This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Ben Jackson Walker: My name is Ben Jackson Walker and you're listening to Eleven, the official theatre podcast.

[0:16] William J Connolly: Hello and welcome to Eleven, the official theatre podcast that brings the biggest stars and creatives together in one place to discuss life in the arts. He's the Broadway leading man that's originated the role of Romeo in the debut New York production of Max Martin's genius jukebox hit And Juliet, a role that earned him love from audiences and pop stars alike. And now, in the trip of a lifetime, he slipped back into the infamous leather jacket to take on the role once again of that famous star-crossed lover in the UK touring production of the show. So here, in an exclusive conversation just a matter of weeks after landing on UK shores, we talk life back in the spotlight as one of the most famous boyfriends in history.

We also talk the reality of this very unexpected chapter on this side of the pond and why, once gone for five months, why Romeo never truly left him. Plus, we talk about the forever impact of the show, jamming with the likes of Max Martin and Ariana Grande, and why there's nothing in the world like being the cause of all that trouble when Romeo finally comes back for his wife. Anything but a douche and every inch the handsome star. It's the wonderful Ben Jackson Walker, here now on this, the next episode of Eleven, the official theatre podcast.

[1:38] William J Connolly: Please help me welcome to this, the next episode of Eleven. As a famous lady once said, wherefore art thou Romeo? Well, I think I might have the man with the answer to this as he comes to our shores right here, right now, as he brings his origination of Romeo to UK audiences as part of the Anne Juliet touring production. I'm absolutely thrilled to say that he's here to tell me all about it. So, Ben Jackson Walker, how are you?

[1:57] Ben Jackson Walker: I'm doing well, that was an amazing introduction. Thank you so much, I'm so honoured.

[2:05] William J Connolly: Thank you very much for being here and I said it in the introduction but you are on British shores. This is not like an idea, this is not a dream, this is not a pipe dream. You're actually genuinely here and I can see you obviously and appreciate that this is a podcast but how are we treating you? How is the UK? How does it feel to be just a little bit more British than I guess before?

[2:17] Ben Jackson Walker: You know what, it's been really great. I'm really loving it. I've only ever been to London before. I've been a few times to London but never really outside of the UK. So, this is my first time kind of like seeing the lay of the land, seeing different cities and I'm loving it. I'm learning a lot of vernacular that I didn't know and a lot of British humour that I'm having to like really keep up with.

[2:41] William J Connolly: What's the one bit so far that you're like, do you know what? I will be taking that back home with me. I'm going to be sort of entering that into my vocabulary.

[2:44] Ben Jackson Walker: Ooh, let me see. I would have to say, I don't know, I like when people greet me and they're like, you alright? You know, for me like at first I'm like, what do you mean? Yes, I'm alright, what? Like it feels like one of those but I like it because then it actually, it makes me have to think about it a little bit. Am I alright? So, I think I'm going to take it back and start asking people if they're alright.

[3:06] William J Connolly: But I imagine in a UK touring production where you get to go to different cities, you're going to get a lot of different vocabularies thrown at you in lots of different directions because the place changes. So, it means every week is basically school week for you.

[3:10] Ben Jackson Walker: Right. No, it really is. I mean, and so far, you know, I've only been to Nottingham and Birmingham. That's it. Like I did, so and we're here for two weeks this time. So, we'll see. I'll get to see Newcastle and Truro and Sheffield and I'm going to hear all the different accents.

[3:34] William J Connolly: You're literally going to go back going, I don't actually know what my original accent is but that is a varying amount of accents for the UK. So, you are going to really get the full picture. So, I promise you'll be going back hopefully with a lot of love from UK audiences but more importantly all of these new accents. So, it sounds like you're going to win on this occasion. But we reference it there. You are coming, having played and originated this part on Broadway, now you're bringing this performance which is incredibly special. I did have the pleasure of seeing you on Broadway and I can vouch first hand that this gentleman is very, very talented. And now you get to revisit it. Now, just for a little bit of context, was this always planned?

Was this a chapter in your life that was going to come to you? I guess, how did this happen? What was the time span? Because if I'm led to believe correctly, this was a quick thing but something that you were like, do you know what? Let's do it.

