After a triumphant Lyric debut as Frederic in last season’s Pirates of Penzance, young tenor Benjamin Robinson tenor returns this season Gaston LaChaille in Gigi and will be back in spring as Marco in The Gondoliers. This year he also makes his debut with the Cape Cod Symphony in a program of Viennese operetta alongside former co-star and Lyric favorite, Megan Weston, and sings Lieutenant Joe Cable in South Pacific with Anchorage Opera.
1. What was it about the role of Gaston that interested you? What do you like best about performing with Lyric?This role is really different from what I usually do; he's grown up and sophisticated. He can have anything he wants, but he is most moved by Gigi, who is an unlikely choice.
Working at Lyric is great not only because of the beauty of San Diego, but because this theatre offers me a chance to grow when I come here. Jack and Leon are very insistent that I get something out of my experience, and expand on what I bring to the table.
2. There is an iconic performance of Gaston on film, by Louis Jourdan. How will your portrayal be different or similar to his? With a famous role like this, is there pressure to either copy his style or be completely different?
Louis Jourdan certainly oozes confidence, class, and style and I would be lucky to get away with one of those three in my own life. I think the audience wants to see similarities to Mr. Jourdan's performance, but I think that this lies mostly in the "nuts and bolts" elements: my deportment, my "charm," and my likability. Personally, I see Gaston as someone who has been waiting a lifetime to get out of the rut that his social life has presented to him. I really want to work up to riding this wave of discovery that Gaston experiences as he and Gigi begin to have a romantic chemistry.
3. What do you like about being a traveling artist? What habits have you developed to make life on the road easier?
Certainly coming to places like San Diego make being a traveling artist a nice lifestyle. I haven't been in "the biz" for a long time, but already I look forward to returning to places I've previously worked so I can see the friends I've made, eat at restaurants that I remember, and try new things. I really love getting to know a place thoroughly, and you do when you get to stay there for a month at a time!
Life on the road for me is FULL of bad habits- I can never remember what to pack! It has helped to condense my traveling life to as little stuff as possible. I think the thing that helps the most though is contacting old friends or family in the area and making arrangements to see them. I have family in Huntington Beach that I rush up to see when I get my first break from rehearsals. Reconnecting with people has really been a highlight of this kind of travel.
4. What's on your iPod? How do you pass the time when not working?
I'm a complete opera geek- I've been listening to the fabulous Carol Neblett (a southern California native) in La Fanciulla del West lately. When I stray from classical music, I really appreciate singers who can sing! Christina Aguilera, Norah Jones, Beyonce.
When I'm not working, I love gardening- don't have a garden in Boston, but I love going home to my parents in Michigan and working outside. In high school I was a swimmer, so if I can get to a pool, I do. Other than that, I occasionally subject people to my cooking experiments (never baking!). Sometimes that ends up being better than bad.
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