David Benson - Stage

Stage

As a young man, Benson held various jobs: including as a "skivvy" in a restaurant kitchen, and as an assistant in Scotland's first gay and lesbian bookshop. Between 1990 and 1996 he worked in the Edinburgh-based Grassmarket Project Theatre Company, performing in a series of award winning semi-documentary dramas, often improvised, ranging from homeless men (Glad, 1990–92) to pensioners (One Moment, 1993), and a young lady whose brother was killed in police custody (20/52, 1995). These productions gave him his first taste of theatrical success, when One Moment, an improvised drama devised by Jeremy Weller, won a Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1993.

It was at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1996 that he premiered his first one-man show, Think No Evil of Us: My Life With Kenneth Williams, a semi-autobiographical production based around the life and career of comedy actor Kenneth Williams, performed mainly in character as Williams; and which, as with his subsequent Edinburgh shows (with the exception of Star Struck), was entirely written by himself. The show was an instant hit with audiences, and won a Scotsman Fringe First award. It then went on national tour, culminating in a short West End run during 1998. It was revived in 2001 and still tours today: Benson claims he will continue touring the show "'till I drop".

In 1998 he premiered his second one-man show, at the Assembly Rooms, during the Edinburgh Fringe. Titled Nothing But Pleasure, it was timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and consisted mainly of a detailed description of the events at her funeral. Nothing But Pleasure was subsequently invited to the Sydney Festival, where Benson and pianist/arranger David Paul Jones performed it in The Playhouse at the Sydney Opera House in January 1999. The show then ran at the Jermyn Street Theatre London during 2000, under the new title Mourning Glory.

After a period of theatrical inactivity David Benson returned to the Fringe and to touring in 2001, writing and performing a sequel to Think No Evil Of Us - My Life With Kenneth Williams, and in the process breaking a vow he had made in 1998 never to play another dead, camp comic ("As if I intended to spend the rest of my life impersonating dead, camp comedians!"), turning his attention to the late Frankie Howerd. To Be Frank played The Pleasance, Edinburgh at the 2001 Festival. As well as being an examination of the life and career of Howerd, the show, like all of Benson's work, has a strong autobiographical element: he gives an uncompromising account of his "period of theatrical inactivity" in a sequence which culminates in the uproarious "slaughter" of a collection of "irritating television personalities". This production is one which he still tours today, subtitled Frankie Howerd and the Secret of Happiness (an ironic comment on the fact that Frankie never seemed to find that secret).

In January 2002 Benson appeared, for the first time, in a play. He stepped into the breach to take a role in the Peepolykus production of Eugène Ionesco's absurdist classic Rhinoceros, which toured the UK for the first half of the year, before returning for a sell-out season at the Lyric Hammersmith and a sell-out date at the Battersea Arts Centre. It was during the long drives to and from these shows that Benson and Peepolykus founder David Sant first discussed the possibility of working on a new show together. The result, in 2003, was Star Struck, his fourth one-man show, in which he appeared in character as, amongst others, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Noël Coward, and even Judy Garland - a show which he premiered at that year's Edinburgh Fringe. During 2003 he also appeared in a production of Joe Orton's Loot directed by Cal McCrystal, at the Derby Playhouse, in which he took the role which Kenneth Williams had played in the original 1966 West End production.

Benson has also directed for the stage. In 2003 he directed (and co-created) All The Rage, the first solo stage show by the media personality Janet Street-Porter, which premiered at that year's Fringe. In pantomime, he starred in Jack and The Beanstalk at the Newbury Corn Exchange, once again directed by Cal McCrystal, for Christmas 2004. He subsequently wrote two pantomimes, Cinderella and Dick Whittington, both of which were directed by McCrystal at Newbury.

Between 2005 and 2007 he developed three further one-man shows, all of which were written by himself, premiering each in turn at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. These were, respectively, David Benson's Haunted Stage ; It's A Plot: David Benson's Conspiracy Cabaret ; and Why Pay More. He continued touring in his earlier shows, as well as making Christmas appearances in pantomime. In 2006 his appearance at the Fringe also included the 10th anniversary production of Think No Evil Of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams. Additionally in 2006, during a busy year he appeared in a play at the Theatre Royal Winchester directed by James Barry, starring in the comedy Same Time, Next Year, in which he took the Alan Alda role from the film.