[4:10] Ben Jackson Walker: Yes. My God, it was so quick. It was not planned. I mean, so I left the Broadway production about five months ago now. And you know, I was just kind of like getting back into my normal life in New York City and doing a little teaching and coaching with kids and auditioning again. And then, you know, my agent's manager called me and they were like, Hey, we have something interesting for you. Would you want to do Angelia again, but on the UK tour? You know, I was kind of thought, you know, there's so many productions now, like, maybe I'll do a stint on the US tour, that could be interesting. But then when they said UK, I was like, Oh, wait, now that sounds really fun. Get to have a little trip, little vacation and get to do a little work.

So it's kind of perfect. But no, it was I mean, it was so quick. I think I found I think I, you know, agreed to do it on a Thursday and then left on a Sunday. So it was that quick. Yeah, pretty instant packed up my entire life and came here.

[5:09] William J Connolly: And Juliet really did say let's create chaos in this gentleman's life. Let's really throw him in at the deep end. So like you were beginning your weekend in one way, and you ended it and then literally on the other side of the world.

[5:18] Ben Jackson Walker: Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was. Well, I mean, there were people that I don't think I had even told yet that I was like, for sure doing it. And so by the time I got here, you know, or like the news came out or whatever, people like, Oh, my God, like, when do you leave? And I'm like, No, I'm here. I'm actually in my costume. I'm doing. It's pretty crazy.

[5:35] William J Connolly: I always thought that'd be a great thing to happen to you in theory. But when the reality actually hits, you've got to do that. You've got to like, go back and do this thing that you did so famously, so successfully and originated and but was also in a different production in a different place with a different team. And then you join a juggernaut that's already moving. The train has already left the station. I feel like I would soon be like, Oh, this is actually quite terrifying. What was the reality like of actually implementing? What was it actually doing the thing?

[5:58] Ben Jackson Walker: You know, like, getting back into it was actually pretty easy. Because, you know, it only been five months. And like, it hadn't, you know, I hadn't had that much time to leave my body. And after doing it, I mean, I did it for about two and a half years. So like, I swear to God, I mean, I went through the script, like once. And by that, like, by the end of going through it, I was like, and I remember everything. Like, it really doesn't leave you. And I think that's just a testament to how well written it is. And you know, how much I love doing it. And so when I got here, it was really just getting used to the jet lag. And like, and yeah, you know, like, like joining, like you said, like joining a train joining like a group of people who already they know each other so well, they have all these really wonderful bonds.

And so it's been, you know, I've just been taking it one day at a time and getting to know people on my own time and just knowing I'm kind of on a different timeline than everybody else, but I've really enjoyed it. And this company is just so wonderful. And they've been so supportive and welcoming. So that's, it's just been amazing just to like get to know them and become friends with them. And you know, it's been the best part, for sure.

[7:01] William J Connolly: I can also imagine it's quite exciting for you to get to enter into a chapter that maybe you didn't expect, which was to relearn and rediscover new parts of this role that you felt like you kind of completed your version, but then you come to a new production, different staging, different location, I imagine a similar accent to the one that you used on Broadway, but it is like, you know, rediscovering it again, what's it been like to actually play him again and actually go back to him? And I guess, does it feel, apart from the obvious things, does it feel any different to perform?

[7:27] Ben Jackson Walker: It does feel a little different, actually. I would say after like having time away from the show, I just feel that like five months older, you know? And so, you know, and not even like physically or really like that, or vocally, like that actually, all of that, since the show is so in my body, it very easily comes back, you know, and I can kind of just fall into it and kind of have that muscle memory. But really, it's, you know, just like things that have happened in my life and, you know, having that time to kind of reflect on what that first experience was for me and how many firsts I had and how far I came from when I first started that show because, you know, it was about three years now that I first started and heard about it and, you know, so much has changed in that time.

And so coming back to it now, I'm just like, whoa, I actually feel like a different person. I almost feel like I approach it from just an older perspective and so now I'm trying to tap back into that more youthful perspective because I really do see the character of Romeo as being very young and innocent. Not much has happened to him, you know? So it's kind of tapping into that.

