Interview: Ben Davis of North Carolina Theatre's 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL

From October 12th-17th, North Carolina Theatre will be presenting a production of 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, which is located inside Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The show features a book penned by Patricia Resnick, who was one of the screenwriters behind the original movie, and an original score written by Dolly Parton. North Carolina Theatre's production stars Sara Jean Ford as Judy Bernly (the Jane Fonda role), Lauren Kennedy, the Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Raleigh, as Violet Newstead (the Lily Tomlin role), and Ryah Nixon as Doralee Rhodes (the Dolly Parton role). Not to mention that Raleigh's own Ira David Wood (iii), the Artistic and Executive Director of Theatre in the Park, will be making a special appearance in the show as the Chairman of the Board. I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing actor Ben Davis, who will be taking on the role of Franklin Hart. Ben has previously appeared on Broadway in LES MISÉRABLES, LA BOHÈME (which earned him along with his fellow cast members a special Tony Award in 2003), THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, VIOLET, and DEAR EVAN HANSEN.

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To start things off, how are rehearsals going?
BD: Great! This is a relatively quick process which forces everybody to come together with a very singular purpose and be very focused on it. It's a really great group.

How has it been working with your fellow cast members?
BD: So much fun. I know a couple of them. Most of them, I do not know. I know Eric Woodall (the director), although I've mainly known him as a casting director in New York. So it's been fun to get to know everybody and see Eric step so capably into this role that he's in here and to meet new people.

The last time you were in the Triangle area was back in December 2015 when you were playing Captain Von Trapp in the national tour of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at the Durham Performing Arts Center. What's it like being back here this time around?
BD: It's quick. I don't have as much time to explore as I usually like to do because I have rehearsals all this time. So hopefully the last week during the show, I'll get to be out and explore and find some good food. Although I found some good food already, which is nice.

As the whole world is slowly coming out of this pandemic, what does it mean to you to be performing for an in-person audience?
BD: It means I gain part of myself back to be honest. That's been the hardest part over this year and a half is to recognize how much performing is part of my identity. That's a good thing in a bad thing. I think the good thing from the whole pandemic is that we were forced to kind of explore the parts of ourselves and to make sure that we were full and complete individuals. To have this part of me back just makes me feel a little more normal again, and that's been missing.

For audiences who are mainly familiar with the original movie of 9 TO 5, what can they expect from this stage musical adaptation?
BD: It hews very closely to it. Everything that you want to see from the movie is going to be in the musical, but it adds some really fun music. Characterizations are heightened a little bit, which is a lot of fun. It's been a lot of fun for me to play. There's always an energy to live performance. That's incredibly different from watching it in a movie theater. So I think that's going to be the biggest thing for audiences. They're part of the show.

Not to mention that in addition to the title song from the film, the musical also has a whole score written by Dolly Parton herself.
BD: Absolutely. I had read before that Dolly said that her favorite stuff to write were the songs for my character. I think she really kind of was able to let loose with this guy. So it's fun to have.

Would you mind telling us about your character, Franklin Hart?
BD: I like to say he is incredibly misunderstood, but he's not. He's just kind of a misogynistic bully. He exists in that pre-Me Too era where he just kind of runs rampant over these women and is finally put in his place by them, which is gratifying.

This is probably the second time I can think of where you're taking on a role that on Broadway was originated by Marc Kudisch. The first being Trevor Grayden in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.
BD: Absolutely. That was a great experience. It was also scary as hell because I was young and it was my first really comedic role. I was coming in to replace this titan of comedic musical theater. They were big shoes to fill and he's just a genius with what he creates in these kinds of characters. So he's definitely been a mentor and a role model for me as far as that goes.

Going back to the beginning, how did you first get started in the theatre?
BD: I would sing in the back of the bus in middle school and high school to try to get girls. It never worked. I think I just annoyed them. I was a jock all through high school. Though in my sophomore year, I quit basketball, which in the state of Indiana is a no-no. I had a little bit of an attitude problem. So in my junior year, my mom got me to audition for the school musical. I was the most non-dancing Riff in West Side Story history. So that was kind of the start of things. I think at that age especially, when you find something that people are telling you you're good at, and it makes you feel confident, you just tend to gravitate towards it.

For those who'd like to have a career in the theatre, where do you think would be a good place to start?
BD: Your natural curiosity about life and the human condition. That sounds like a very large thing to say, but I think that having a natural curiosity will carry you far in this career and in life in general. I think you need to make sure your skills are honed and you have all your talent that you have that's been practiced and grown upon. Though you also need to be an interesting individual who should not only bring that on stage, but also in meetings with people. You should be able to just converse with people on an everyday basis because it's relationships that will help you maintain a long term.

Before we go, do you have any other upcoming projects that you'd like to share with us?BD: I'm going to be doing Annie Live! on NBC. That's a dream job because I'll actually be covering Harry Connick Jr., who's playing Daddy Warbucks. Harry has been an idol of mine for years. I just think he's one of the most talented musicians and performers out there. So I'm so excited to be in a room with him. It's going to be fun.

Ben, I thank you very much for devoting your time to this interview. It was great getting to talk to you.
BD: Thank you so much! It was a pleasure. I really appreciate it

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Be sure to catch North Carolina Theatre's production of 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL. It will be playing at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium from October 12th-17th. For more information, please visit:
https://nctheatre.com/shows/9-5

Follow Ben Davis at www.benjaminjaydavis.com and on Twitter:
@bjdavis

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