In August 2008 he again premiered a one-man show at the Fringe, turning his attention to Noël Coward once more, with David Benson Sings Noel Coward. This show originated as a cameo impression of Coward in Benson's original 1996 stage production of Think No Evil Of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams, a cameo which led to his being offered a continuing role as Noël Coward in the BBC television series Goodnight Sweetheart. This in turn led to his performing a number of Coward's monologues and songs on stage, as part of the "Hollywood Party" sequence in his one-man show Star Struck, which he premiered at the Fringe in 2003, built around the Coward monologue Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

Benson continues to direct. At the 2008 Fringe he directed - as well as wrote - the First World War drama My Grandfather's Great War, starring Cameron Stewart, based upon the experiences of Stewart's grandfather in the 1914-18 War as recorded in his war diaries. After premiering at the Fringe, the production toured in spring 2009 and enjoyed a London run in November 2010.

In his on-line blog Benson talks about his role in the London production of the revival of the black comedy Future Me by Stephen Brown, originally produced in 2007, in which he toured during February and March 2009 and then played London's Only Connect until 26 April. As ever, in 2009 he appeared throughout August at the Edinburgh Fringe, in a new one-man show written by himself, premiering Dr Whom? My Search for Samuel Johnson, giving the definitive account of the life of Dr Johnson, the man who, in the 18th Century, wrote the world's first ever dictionary of the English language.

During 2009 he also appeared in a play with author Clayton Littlewood and singer Alexis Gerred, playing a number of character roles in an adaptation of Littlewood's best-selling book Dirty White Boy (a book which became a favourite of Elton John), about the crazy Soho characters, all played by Benson, who the author came to know during his time running a clothes shop in London's Old Compton Street. Having done sell-out performances in July 2009, Benson returned in a longer version of the play for a month's run in 2010, appearing at London's Trafalgar Studios until May 26.

He continues to sing. August 2010 found him once again at the Edinburgh Festival, premiering two new productions for the Fringe at the Gilded Balloon. The first of these, The Singalong Glee Club, continues his musical career where his Noël Coward song spiel leaves off, with a musical evening featuring well-known songs from his 20th century songbook, but on this occasion not exclusively by Coward. His repertoire includes "Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars" (Irving Berlin, 1915), "All the Things You Are" (Kern/Hammerstein, 1939), and "Collegiate" (Jaffe/Bonx, 1925). His pianist was once again Stewart Nicholls.

The other show which he premiered at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe was a drama, once again written by himself, titled Lockerbie - Unfinished Business, telling the story of Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. This production garnered him international notices, including the New York Times and as far afield as Hollywood, winning him a Scotsman Fringe First award, and for which he was nominated for an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award. He talked in his on-line blog about the national and international media coverage which the production received.

He also talks about his theatrical experiences, and the blog reveals details of his showdates. He now has a dozen one-man shows in his theatrical repertoire, with which he continues to tour, including Think No Evil Of Us: My Life With Kenneth Williams; Nothing But Pleasure (a.k.a. Mourning Glory); To Be Frank: Frankie Howerd and the Secret of Happiness; Star Struck: A Fantasy Celebrity Party; David Benson's Haunted Stage; It's A Plot: David Benson's Conspiracy Cabaret ; Why Pay More ; David Benson's Christmas Party ; Doctor Whom: My Search for Samuel Johnson; David Benson sings Noel Coward; and the two productions which he premiered at Edinburgh in 2010, The Singalong Glee Club and Lockerbie: Unfinished Business.

For Easter 2011 he did a London season at The Warehouse, Croydon from 6 to 17 April, presenting Lockerbie: Unfinished Business and his two most enduring shows: Think No Evil of Us - My Life With Kenneth Williams and To Be Frank - Frankie Howerd And The Secret of Happiness.

Thereafter he was engaged for a major new National Theatre production of Richard Bean's comedy One Man, Two Guvnors, an adaptation of Goldoni's Servant of Two Masters, directed by Nicholas Hytner with Cal McCrystal. Benson had previously worked with McCrystal in Loot (Derby Playhouse, 2003) and Jack and The Beanstalk (Newbury Corn Exchange, Christmas 2004), both productions which McCrystal directed; and, in addition, Benson wrote two pantomimes (Cinderella and Dick Whittington) which were directed by McCrystal at Newbury. The 2011 National Theatre production, starring popular television actor James Corden, was presented at the Lyttelton Theatre on London's South Bank for a ten week season from May 17 to July 26, and toured the UK throughout October, including playing a week in Cardiff and a week in Edinburgh. Benson plays the waiter, Gareth, whilst also understudying two of the main parts, including Charlie.