[8:36] William J Connolly: Also, you were part of this definitive sort of Anne Juliet production that's traveled the globe now. There was the West End production, but the Broadway production was when the creatives, Max, etc., revisited it and sort of made the blueprint of what has now become this production that we see on the UK tour and elsewhere, which means that you were part of the creative process of building him, which means that while he's belonged to someone else for a little while, this is still very much created from your input, which means I imagine it does feel a little bit like a homecoming just with a slightly different family, which I imagine must be the most wonderful feeling because not many people in their lives actually get to go back to something that you leave fondly after like two and a half years. Like this must be so lovely as well as slightly terrifying.

[9:15] Ben Jackson Walker: Absolutely. I mean, yeah. And nowadays, too, there's just so many shows that don't run for that long or don't have a life like this. And that's kind of one of the amazing things about the show is it just has such a life beyond, you know, obviously the West End production and then the Broadway production, which we did. And I feel like it's been really interesting to see how like, yeah, all the things have culminated into this kind of like master show now where it's like they have it really figured out to a T. And that's, you know, obviously not just because of me, but how many people have now gotten to play this role and how many things have been like tried out with it. And I've been really lucky to see like a couple other people get to do the role too.

And so for me to see someone else do it and see, oh wow, I never really thought about it that way. I never like had that take on it. Like I never would have thought of that, you know? And so it's like I get to like take little things that I've seen and incorporate it into my own performance, you know?

[10:16] William J Connolly: It does feel a little bit like a job swap because former Romeo Tom Francis went to Broadway. You've come here. So it feels like even half and half, right?

[10:22] Ben Jackson Walker: Yes, very much so. A lot of crossovers.

[10:27] William J Connolly: And I was like, wait, this is like two worlds merging. It's very strange.

[10:32] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, it really is. It's very, yeah, it's the multiverse, you know, everything, everywhere, all at once. So, day one in the UK. What was the first thing that you had to do in terms of getting back into, was it like costume? Was it staging? Was it music? Like, what was the thing that they made you do first? And talk to me about what that was experienced like, being like, oh, this is really happening. This is not a joke.

[10:56] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, I mean, no, the first day it was just me and our associate director and our resident director in a room, just basically going over everything. You know, I think we started with music first and then we just kind of reviewed all the new blocking, all the little changes, you know, that I was going to have to think through. And that was when it became very real. I mean, when I sang it again, you know, I was like, oh my goodness. Like, number one, I remember how hard this is. Number two, like, it also felt really amazing just to be in a new country, you know, some place that I've never really been before and to be bringing this thing that is so familiar and feels so much like home. It became very real, I think, when, you know, we went over it, everything in the room, but then when I met the whole cast, you know, and I stepped on the stage and I saw the same exact floor and the same exact walls and the set, and I'm just like, whoa, I mean, I know this so well, but I'm literally in the UK. It's a very strange feeling. And then I think I went to bed at night and woke up the next morning and I was like, where am I? What's going on? It's very disorienting.

[12:02] William J Connolly: Which time zone are you currently on or if you actually managed to come sort of be a local with us now?

[12:05] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, no, I feel pretty, pretty locked into the now, which is good. And New York is five hours behind, yeah. Can I ask you about the reaction to this show? Does it feel like it's having the same impact as it did in New York? And perhaps if you go back to the very beginning of your two and a half years on Broadway with the show, does it feel like things have changed in any capacity, even if it's the smallest thing that perhaps didn't get a reaction when you were on Broadway that is here, or perhaps vice versa? How's it sort of playing out in real time?

[12:30] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, I mean, I think the show has always been so joyful and has brought like, it really is an amazing first show for an audience to see, especially if you have like, no one has seen a Broadway show before because everyone knows the songs, obviously, people know the story, but then it kind of takes it and twists it. And I think kind of the biggest thing was like, you know, the first time around, especially when we brought it to New York, I feel like people didn't quite know what to make of it first. And I think there's an interesting thing where people kind of like underestimate it, you know what I mean? And I think, oh, it's a jukebox musical, it's using music we already know, but now it's pretty well known in the theater community.

And it's become this thing where it's so embraced. I think at first people were like, it would take them a minute to get into it, maybe until we get to like the third number. And now it's just, it's embraced from the beginning. And I can tell people are so excited to be here and they know what it is. And that's really, really fun to have the audience be in on the joke in the very beginning.

