The DeLorean flux capacitor is getting revving up as the hit musical Back to the Future is about to hit 88 miles an hour on stages across the country.
And the national tour’s official opening night? Here in Ohio!
The thrilling show will be at the State Theater in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square from June 11th to July 7th as part of the KeyBank Broadway series.
Right up there on stage dancing to the “Power of Love” will be Ohio native Ben Lanham, who has appeared in everything from the original Broadway cast of Bad Cinderella, to the touring productions of Hello, Dolly! and West Side Story.
The Buckeye Flame spoke with Lanham about his time on stage — including his role as a fairytale home-wrecker — and his current job playing an iconic bully. To listen, click play directly below or read our (edited) conversation beneath the audio link.
Ben Lanham, a Cincinnati native and graduate of Saint Xavier High School, where I understand they are still talking about your performance in Cats.
Ben Lanham: [Laughs] Oh gosh, yeah, so I went to St. X in Cincinnati, which is a private Jesuit all-boy high school. We mounted a production of Cats my senior year, which was a lot of fun. I was the choreographer in that and to get a group of 60 high school boys and girls who are not dancers to look good in unitards is not an easy feat. But I think we killed it and it was an amazing show.
Was Broadway always the dream for you?
You know, it was. First I was put in gymnastics because I just was always jumping all over everything. And my parents were trying to find some way to focus that crazy kid’s energy. So I started gymnastics and then dance.
Then I actually booked a gig when I was like 11 at Union Terminal, which is part of the Cincinnati Museum Center. There was an American Girl doll exhibit and they had a live performance where they had kids dress up and do the period dance styles for each of the American Girl dolls. And I got like a $500 paycheck, which was a big deal for an 11-year-old. Once I saw that I thought, “Oh my God, I can get paid doing what I love!” I caught the bug right then and there.
How LGBTQ+ affirming has your experience been in the Broadway scene?
Oh, the most affirming. The Broadway community is just so welcoming to all queer people of all shapes and sizes. I think there’s obviously some work to do on Broadway, but in the most recent years, you can see all the progress that has been made. I always feel so welcome and so safe and supported in these spaces, which is something that we can’t take for granted these days.
Let’s talk about a couple of your experiences on stage. Bad Cinderella. That was regarded as pretty darn gay, Ben.
It was pretty darn gay. And I have to say, I was kind of at the center point of just how gay it was.
I’m going to tell you some spoilers because, well, the show is closed. At the end of the show, Prince Charming comes back from being missing. And we all would expect him to end up with Cinderella, but he does not. He actually breaks up a wedding at the end of the show, revealing his gay lover: yours truly. It was me. So I got paid to do eight shows a week and marry and kiss the most gorgeous Cameron Loyal. He’s about 6’4 240, just like a linebacker-looking dude. And that was my job. So, it was pretty awesome.
I have to shout one show out and I know it was only a few nights of your career, but I have to touch on your appearing in one of the most defining Broadway experiences of my childhood. Any guesses?
I’m going to go for Hello Dolly! I know that holds a special place in my heart.
That’s a great one, but I have to tell you: it’s The Tap Dance Kid.
Oh my gosh. Wow. That show is incredible. Isn’t it?
I can tell you exactly where I was sitting as a young tyke when my folks took us to see that on Broadway and it was transformative.
I had the honor of doing that at at New York City Center’s Encores, which is just a short run. I think we had about a week and a half of performances. It was mounted by Jared Grimes and Kenny Leon and was with some of the best tap dancers in the business. So it was a really incredible experience.
Tell us about Back to the Future. What are we going to see on stage?
Back to the Future is seriously mind-blowing. I actually got to see my best friend make her Broadway debut in the show and then found out the next day that I had booked the tour. So it was fresh in my mind.
The technical aspects of this show are going to blow your mind. We have all the favorites of the movie: Doc Brown, Marty McFly, the clock tower, the flux capacitor, and, of course, the DeLorean. And the DeLorean does some pretty crazy stuff up on that stage.
And you are understudying what some would regard as the bully of the show.
Yes, you could say that. So I understudy Biff Tannen, who is the beloved bully of Marty McFly and his father, George. And Biff is such a fun role to do because it’s such a stretch for me. He is really stupid, which is a lot of fun to play with on stage. He’s just a big bull in a china shop the entire show.
It’s been a lot of fun to get on my feet already. We have some incredible fight choreography that Biff is a big part of. So it’s been a good time and a lot of fun.
I can’t tell if it is a dream or a nightmare for an LGBTQ+ person to play the bully in the musical.
You know, I guess it’s a little therapeutic, isn’t it? Because we can all say that we definitely had some experiences on the receiving end of that in our childhood. I know I certainly did. I never thought about it like that, but you’re so right.
What themes have jumped out at you as being ones that you’re so excited for the audience to see in the show?
I think the theme of, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it” is the biggest theme of this show. Doc Brown says this to Marty both in 1985 and 1955, so it’s kind of throughout the entire time travel of this show. Marty really applies that and is able to save the show, and fix his broken family that we see at the top of the show when he returns back to the 80s.
You’ll be touring all over the country. What does it mean to you to be starting the tour on an Ohio stage?
It’s so nice to be back home. I have tons of friends and family coming to see the show. I’m from Cincinnati originally, so it’s a bit of a drive up, but certainly not too bad. So it will be really incredible to open the tour in Ohio.
I think that makes it even more special. This is actually my second tour that’s going to open at Playhouse Square. So being back is going to be really great. I can’t wait to see all my family and friends.
And finally, what is some of that patented Ben Lanham advice for all of those young LGBTQ+ people here in Ohio who want to make their Broadway dream come true?
Go. To. Class! I had a teacher once say that you have to get up and get to class even when you don’t want to, so that you’re able to dance when you need to. For artists like myself, I find it so fueling to the soul and without it, you just don’t feel your full self.
Train, train, train. Put yourself out there and take classes that make you uncomfortable. I went to a voguing class last week for the first time, because why not? Put yourself in situations that you would never, never think possible. I’ve been asked to do some pretty crazy stuff in an audition room. So the more tricks you can have up your sleeve, the better.
Ben, have an absolute blast returning to the Ohio stage.
Thank you so much. Can’t wait to see you guys in Cleveland! 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- Back to the Future will be at the State Theater in Cleveland’s Playhouse Square from June 11th to July 7th as part of the KeyBank Broadway series. Get tickets here.
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