The legendary Bob Fosse once said of Ben Vereen, “There is no man like him on the musical comedy stage.”
Vereen has been proving that since 1967, when Fosse hired him, fresh out of high school, for a touring show of “Sweet Charity.” And the Tony Award-winner will have an opportunity to prove it again when he headlines Dominican University’s 37th Annual Trustee Benefit Concert and Gala on March 11.
Vereen has been especially busy on TV these days, with featured roles in the Amazon TV crime drama “Sneaky Pete” and the upcoming Fox comedy “Making History.” But he has also taken every opportunity in the last year or two to return to the stage with his cabaret show “Steppin’ Out with Ben Vereen.” We caught up with him for a quick chat about his career, his love of live performance and the personal philosophy that’s kept him going for decades.
Q: You’re doing quite a lot on TV these days. Why have you put together this touring show as well?
A: Because I appreciate my audience and I want to show it. I call this my gratitude tour. It gives me a chance to thank all the people who have been with me all these years and allowed me to do what I do. My life is good and it’s because of them.
And I like to keep busy. You know, I had a godmother who was a missionary and she said to me, ‘When I meet God, I want him to say ‘You didn’t rust out of life, you worked your way out.’ And I’ve always kept that as a sort of motto or mantra. I’m just lucky because I love doing what I do. So, the opportunity to travel around and celebrate the wonderfulness of life is a blessing for me.
I’d also like to say it’s an honor to be asked to perform at this gala event. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. I’ll have to clean my suit. (Laughing.)
Q: What can people expect to see during the performance?
A: We’ll open with songs from shows people know me for, like “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Hair” and “Pippen.” And then I’ll spend some time talking about the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and learn from, like Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli and Cab Calloway. I’ve had the opportunity to meet Cab Calloway, man! I met Cab Cal-o-way! The hi-dee-hi-dee-ho man! (Laughing.) Then I go from there to the present day and we discuss what I’m doing now. We discuss life and the wonders of life. And I share some personal things about my life that they probably do not know. And I do lots of other songs throughout, like my friend Joni Mitchell’s “I’ve Looked at Life from Both Sides Now” and one by Usher. He’s my godson, you know. I said, ‘Give me a song I can sing!’ (Laughing.)
Q: You’ve done a lot of film and TV going all the way back to “Sweet Charity” in 1969, but you’ve also said in the past that the stage is your true love. Is that still true?
A: It’s still true, it will always be true, because it’s live. What happens in the exchange between the audience and the performer, at least for me, is an organic sensation we share in the room together. Anything can happen in that room. I find that very exciting. You know, my friend Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a song called “The Room Where it Happens”? That says it. Gotta to be in the room where it happens.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a performer and how did you know?
A: I was a young kid about 11 years old running around the streets of Brooklyn. And one day, someone from the Baptist Church Fashion Auxiliary asked me to do a dance for a show — and they paid me $5. I said, ‘My God, you get paid for this?’ (Laughing.) And then my principal suggested I should go to the High School for the Performing Arts. And that’s where I learned to love it. It’s nice to get paid, but I tell my students, if you’re in it for the money, get out of the business. But if you’re in it for the art or the craft, because you love it, then you’re in the right place. Money don’t always last, but art lasts forever.
Q: You were lucky enough to get an early start — and then your career took off in a big way.
A: Yes. Right out of high school in 1965, Vinette Carroll, who directed “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God” and many other shows, hired me to do a show called “The Prodigal Son,” written by a man called Langston Hughes, who became a very good friend. Then I was cast by Bob Fosse in “Sweet Charity” and then there was “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Pippin.”
It was remarkable, but I must say it was because of a power greater than myself — and it guided me. And I was lucky enough to have a lot of good people who guided me. You have to understand something. When I was nominated for a Tony when I was in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” I did not know who Tony was. (Laughing.) I remember, the stage manager handed me a fancy envelope and I read it and said, ‘Who’s Tony?’ That’s a true story.
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Q: How would you describe your personal philosophy? And how it might have contributed to your long career?
A: What we have to do in life is step up and do our best. I believe our charge as human beings is to protect love and guide love and be love. We need to do that now more than ever before.
Aside from that, I attribute my success to my audiences. They are my barometer. I take my direction from them. And I hope I do a good job for them.
But the most important thing is to stay positive. That’s always been true, but it’s especially true now. There’s so much negativity and hate in the air. Love is in bondage and we have to free it. If we want love, we must be willing to stand up and protect it.
Ben Vereen headlines the 37th Annual Trustee Benefit Concert and Gala
When: 5 p.m. March 11
Where: Dominican University’s Lund Auditorium, 7900 Division St., River Forest
Tickets: Concert-only tickets are $47, $67 and $87; for gala ticket prices call 708-524-6284
Information: 708-524-6284; www.dom.edu