INFORMAL - AN INTERVIEW SERIES
BENJAMIN YATES
Benjamin Yates is no stranger to treading the boards after recently completing a critically-acclaimed portrayal of The Scarecrow in the UK tour of The London Palladium production of The Wizard of Oz, and various other roles including bad-boy Tommy DeVito in the 2021 West End revival of Jersey Boys.
He emits a cool guy aura as he enters the room and he is so laid back and lovely as we discuss his upcoming portrayal of Jack in this year's pantomime at the New Wimbledon Theatre, JACK AND THE BEANSTALK.
I had reviewed Benjamin when he was starring in The Wizard of Oz and when we met the tour had just finished so I asked him about his experience on the show which he described as incredible: "It was so lovely. Some of the hardest working and nicest people I've ever had the privilege of working with. The story is so wonderful and special so getting to tell it every night was really lovely."
It's far from a rose-tinted recollection though as he remembers: "It was very hot, very sweaty, very physical and the costume was not very forgiving! That being said it was a very beautiful and I had a really nice time."
Benjamin feels that his experiences on that show have been a nice easy introduction into panto, moving from one family orientated show into another, and now he's all set to give his portrayal of Jack Trot... once he remembers his characters name!: "Is that his surname? I had to think then!"
He reminisces about playing the role previously and his past panto experiences: "I've actually played Jack before, in my first ever professional job when I was 21. I've only done one other panto and again that was in my early twenties so it's been a very long time since I've had to slap a thigh!"
Benjamin has a long history of musical theatre, starring in shows such as Cats, Wicked and School of Rock, so I asked him about the differences between musical theatre and panto: "It depends on the show, but there's definitely more interaction with the audience in a panto and I love that. I've just spent the morning with Joe Pasquale and if today's anything to go by there's going to be a lot of going off script and trying to catch me out!"
"In a musical you're directed away from breaking the fourth wall and you do everything you can to avoid that, whereas a panto is so immersive and it's part of the experience to interact with the audience."
Pantomime is a British institution and is ingrained in society as something which is a part of our festive season so I was interested whether Benjamin thought that it is important to the wider theatre industry: "I do think that. My generation and the generation after me don't really have anyone who has that true Bruce Foresyth showmanship and I think that panto is one of the only things that we still have in this country that shine a light on that sort of entertainment, so I think it's so important and introduces new generations to that style of performance and showmanship."
We both agree that panto is a family event that brings every age range together and is what I refer to as classic 'Carry On' humour - something naughty for the parents but with the slapstick silliness for the kids, or as Benjamin puts it: "Full family fun for everyone!" Now there's a quote for the poster if I ever heard one!
I'm interested to know what Benjamin is looking forward to the most about appearing in this panto and he tells me: "My favourite thing about what I do for a job is meeting new people and forging friendships for life, and everyone I've met on this production so far seems super nice and I think we're going to have a great time."
"The schedule on a panto is gruelling and we're going to be spending a lot of time together so it's really important that you're working with nice people."
With panto being such an intense process I wondered how performers keep their minds and bodies healthy: "It's really important to look after yourself, especially when working over the Christmas period when evryone gets poorly. Wrap up warm, lots of sleep, lots of coffee and just look after your body because it's a tough schlog!"
With only one day off a week during the run Benjamin tells me: "I should be resting, but I never rest! I like to keep busy so I'll go out to dinner and socialise because it's my only day off and my friendships are important."
When I asked Benjamin why people should go and see this production of Jack and the Beanstalk he gave perhaps my favourite answer ever: "Because my trousers are very tight!" That's more than enough reason as far as I'm concerned to book a ticket!
You can catch Benjamin alongside Alexandra Burke and Joe Pasquale in JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at London's New Wimbledon Theatre Saturday 7th December 2024 - Sunday 5th January 2025.
Interview conducted by Neill Kovacic-Clarke for Pink Prince Theatre on 18/08/24
This GIGANTIC pantomime is presented by New Wimbledon Theatre and Crossroads Pantomimes and stars Alexandra Burke as Mrs Blunderbore, Joe Pasquale as Silly Simon, Ceri Dupree as Dame Trot, Ria Jones as The Spirit of the Beans and Benjamin Yates as Jack Trot.
Benjamin Yates image credit: Bartek Szmigulski
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