Interview: Ben Frankhauser Gives Us the Inside Scoop Behind the Development of New Musical THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS

Later this month, Houston's Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) will be kicking off their 2022/2023 season with a regional premiere of the new musical, THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS. Partnering with Universal Theatrical Group, the production company behind the hit Wicked, TUTS is truly gifting Houston with a Broadway-caliber show in its own backyard.

Based on the smash-hit Universal Pictures film starring Michael J. Fox, this production follows the story of Brantley Foster as he navigates the corporate world and defines what success means to him. I had the chance to speak with Ben Frankhauser, who plays Brantley Foster in TUTS' production, and it was wonderful gaining insight about how it has been developing a new work, how he has enjoyed Houston, and more!

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Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about the show you are helping bring to life with Theatre Under the Stars? What is a quick synopsis of THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS, and who are you playing?

THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS is a brand-new musical and premiere written by Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen, and it's got an incredible score by Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler. The musical is based off a movie from the 80s. However, I want to let your readers know that it's not a movie-to-stage replica. The writers have really infused this show with new life, and it feels very fresh. It's about a young guy named Brantley Foster, the character that I play, and he's a happy, go-lucky guy from St. Cloud, MN. He's moved to New York City to become a junior executive at Prescott Industries, which is an international conglomerate. When Bradley gets to New York, he is thrown into the temp pool, and he's denied the opportunity to advance in the company the way he thought he would. Then, Brantley accidentally hears that the company is going to be closing the factory in his hometown, so he jumps into action and takes drastic measures in order to stop them. Will he be able to save his hometown? You'll have to come to the show and find out!

That sounds super fun! I actually did not know that the show was based off of a movie. You mentioned that the creators have infused a new life into the original move storyline. When you say, "infuse new life into it", are you saying that the plot is slightly different than the source material? Have more characters been added?

Yes and yes! The plot is a little bit different, and there is a little bit more! It really plays more like a play, and what I mean by that is that there are scenes that keep recurring throughout. There's a little bit more of a framework around the story more so than in the movie, and there are some additional characters. For example, there is a romantic love interest storyline which exists in the movie, but in a bit of a different way, and there are just some different characters that help the show sing, for lack of a better word.

That is great! I appreciate the insight. Can you tell me a little bit about the rehearsal process? How long have you been rehearsing? How have the rehearsals been going, and what are you focusing on?

So, like I said, this is a premiere so most have not seen this show before, and it's our first time working through it. So, we've been working closely with the writers, coming up with new ideas. They've been sending us rewrites, and we've been implementing them. It's always exciting working on a new show because we really get to put our DNA into the piece. It's not an existing piece that's been on Broadway or anything like that, so we really are creating it right here in the room for Houston audiences. It's a really exciting thing to have a show premiere in your hometown because you get to be some of the first people to see it, and I think this show has a really bright future. I hope people come see us so that they can say they saw the show before it gets big!

That is really cool! Did you get to contribute any insight about your character as you're playing this lead role?

Yeah, many of us in the cast did, and our amazing director Dan Knechtges connect us. He is the artistic director at TUTS, and he has been instrumental to the process. He's so slick, and he's got musical comedy pouring out of his veins. He's been steering the ship in terms of storytelling, and so when things come up for my character, we are able to work through it together. For example, I was trying to wrap my mind around the opening number. I was wondering who my character was, how he got to New York, and how we could tell this story successfully in the opening number. With this in mind, the team and I had some collective questions on the opening number lyrics, and the writers, in just two days' time, sent us a brand new lyric for the whole song! Any other questions we have, we can bring them up to the writers, and they will work with us. Things like that are really exciting to watch since the show shifts and takes shape in front of our very eyes.

So, these edits to the script are they still occurring, or has the script now been solidified?

The script will probably keep changing even through our first few preview performances. Like I said, it's a premiere, so you have get it up in front of an audience to know what works. The audience is the last piece of the puzzle; the audience tells us a lot about what's working, what's clear, and what needs to be reworked. Therefore, the script will continue to be in flux.

I have recently moved to Houston, and I see that you have recently been in Houston before, specifically playing "Barry Mann" in BEAUTIFUL: THE Carole King MUSICAL at the Hobby Center. However, many of your credits are tours and performances across the U.S. What has brought you to Houston, and is there anything that you find unique about the Houston theatre scene or community?

I'll say that the Hobby Center, which is where TUTS is, is one of the most beautiful theaters in the country. It has this beautiful starlit ceiling with a shooting star across it every 15 minutes. It's breathtaking, and it's legendary because every show that has ever played here has a little wall tag backstage. So, you can go back in history and just see the years of theater that have existed in these four walls. It really is a special place. Not only that, but Houston is also such an alive town! I love being here especially during baseball season because the Houston pride is extremely strong, and it is really fun to get to be a part of the zeitgeist. Lastly, the food...nobody does food like they do in Houston! I mean the fusion, the barbeque, the Tex Mex...it's so exciting, and I'm a foodie myself. So, I'm having a ball!