[13:21] William J Connolly: Does that add an extra layer of pressure then for you, because you know that people already know the songs or the fact that it's in context of the show means it takes ownership with the show? How does it play out realistically to know that you know the people in the audience already know what you're about to say?

[13:37] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, I think it's a good thing. I think that could add pressure, but I think it's, you know, the audience I think is really ready to love it. You know what I mean? That's what that's the thing like, I can tell the audience knows these characters, you know what I mean? They're very excited to see it kind of done in this way and in this kind of twisted on his head way. And so, I mean, literally the other night, I think I went out at the top of Act Two and I am about to sing "Love Me Like You Do" and I called Juliet into the balcony and some woman answered back, yes, in the background. So I had someone to play it to. So yeah, it's pretty amazing.

[14:13] William J Connolly: But also you are now very famously on that new cast recording of the show, which means, I guess you almost have yourself to live up to. You referenced some short jokes about finding it in your voice again, but you've got to find the bend back then as well, which means that I guess you've got a touch point. You know you can do it. You've got the confidence of knowing you can do it. It's just about finding where you are. And I can imagine that's actually quite a reassuring thing to know that you have got it in you and that actually it does, if I may say so, sound really fantastic.

[14:40] Ben Jackson Walker: Thank you. I mean, yes, I think that's kind of been one of the most fun things about stepping back into it is when you first start, I had never done like an eight show a week run and it was very hard to learn in the beginning how to do that, how to take care of yourself, how to take care of your health. And now that's something that becomes just a little bit more second nature to me. And so I can almost relax more and have more fun and find new things and know that I got it. Yeah, it's just a great feeling. It really is. It just kind of come in with that confidence rather than a little bit more trepidation.

[15:17] William J Connolly: You're also part of a very exclusive club of people that have had the honour and I imagine the pleasure of being in the studio with somebody of the calibre of Max Martin, which means that you know all these songs come from the genius of this man's mind. I've had the honour and privilege and pleasure of sitting down with him and doing a really in-depth interview about how do you create of this level? And he just says, it just happens. It's just the thing that he can do. Everyone can do this thing. This is the thing that he can do. But he was very, very, very specific about the fact that this is paying homage and love to the songs and how they were before. But this is about your interpretation.

This is about discovering them in a new way. I can imagine for you, particularly when we think back to Broadway and of course, continuing now, this is about what you can do and he very much wants to celebrate you. And I can imagine opportunities and votes of confidence like that, they don't come along all that often, certainly not from people of his calibre, but that must be the ultimate sort of pat on the back of this is your song now. What was it like getting to work so closely with him and perhaps know that he sort of sends his love and has approved your version?

[16:14] Ben Jackson Walker: It was wild. He's, I really, really, really look up to him. I love songwriting too. And so he's just somebody who's just a touchstone, I think. And he's the master. He can, yeah, he can write a pop song that works like no one else. And it's like the way that he, I think it works for this musical too, is he writes for different pop stars that are kind of like different characters for him. It's a different personas. And so for it to switch over to these characters, I think is why it works so well as a jukebox musical. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, when I first met him, I was so nervous, but he is just so kind and like goofy. He's such a goofball. He's always joking and he's, you know, he's got that very like Swedish sensibility where like, he's really not giving away much of what he's thinking.

So you think it's scary, but he's really not. I mean, he is, and he, in the studio, I mean, to record that cast album, just like, it's really amazing to watch him work. He just, he knows when something like is working and you see him get this like face, it's like a little smile or like a twinkle in his eye. And I knew whenever I saw that, I was like, oh yeah, we just did something good.

[17:30] Ben Jackson Walker: Also, you will forever be on a music track that is approved to produce by Max Martin. Nobody can ever take that away from you.

