misunderstood and deserve a voice like Step. For all the heroes who've made it possible, having a voice is so important. They were in a time when the African Americans were just coming out of bondage and those performers had to do what they had to do in order for the others - other African Americans - to accomplish what they did accomplish. They had to buffoon, they had to razzle-dazzle the eyes of the public, the white public, so they couldn't see what was going on in the background: that universities were being built, that education was being forged, that industry was being forged, that African Americans were moving into the main sector of America. And these people who were the ones who made it possible, they took a lot of ridicule from other African Americans and a lot of being misunderstood, and Stepin Fetchit of course was one of those people. Mantan Moreland is another, even Bojangles in a way was also ridiculed. Louis Armstrong, people like that, Bessie Smith-so many didn't understand these people-Bert Williams, and George Walker, and Noble Sissle - who paved the way.

So few people know about Fetchit and Ali's friendship and it's such a bizarre and interesting story. Is the plan to bring the show to New York or elsewhere when it finishes its run here?

Of course. It's important. This is a great opportunity to, with Will, rattle these bones and give people like Step a voice. And it was so clever what Will found in the piece - because I knew Stepin Fetchit and I was with Stepin when he had his stroke, I was with him when Muhammad Ali came on stage. We went to McCormack Place - for his benefit when he had his stroke - and nobody showed up... nobody showed up. I was there and I saw Muhammad standing there behind his wheelchair with tears in his eyes. That was something. And to find a seed and to build a plant out of it, he must be commended for that.

The roles that you've played and types of things you've done have been so different - children's shows, variety shows, dramas etc. How do you select your roles?

Sometimes it's about what speaks to me, and sometimes you just want to have fun. I'm blessed to be in that position. I still audition because I love to audition, and it's part of the whole package. If something comes along and I have a chance to give it a voice, I'm compelled - I give it a voice.

Let's talk about your upcoming one-man concert performance on Monday night here at the McCarter, An Evening with Ben Vereen. You must feel worn out between the two!

No - you know, days off bug me. I wouldn't call myself a workaholic but I like to work, I love working with this cast, you know, they're all talented and challenging. They bring the heat every night. And that's wonderful for me as an actor because I don't have to pull it out of somebody, I hit the stage and they meet me at home. And we have this love affair in this production and I look forward to coming to the theater.  As for the concert - I'm writing a play called From B to B [From Brooklyn to Broadway], it's a play with music, pretty much my autobiography in the theater. On Monday I'm presenting the musical part of it, so the audience is just going to get a little taste of it we're gonna give eventually.

What is the show about?

I think it's a good concept, very good. One of the reasons I wanted to do this show was just to get my acting chops back. It's a very heavy acting piece, very heavy. It's my story, but at the same time, when it's finally done, it will also be the story of the time I grew up in, and the people and the events that shaped my life, the Vietnam War, the Reagan administration, the assassinations of the Kinds and the Kennedys, Malcolm X, all those things that touched our lives, that really helped shape my decision to be a performer. So it's kind of therapeutic for me and I hope it helps somebody in their life.

So this is a nice developmental forum for the piece.

Yes, it is a work in development. We're doing it as a benefit for the theater and we're looking for backers, of course, so we can take it to the next level. We've been writing it and it's coming along nicely. But I still want to get down to the deeper part of it, the drama part of it. There is no original music in there yet, but there will be, also.

Speaking of your autobiographical take on your life in the theater, at what point did you know that you wanted to be a performer?

I don't know. I guess I'm still finding that out. I never thought "I want to be a star, I want to be in the theater." I just wanted to work, that's all (laughs). I loved what I was doing and I wanted to make it last, to do what I love. And I'm still awed. I sat in a room with people like Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby and George Burns and Barbara Streisand and Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra and I'm in awe. They called me friend! Liza Minelli and Vincent Minelli, these people call me friend! I'm going, "Wow!" It's just great. I didn't set out for that. I set out to just do what I love and I've been blessed to do that and to serve people. The people are what's important. We're not - the people are. And we can't forget that. Because if they didn't like us, we wouldn't be employed.

Is the style of From Brooklyn to Broadway a one-man show? A variety act?

For now it's a one-man show type of thing, but it's going to be a bigger show. It's going to be cast.

I know you have toured with your concert internationally. Will this be the first time you premiere this particular concert piece of the show?

Not exactly. We've been working on it, we've been doing little bits and pieces here and there, as it's been developing.

Do you have Broadway aspirations for From Brooklyn to Broadway?

Eventually, yes, I'd like to take it to London and then Broadway but we'll see what time permits.

Are there any roles that you didn't take in your career that you wish you had taken in retrospect?

Yeah, you know I wanted to take the role in Xanadu and I didn't take it because I had obligations. And I wish I worked that in because I saw it and I went aaaagh! "Oh, I should've done that, I could've been that, I wish I could've done that..." But Tony Roberts is my friend and he did a wonderful job...but ugh...I wish I'd done that! Also when Bob Fosse came to me and asked me to do Big Deal and I turned him down because it was ensemble and I didn't want to be in an ensemble at that time. I don't know what I was thinking! I was out of my mind. It was his last show. That I have regrets about.

How about the role you are most proud of?

Everything I do, I'm proud of, because they're all like children to me. It's like asking which one of my children do I love. You love your children, all of your children. They live with me, I live with them, we journey together, they're all different. And it's wonderful.  

You've done a lot of film and television...

Not enough.

Do you have plans to do more?

Always.

Do you have a preference, stage or screen?

