What an evening!

One of my former students, Benjamin Magnuson, a graduate of Kettering Fairmont High School and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music & Theatre, made his Broadway debut tonight in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeny Todd, starring Patti LuPone. Benjamin is not in the chorus, but one of the named leads! His mother, Sheila, a good friend of mine from when I worked at Sinclair Community College, was out there for the opening. Here is her Email the following morning:

Hi Darin! Just got your note as I am waking up from a day of Sweeney – saw an invited last rehearsal yesterday afternoon with the likes of Mandy Pitankin, Audra McDonald, John Lithgow and of course Sondheim the man! Then I returned for the opening performance last night. It was absolutely wonderful! I hope you will get the opportunity to see it sometime. Benjamin is sure holding his own with his huge part. You would never guess that he just turned 23 yesterday. I couldn’t be prouder – and he couldn’t be happier! I will return again Nov. 3 for the official opening by invitation only and party afterwards. Sheila

In 1996, Sheilda came to my office and sat down. I knew Sheila well enough to know this was not an informal conversation. She and her husband, Phil, were traveling to Italy for three weeks and she was having some scheduling concerns with her youngest son, Benjamin. Benjamin was in the musical I was directing, Meet Me In St. Louis, and at age 14, was one of my favorite talents. He had been with me as a voice student for a year, and already his lyric baritone quality was better than most of my high school students. Sheila wanted to know if Benjamin could please stay with me. I was in the process of moving to a new townhouse in Centerville, and I knew I would have to work even harder (while teaching, directing) to get the place in order.

Benjamin arrived before a rehearsal, and already I was excited at the prospect of seeing just what it would be like having a “pretend son.” We finished rehearsal around 10:30pm, and went to Kroger for groceries. I can remember having a blast as we chatted about theatre, the show and pushing the cart through each aisle, grabbing items off the shelf. I was amused at what a teenager ate! Each night, we sat up late in my study, talking musical theatre until the wee hours of the morning. The three works flew by, and I was so sad to see Benjamin leave.

Through the years, I was so thrilled to watch Benjamin grow and at 15, was moving into the professional sector of theatre, while still performing at Fairmont and in the lead roles with the MUSE Machine. Finally, it was time for college auditions and he had his sights set on CCM. Benjamin basically walked right in and took over the department. Thanks to Sheila, I kept informed of all Benjamin’s progress through the four years of college, as well as his showcase last May, presented to producers and directors in New York City. He was invited back for a second audition after his initial audition, and the following morning, he stood before Stephen Sondheim, the composer of Sweeny Todd. Boom! Benjamin was given a lead role immediately.

So, Monday night, with several current students listening in, I made a congratulatory call… and the tears were flowing on both ends. My current students were charged with enthusiasm, and confidence.

So, right now, I have 19 former students performing on Broadway or in National Tours, and I am thrilled that they have all accomplished their dreams!

More info on the production at Playbill.com:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/95430.html