[17:34] Ben Jackson Walker: I know, and to hear him, you know, when we were recording some of them, like, you know, count for my face or, you know, to hear him talking about recording that with The Weeknd or recording with Ariana Grande, I was like, what the, this is crazy. This is so cool. I remember the opening night in London, I was sat literally a couple of seats away from Jessie J when they were singing "Domino." But her reaction was almost as good as what was happening on stage. It was this weird music versus art sort of mashup in the best possible way. It was extraordinary to see their appreciation and love towards you as the new artist, sort of as the new chapter. And I know that a lot of the people that have given their songs to Max, that worked with him, collaborated with him, and have given them now subsequently to the musical, they love the fact that it's got new life. And I feel like this is the perfect way, as you say, for musicals and music to be able to come together. It's just so clever, right? It's just the genius of Max.

[18:19] Ben Jackson Walker: Actually, it was really cool when Ariana Grande came to our show. And, you know, obviously she comes from such a theater background, so I think it was extra special for her to see her music, her songs being sung on a Broadway stage in this form. She was like, this is crazy. So that was pretty special to see her joy with all that.

[18:38] William J Connolly: Well, I was gonna ask you about some of the famous faces when you were on Broadway. I mean, it was literally insane. It must have been like a nervousness, almost, if you call out who you're gonna miss.

[18:47] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah, oh no, exactly. I'm trying to think, I think there were a few that I did miss, and I was like, you gotta be kidding me, so pissed. I think I miss Cyndi Lauper, and I'm like, no, I love her. But it's true, no, they were coming all the time. They really were, and still are.

[19:00] William J Connolly: Can I ask you about your entrance in the show? You do get probably the funnest part of the show. You get to come from, in some of those UK theaters, by the way, it's very, very high. I'm not quite sure how high it was on Broadway, but it was crazy, crazy high.

[19:11] Ben Jackson Walker: Yeah.

[19:12] William J Connolly: Are you good with heights? Are you good with singing with heights? Are you good with lots of lights, singing, and heights all at the same time?

[19:17] Ben Jackson Walker: I guess so, I didn't know that I would be. I remember when our director, Luke Shepard, first told me I'd be doing that, because I actually didn't know that. Or I think, actually, my partner had been in London the day that I found out that I got it, and he had just seen the show, because they decided, he and his friend decided to go see it. He's like, oh, you know, Ben's in callbacks for this, so let's just go see it, why not? And he was like, oh, when I told him I got it, he was like, I think you've come down from the ceiling. And I was like, wait, what? And he showed me the video, and I was like, oh, that's crazy. But you know what, I've usually, I like things like that. I like heights, I like rollercoaster, I like all that stuff. So it was something that I was very excited to do. I think the first time going up, I was a little like, ooh, this is crazy. But after that first time, I was like, let's go. It's the most fun thing to get to do every day.

[20:06] Ben Jackson Walker: Also, it's not every day at work you get to be as particularly in a musical of this size, you get to be the big sort of protagonist and the big problem, I guess, with want of a better phrase, at the end of the first act, which I think must be such a thrill to be like, shit is about to hit the fan courtesy of me. And every time I've gotten to watch the show too, and to see audiences' reactions, you know, when I've watched someone else do it, it's amazing. People are not expecting that. It's the biggest gag of the show, I would have to say. But also because it's such a well-known story and because people know Romeo and Juliet so well, they are sort of waiting for him to appear. But because this story does lead you on the journey that it does, I think it almost tricks audiences into thinking he won't appear. And then when you do, it's like, uh-oh.

[20:54] William J Connolly: One of the things that I love about the writing in this is that he is very much framed in two different ways, which is through the lens of, of course, the history of this story, but also through this new lens, which is about discovering the fact that maybe he owes Juliet an apology and his journey and slowly discovering that maybe that might be the way. And we do eventually get there. I don't think it's spoiling it by saying eventually they do find amicable ground that is on more on her terms, which as it should be. But she does have this great line towards the end where she describes him as so perfectly and so British as a douche. And I wondered, how do you, one of my favorite words, how do you find light for a character who is so perfectly described by your leading lady as a douche?

And how do you actually make him lovable to an audience, which you do do very successfully, as I say, having seen you on Broadway, but it could easily just be that he's just a bit of a douche full stop, but he's not. And I guess that's the job.

