For the latest instalment in Musical Theatre Review’s Five Questions With… series, the spotlight falls on director, musical director, actor, cabaret performer and Ugly Sister BEN STOCK.
Ben has appeared in musicals and plays in the West End, on tour and in many regional theatres. Favourite roles include Lumiere in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Cornelius in Hello, Dolly!, Geoffrey in Stepping Out and Cecil Graham in Lady Windermere’s Fan.
He is a regular Ugly Sister for Crossroads Pantomimes (formally Qdos) winning – with fellow sister Neal Wright – the 2018 Best Ugly Sister Award at the Great British Pantomime Awards. He also regularly performs music hall.
Ben’s two solo albums complement his cabaret shows that have played in London, Malaysia, across the UK and at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York.
He is also a director and musical director and presents a weekly show for Box Office Radio.
How did life treat you during lockdown and how has it changed your working schedule?
I was lucky – my partner kept working all the way through so we didn’t face many of the worries that so many members of the profession faced. After the initial novelty of spending time at home had passed and I had cleared out every cupboard and drawer in the flat, I got a bit restless… so I ended up doing lots of online video recordings – some for fun and many for charity (I’m an ambassador for Acting For Others) and just tried to keep things bobbing along.
I organised some online play readings and an online West End Bake Off with Sophie Simms. I also watched a lot of Murder She Wrote, Golden Girls and Hi-De-Hi! and baked the worst banana loaf imaginable. The week before lockdown I recorded my second solo album Ben Stock Sings Noël Coward so my timing there wasn’t great!
I think this period has changed my outlook on work in the sense that it’s broadened my horizons to the possibility of online projects – they will never replace live theatre – but they can be creative and fun and use people’s skills in different ways
You have so many strings to your bow, West End/music hall/cabaret performer, MD, recording artist and now you are directing four different projects. Can you tell us more about those and the challenges you have faced creatively post Covid?
I’ve got very good at moving dates in my diary. Some things have been moved three or four times. One of the shows I’m working on is Adorable Dora – written and performed by Rosemary Ashe – and based on the life and work of Dora Bryan. In it she say “my motto has been ‘always say yes and don’t be too choosy’ ” and I think it’s something I should adopt. I love the challenge of different projects and honing different skills. My main ambition has always been ‘working in the theatre’ be it on or off-stage.
As well as Adorable Dora, I am directing Tell Me On a Sunday for Frinton Summer Theatre (who keep asking me back!), Clue (based on the board game Cluedo) for Paul Taylor-Mills and Elton John: It’s A Little Bit Funny which is touring the UK.
I slot cabarets in between and at the end of the year am excited to be heading back to panto – my favourite of all the different things I do. It makes for an eclectic life and it’s a privilege and I feel very lucky to dip my toes into these different worlds. Covid has brought in challenges on how and where and when you can rehearse or perform but (almost) nothing insurmountable.
You also have a weekly show on Box Office Radio, do you get a chance to get properly involved with the material you play?
I do! And I love it. My show is called The Sound of Musicals and it’s every Saturday from 6-8pm. I try to play a cross section of music from stage and screen, old and new, different styles etc, so there really is something for everyone. In between I chat about the music or something the song reminds me of – and I have my ‘Diva of the Week’ item where I pick one performer and talk about their career and play a song of theirs. It takes time to research and come up with new ideas, but the team at Box Office Radio are so supportive and give you the tools you need to do the job. It came along out of the blue and is something I’ve always wanted to do so I’m thrilled!
You work as a solo artist on cabaret and as an MD. How has it been performing those shows in the recent social distancing world?
I’ve been really lucky, I’ve been invited along to some bigger venues like Salisbury Playhouse and The Mill At Sonning with my solo show that perhaps, without social distancing, I wouldn’t have got to play, as well as regular places like The Crazy Coqs and Waterloo East Theatre.
I am also blessed to have my musical director Inga Davis-Rutter by my side and have recently been working with Jessica Martin and Mark Robert Petty. Socially distanced and masked audiences are never going to be as much fun… but they are really up for a good night and on your side. They particularly love the comedy songs I do too at the moment – I think we all need some light relief.
What has been a highlight of your stage career so far and what are your big ambitions for the future?
Performing my solo show at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York was a real ‘pinch me’ moment, but to be honest I’m so grateful to keep working… Some roles stick out like Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and Cornelius in Hello, Dolly! And particular moments like getting to dance with Cyd Charisse in a charity show at the London Palladium or doing the sing-a-long at West End Live with 15,000 people. But the work for me always falls in second place to the people you meet and work with along the way – and I’ve been blessed to cross paths with so many who are so lovely and talented.
My ambition is just to keep going and meet new challenges. I always wanted to play Rolf in The Sound of Music but my days of passing for a 17 going on 18 year old are waaaaaay gone. Perhaps I could direct it instead?!
- Find out more about Ben on his website www.benstock.biz and listen to his radio show through your smart speaker or www.boxofficeradio.co.uk
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