Yeah, I wish I'd done "Avatar," I love that movie (laughs)...see it in IMAX 3D. It's an amazing piece of work, I must say myself. I just love great work. Like - what did I just see - Memphis. Memphis is gooood, if Memphis doesn't win something (whistles) it's so good, I mean-I went to see a lot of shows when I was in the city and then I thought "I'm going to see this show Memphis" and I went in, got a ticket, went in to see the show and I was blown away. The performances, that storyline, that music...It's such a departure from tradition and it was so good - it was beautiful. Good people. Good piece.

What advice might you give to aspiring actors, directors, writers?

Please be integral and truthful to yourself. Be honest with your work. It's important that you do not forget the source from which you come, the place from which you come, that innate spiritual place. Get in touch with that and let that be your guide. And it will guide you all the way, because from that center is everything - that's the real of the real, that spiritual thing. And I'm not talking about religion, I'm not talking about any of that, I'm talking about the essence. You live inside that place of essence, call it spirit, call it God, call it Allah, call it Buddha, call it Jesus, whatever you call it, whatever it is, get in touch with that. Or don't call it anything, just allow it. Let it flow through you, just be honest and integral with that. Lie to me but don't lie to that. And that will guide your work, that will give you everything you need. If you're in that vortex of the essence of your work, it will call unto itself, its own kind, and it will build from there. I don't know if that makes sense. If you think about it, we work so hard, learning Shakespeare, learning O'Neill, learning stage direction, learning this and then we forget about the essence of it. The source. That fine breath, you know?

The inspiration.

Work for that, the inspiration. And be honest with that, be truthful to that, and that will guide you, take you all the way. You know, there's gonna be ups and downs and disappointments - yeah, but remember where your source is. And who you are in this, and always work on you. Work on developing you, work on developing that, never mind what's going on around you, never mind the disappointments and the fears because that's where your strength is, inside the fear. Some people go "I don't do that, I'm so afraid, they're not gonna like me."  Never mind them. What about the essence of you? Love that. Embrace that. Don't be afraid of that. You know, whenever I go on stage, I always look for the moment when my nerves get rattled you know? They get a little...(shivers).

Does that still happen you?!

Oh, every time. And I love it. I love it. If it doesn't happen I get worried. Because that's my fear showing up. But I let myself embrace it, just float through it, and just get carried away with the energy that has been set.

With television, film, stage shows, and now your own in development, is there anything that you feel you want to accomplish that's a bug inside you before you're done with entertainment? AnyoNe You must work with?

(pause) Everyone. (laughs) Everybody, the good and the bad. You learn from the good what to do, you learn from the bad what not to do. My ego is not so big that I can't say I'm open to working with anybody and everybody. If I limit myself to one thing, that's what I'll receive. But if I say I'm open to the universe, whatever Thy will is, I'm ready. And then the universe says "Are you really ready? Okay, here it comes." And then experiences, experiences, experiences. And I learn it and I grow and I grow. I can sit and talk and climb the ladder. It's beautiful - it's a beautiful journey. I've noticed that some people aim for something like it's a rest stop - some people just go to a rest stop and set up home there. No, it's a journey, baby! Don't go to the rest stop, keep going up the road. The greater essence, the greater essence you develop together. Just like we in this cast will, you know? With these people onstage it's like ‘boom,' let's go, you know?

What's next for you? How do you see your next few months shaping up?

I'm going to finish up this play and then after, ‘boom:' full concentration on my piece. That's the next place I'm going.

Well, thank you so much for your time-

Thank you.

and good luck...

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Ben Vereen's one man show, "An Evening With Ben Vereen," will dazzle the theater goers in a very special evening to benefit McCarter Theatre on Monday, February 1 at 8pm. Vereen brings his one man show to Princeton after an extensive tour including locations in the United States, Europe, and Abu Dhabi. "An Evening with Ben Vereen" is a musical excerpt from his autobiographical show, From Brooklyn to Broadway, that combines a tribute to Broadway, Frank Sinatra, and a very special tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. "An Evening With Ben Vereen" is a timeless journey through the Broadway songbook through song and dance, stories and humor. Tickets start at $50 and are available by calling the McCarter ticket office at (609) 258-2787; visit on-line at www.mccarter.org; or in person at 91 University Place, Princeton. Student tickets are $12.

Fetch Clay, Make Man, Directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys) runs through February 14 at McCarter Theatre.  In the days before one of the most controversial fights in boxing history, 23-year-old heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali formed an improbable bond with former Hollywood star Stepin Fetchit. Set in the heady times of the mid-1960s, Fetch Clay, Make Man explores the story of two wildly different men, each struggling to create and shape his image and legacy. Will Power's absorbing tale is a rhythmic, expressive, and innovative exploration of one of the missing pages in America's history book.  Vereen stars alongside John Earl Jelks, Sonequa Martin, Richard Masur, and Evan Parke (Ali). Tickets are available at the McCarter Theatre Ticket Office (91 University Place, Princeton)) by calling (609) 258-2787; toll-free 1-888-278-7932; or online at www.mccarter.org. 

Ben Vereen has left his mark on the Broadway stage, the concert and lecture circuit, and in film and television. On Broadway he has starred in Wicked, Fosse, I'm Not Rappaport, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Grind, and Jelly's Last Jam. For his role in Pippin, Vereen won the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical. His television credits include memorable roles that stand the test of time, such as the unforgettable Chicken George in Roots and Louis Armstrong in Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style. His own network special, Ben Vereen: His Roots, won seven Emmy Awards. His film credits include Sweet Charity, All That Jazz, Funny Lady (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall in Love, And Then Came Love, and the animated movie Once Upon a Forest.

Photos from top: Ben Vereen; Ben Vereen and Evan Parke, Credit: T. Charles Erickson; Ben Vereen; Ben Vereen and Evan Parke, Credit: T. Charles Erickson