[21:55] Ben Jackson Walker: I think with, you know, a lot of people, like, you know, people are misunderstood, even real douche in real life. No, I mean, I think I've always tried to think about it as, you know, he's a character, he doesn't mean to get things wrong. He doesn't mean to say the wrong thing. You know, he doesn't, he just has no other way, no other perspective, really, you know, he's been this kid who's basically grown up with all this wealth and privilege, and he's always gotten everything he's ever wanted. Then when everything happens with Julia, and he comes back from the dead, and he's thinking he's gonna get her back, and he doesn't, it's the first huge kind of tragedy that's ever actually happened to him in his life.

And I think when you haven't experienced much that first time you ever go through something like that is really heartbreaking and really difficult, you know, and so I think he's floundering and scrambling and ultimately, yeah, he kind of learns how to see something from someone else's perspective.

[22:51] William J Connolly: It must also be interesting for you as well to see how audiences connect to him, because I think, again, on paper, it would be that they're very much in Juliet's corner, but it's so interesting how audiences probably do side with him, obviously, in addition to her, but in a way that they sort of do feel sorry for him, they do realise that he is incredibly immature, that he is learning things for the first time. And it does, as you say, you know, come from a place of love, he doesn't mean to do all the things that maybe he did in the rather famous William Shakespearean text, but it must be nice to see audiences really show up for him and be like, no, he's a good guy, really. It's fine. I'm glad I don't get boozed in the end.

Thank God. And I think that goes hand in hand with the character of Shakespeare as well. You know, I think Romeo, this version of Romeo is an extension of this version of Shakespeare, and for them both to kind of go on that journey together and kind of learn from their mistakes is, you know, I think it can be pretty powerful and can endear audiences to them, you know, because they have the capacity to change and so on.

[23:45] William J Connolly: What has been the craziest reaction, just reference it there, to him that you've been like, oh, we're doing this today, are we? Have you actually been booed?

[23:52] Ben Jackson Walker: No, but you know what, I have had on that line where Anne Hathaway calls me a dude towards the end, I've gotten people to go, yeah, you are! Or I've gotten one time, no, he's not! I got somebody really sticking up for me. So I've gotten both ends of the spectrum.

[24:13] William J Connolly: There is so much been said about the show, about the genius of the writing, of course, it's incredibly funny, incredibly moving at times as well, which I think is incredibly important. And it does also celebrate music, it celebrates individuality, it celebrates great British literature, which I think is always something that we Brits are always going to celebrate and say, yeah, let's do more of that. But it also reminds us that there is also other stories that can be told on stage, even when we know them very, very well. And I wondered, does it excite you for the fact that new musicals have great possibility, there's great writing that can be done, even if it's looking at older texts and updating them in the way that's here?

Because one thing that happened, particularly when it came to the West End was, it was like, you can update stuff, it can be fun, it can be exciting, it can even be done in a great jukebox musical. But it can also shift the narrative, it can find different perspectives, we can look at things a different way to Quote Wicked, like, it just shows once again, that new writing is possible in so many different ways. And I wondered, does this writing give you hope for the fact that more stuff like this could happen in the future? And you referenced that you are a writer as well, does that sort of inspire you to do something new to realise there is always more to come?

[25:13] Ben Jackson Walker: Yes, it really does. And you know, I mean, I think there's so many musicals and shows and movies that are being made now where sometimes you can tell it's something that is, they're taking already existing material or something that people already know, and they really don't add that much to it. It is very inspiring to see something where the writers obviously took the time and like, and you can feel they love it, you know what I mean? They love the story, they love what they created. And when you can feel, you know, a show where the writer is having fun with it is amazing, you know, and aren't just checking the boxes, and get something out there and make some money. You know, in a way, this was, you know, even though it did use popular music, it was a bit of a risk, it could have fallen flat.

And it's kind of brilliant and a miracle that it doesn't, you know, and I think that's a testament to how witty and funny it is and the heart that it has. It's a great show. And I'm so glad that it's getting the love and respect that it is around the country. I did come and get the pleasure of seeing it just before you joined slightly closer to London in Wimbledon. And the reaction was as good as it was in that opening night at the West End, which was just overwhelming love and support. And also, I do think it's worth saying that there are so many different touch points and subjects that get discussed in the show. And it's so nice to see an audience of varying different ages and backgrounds be so respectful to the story that's been told on stage.

