As part of out Flashdance The Musical interviews we spoke to Ben Adams who plays Nick Hurley alongside Joanne Clifton as Alex Owens ahead of the show’s opening night this evening in Blackpool.
Flashdance is associated with one of the most iconic dance scenes ever; will we see you throw some shapes during the show?
Ben: My character isn’t supposed to dance at all, he’s the polar opposite really to Alex the female lead who does a huge amount of dancing, I don’t really get to do any, I don’t think the producers knew that I could dance as there wasn’t anything in the script, although I do throw a few shapes at the end but it’s nothing spectacular compared to the rest of the incredibly talented cast, particularly Joanne Clifton her dancing is fantastic.
ON: The last time we saw you on the stage you were playing Aladdin in Panto, how does appearing in a musical differ to panto?
Ben: It’s very, very different, my character in Flashdance is quite serious, also American, they really are very different art forms, similarly though it’s a lot of fun, I’ve had so much fun doing this show so far, it really is a great role to play.
ON: How did you become involved in this production?
I’d spent the first sort of six months of this year writing and producing for other artists, but I kind of felt that sitting in a studio writing things for other people to go and have fun with is something I could always do alongside other work and also something I can do as I get older, I feel at the moment I haven’t really got the performing bug out of my system so when Flashdance came along I though yes this is a perfect opportunity to get out there, tour the country and have a bit of fun while doing so.
ON: Sellador are known for their creativity, how have you found working with them?
Selladoor are brilliant, such an incredibly brilliant production company who are doing so well at the moment, the last production I saw of theirs was Little Shop Of Horrors which was absolutely fantastic, so as soon as I realised that Selladoor were doing this I knew it was an absolute no brainer, I knew it was going to be a great show.
ON: Your new single has been getting plenty of attention, could a new album and maybe a tour be next on the cards?
Before I agreed to do Flashdance I’d already planned to do the album so I’ve actually finished that now and was going to put it out but thought maybe we should postpone it as I don’t have a lot of time to go out and promote it but now so much is done online anyway so you can really reach so many people online and through social/online media so it’s not really a problem, the album is now planned for the beginning of 2018 which I’m really excited about. It’s really nice to see what a great response the single has got as I think a lot of people in my position are maybe pushed into doing more middle of the road stuff, not necessarily tracks that are particularly modern but because I produce my own material I can really do whatever I want to do.
ON: We’ve noticed a bit of activity on twitter from your musical the Eugenius! account, can you give us any spoilers?
I can’t announce anything officially but watch this space for an announcement very, very soon! Make sure you’re following!
ON: After your experience working with Joanne Clifton would you consider a stint on Strictly?
I actually did Strictly in Norway and I came second which Joanne likes to rub in because obviously she came first, I’m not sure I’d be allowed to do the British one due to already doing a version but I absolutely loved it. It was so much harder than it looks, there were things that I was doing that I thought looked good and then they judges just told me it was all wrong, I quickly had to buck up my ideas and really learn it as best I could. The discipline is unbelievable, it’s very tricky.
Speaking of tricks, you’ll be in Blackpool for Halloween, will you be playing any tricks on your fellow cast members?
Of course! I’m a 35 year old man with a 16 year old mind, so there will be a lot of that I’m sure, I haven’t quite worked out what yet but I’ll absolutely be planning something!
Flashdance opens at the Blackpool Opera House on Monday 23rd October and runs until Saturday 4th November for tickets head to www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/events/flashdance/
Opening Night 