Interview: Benjamin Purkiss Chats ZORRO THE MUSICAL at Charing Cross Theatre

Benjamin Purkiss first donned the Zorro mask in 2020 at the Hope Mill Theatre - but the run was cut short due to the pandemic. Now, the iconic story of good vs. evil is reimagined for a new production of at Charing Cross Theatre.

We managed to fit in a quick chat with the masked hero ahead of the show.

Now that Zorro has officially opened, how are you feeling about sharing this story with new audiences?

It's great to be open, after several weeks of rehearsals, putting on our second version of Zorro. We didn't get to press night last time, so it's super special to be here and able to share our show with a London audience. Our creative team are a dream come true and really let us play with ideas and try out new things. It feels like what we've created is unique and has come from us as a team, which is a beautiful thing for a company to have.

Do you have any funny behind-the-scenes stories to share?

So far, everything has run really smoothly (touch wood), but I have somehow managed to quick change into the wrong costume backstage for a scene and still managed to get out of that costume and into the right one for the start of a scene. Olè!

Zorro is an incredibly active show - from dancing to stage combat. How are you finding the fight scenes?

I love it so much. I find fighting so exciting, and there's not a second that goes by during these sequences that I'm not having a blast!

Renny Krupinski has come up with some absolutely incredible fight sequences. I've been blessed enough to work closely with him for several weeks at a time on the character of Zorro, how he fights and how he moves, which has been so useful for me. Just about getting used to how sweaty I am by the end of the show!

What do you enjoy the most about playing the role of Diego/Zorro?

The freedom that Diego has at the beginning of the show is incredible, and he has an interesting transition into Zorro, which is such a treat to play every night. This is an origin story of Zorro: he doesn't start out as the hero that everyone knows, he grows into it and makes mistakes and discoveries. It's a gift of a role, and I'm counting my lucky stars I get to do it.

Zorro: The Musical features songs from The Gipsy Kings. If you had to choose one song from the score to listen to on repeat, which would you choose?

If you want a Gipsy Kings classic, "Bambolèo" is definitely the one, but I think at the moment I'm loving "Djobi Djoba", especially because I get to watch it.

What should audiences expect when seeing this production?

I've had so many people tell me after the show that the show defied their expectations. So I guess expect to be surprised!

Zorro the Musical is running at Charing Cross Theatre until 28 May.

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