And I feel like that is something that we don't celebrate all that much in terms of audience reactions to stuff. And I've had, I've had some really great conversations recently about this. And I feel like we need to encourage that more often, because it feels like theatre should be available to everyone. And it feels like Angela is certainly going to be in the history books references one of the shows that really does that for all of the obvious reasons. It's a very, very special place for sure.

[27:01] Ben Jackson Walker: Oh my goodness. And like all the kids that see themselves in these different characters, you know, it has been amazing and so touching. And the show, I mean, it really changes people. And I've seen it, you know, and the queer themes and the themes of non-binary characters. And I've also seen it like really help, like I've had people come up and tell me and tell actors playing the characters of Francois and May, you know, that this really helped with their family. You know, this really helps relationships. And that's just, I mean, when something you're in is able to do that, that is, there's nothing more special than that.

[27:38] William J Connolly: My very final question for you, and this is my favourite question, but I can't imagine in the things that you thought you were going to achieve and succeed with 2025, that this would have been a chapter that you would have expected. But on the second of May as we record this, you are doing it, it's a real thing. You have, of course, this final chapter with the show on its tour. But when you think back to the beginning of like your Ann Juliet journey, you think back to the fact that maybe theatre could be a thing for you, like this industry is crazy, it has its ups and downs. But when you realise that maybe the theatre world could be something that you wanted to pursue, do you think that the band back then could ever have foreshadowed the fact that not only would you originate a show on Broadway, but you'd get to be on an original Broadway cast recording, that you would end up being loved and adored so much for that role that they would be crazy enough, and this is a crazy chapter as you referenced, to bring you to another freaking country, to get you to do it again, and to get you to do it with such short notice, and to put that trust and love and respect in you. Could you ever have foreshadowed that this may happen to you, all of the varying different successes that you've mentioned so far?

[28:38] Ben Jackson Walker: Oh my god, I mean, I hoped it would happen so badly. So I dreamed about it so much when I was a kid, and when I first filmed with them, and I got into theatre when I was like nine or ten, and so it's really all I wanted for so long, you know, and for it to finally happen was incredible, and like, just the biggest gift of my life. But like, I think even beyond that, like what this show has kind of showed me and being able to come to the UK is, you know, like, I think what's really important is when you get to that place is like, how you experience that time in your life, how you experience that job, and how you treat the people around you. And to have these, you know, these kind of like, seminal experiences in my life, like, bring me closer to all these new people I've never met, and like, create these like, bonds, and you know, these families really, has just been like, that's been the greatest gift.

Like, even more than I could have imagined, like, you know, getting to Broadway, or getting to be on a cast recording, or coming over and doing a tour in the UK, like, that's what I was dreaming about. But now the really great joy is actually experiencing it and being, creating all these amazing friendships and relationships and memories. I'm gonna look back on this when I'm like, 80. I'll be like, wow, I did that. That was amazing. I'm sure I'm trying to journal so I can have it all, all the ups and downs of it. So yeah, it's unbelievably special. You need to be present. It's really hard in this industry to do it because, you know, eight shows a week flies by, you've got focuses elsewhere. But I think to be present, to be here, to love and appreciate this, and you know, there may be other chapters connected to this show in the future, but I think to do this one must feel incredibly special.

And it's a huge achievement in your life and in your career. And I think that it feels nice that it's happening to someone that feels like they really genuinely do love and appreciate it. And I think that to have that feels, well, it's impossible to hide. And I think it very much sort of has shown in this conversation and has showed on your social media and online of your love and respect for this opportunity. So like, congratulations to you. It feels very, very special.

[30:43] Ben Jackson Walker: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. I do genuinely really appreciate it. Please enjoy UK audiences. I promise we won't shout much out to you in the coming weeks or should I make that promise? Maybe I shouldn't, but I promise we'll be kind to you at least. But thank you so much for your time. And most importantly, good luck with these weeks. It's going to be really exciting. So thank you so much again.

[31:00] Ben Jackson Walker: Thank you. I can't wait. See you there.

[31:05] William J Connolly: You've been listening to Eleven, the official theatre podcast. Find out more about Eleven at elevenpodcast.com or via the Broadway Podcast Network.