You have some incredible credits, such as making your Broadway debut as the newsboy Davey in the 2012 Disney musical NEWSIES and playing Ernst in the first national tour of SPRING AWAKENING. Have any of your past roles and production experiences prepared you to premiere the role of Brantley Foster in Houston?

Yeah, you know, every show is different. So, in a way, they all have their unique challenges, but the fact that I've been able to work on some high profile productions has really given me the experience to be able to premiere a high profile musical like this. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS really is a Broadway scale musical. We have an incredible 12- or 13-piece orchestra, huge Broadway size sets, and incredibly engaging light designs. Our director Dan Knechtges is Tony-nominated for his work on Broadway, and the work is really at the highest level. I can say that from having experiences in other productions at the highest level, this is really up there with those. It's a really exciting production that Houston gets to host!

It is such a treat to have you guys in Houston! Do you happen to have any understanding of why it was brought to TUTS in Houston rather than anywhere else?

Well, I know that Dan, our director and the artistic director of TUTS, is very passionate about developing new works, and he has had his eye on this piece for a few years. When he found out that the story's rights were up and that it was being developed, he jumped on the opportunity to present it because I think he's curating a cool experience for his audiences, bringing in not only tours, classic musicals, and well-known musicals, but also ones that have never been seen before. I chalk this premiere up to Dan's connections and savviness!

I actually have a special connection to the show because I saw THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS when it had a short premiere in the Chicago area a couple years back. Were you a part of the process then?

No, I actually didn't learn about the show until a few months ago, when I got asked to do it. So, doing some research, I found some clips and some press releases of that production. However, I know that the pandemic played a part in sidelining its life. Our production really feels like a great second chance to give it its proper due!

Were you personally reached out to portray this role?

Yeah! I had an appointment through my agents to come in and read for the role of Brantley Foster, and I took a look at the script and learned some material from the show. I then came in, gave an audition, and was offered the role. I had some sort of relationships in passing with Gordon, one of the book writers, and a little bit with Dan, the director, so it was nice to get to collaborate on something and find a project that we could all work on together.

What were your first thoughts when reading the script? Did you find anything relatable about the character when you were auditioning for it?

Well, at first I thought, this is a really fun musical comedy! The show is very funny, and there are lot of hijinks in the show. This young man is trying to climb the corporate ladder, and he's getting side railed at every turn! However, the show has a deeper meaning about the sort of ways that we measure success in our life. It really got me thinking about how I measure success. We oftentimes assign career goals, relationship goals, or a sense of contentment to success. It's like, if I get this next thing, I'll finally be happy. Although this show on the surface is so fun, energetic, and a jolt of joy, the deeper meaning affirms that we should really think about how we define success in our lives. To me personally, I connect with it because to me, success is being attuned with myself and my surroundings, loving the people around me, and staying present with myself in addition to doing what I do for a living, which is entertaining people and bringing light into peoples' lives. So, the show has really got me thinking about how I measure success, and I think audiences will not only have the opportunity to come to the show, laugh, hang up their troubles, and connect for 2 1/2 hours, but they'll also get a little taste of the idea of measuring success in their own lives.

That is beautifully well-said. Do you happen to know the goals of the production moving forward? Is there any goal to bring this across the country or to Broadway?

Yes, I think the goals that the creative team have in mind for this show are of the highest caliber. As an actor in it, I'm not necessarily privy to those conversations, so I wish I could give you a more specific answer. However, I know that the writers have been working on this show for years, and I'm sure that the show will see a further life across the country, perhaps in New York on Broadway. Other than that, we will take it one step at a time and see what Houston teaches us about the show. From that, we'll be able to take the next steps to give the show the fullest life that it can have.

To finish us off here, do you have any last thoughts? Also, can you tell our readers when the show is occurring and how they can get tickets?

I do want to say that this show is a very high-energy! The dancers are incredible, the musical numbers are Broadway-level production, and the score is full of catchy bops. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS is so much fun, but it also has a really deep heart at the core. You do not want to miss it!

You can get tickets at tuts.com, and the show is running October 25th- November 6th. It is at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts right in downtown Houston. I do know that it's a hot ticket item. It's a brand-new show, and people are really excited to be the first audiences there, so get your tickets while you can!

As Ben Frankhauser said, buy your tickets NOW for THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS premiering at Theatre Under the Stars here!

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