Benjamin Magnuson
Currently: Playing the cello and singing of his love for Johanna as Anthony Hope in the reconstructed Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd.
Hometown: Kettering, Ohio. Growing up, Magnuson would catch every theatrical touring company that passed through nearby Dayton. His favorite show: Stomp, which he saw four or five times.
Triple Threat: With both parents as classical musicians, it's no wonder young Ben picked up a cello in the fifth grade. He played all through high school, but when it was time to choose between two loves, Magnuson went with his gut. "When I was applying to college, I had to decide whether I wanted to go into cello or into acting," he says. "I liked practicing acting more than I liked practicing the cello, so I put it [the cello] aside, thinking I could go back to it at some point. I didn't think it would be this soon!"
Timing Is Everything: Magnuson's Broadway break came even before he graduated from Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. He had come to New York for his senior showcase and ended up landing a coveted leading role in Sweeney Todd within three weeks of arriving in the Big Apple. "It was that quick," Magnuson says. "It was good timing or karma." Karma, maybe, but it didn't hurt that Magnuson was an accomplished cellist—and director John Doyle's conception of Sweeney called for 10 actors who could provide musical accompaniment for the entire show in addition to singing their demanding roles. Marvels Magnuson, "Patti LuPone is giving me a cymbal roll as I'm running downstage for my song!"
American Idol: Speaking of the legendary composer, Magnuson's not ashamed to call himself "a Sondheim freak through and through." And he's got the elementary school research project to prove it: "In the fourth or fifth grade, I compared [the musical] Sunday in the Park with George with the painting of La Grande Jatte. My mom took me to Chicago to see the painting so I could do this report." Seurat would be amazed!
Mello Cello: Not surprisingly, Magnuson has developed a special relationship with his cello, which is on loan from a family friend. "It's a love affair—I don't know how I'm going to act without my cello after this," he quips, explaining that the instrument is about a hundred years old. "It's this orphan cello that was left behind in a string repair shop." But in spite of his fond feelings, Magnuson has never given his cello a name. "I think that might be my quest now before I finish the show," he muses. "I'll probably just end up naming her Johanna." We won't tell the human Johanna, Magnuson's co-star Lauren Molina.
Anthony Unplugged: To show off other sides of his performing personality, Magnuson has put together a cabaret show of his favorite contemporary songs intriguingly titled Who Asked Me to Annoy You With My Sad Repartee? debuting July 31 for a single performance at Urban Stages. "When you're doing a long run, you want to be creative," he explains, citing Martin Sexton, Regina Spektor and Dana Kurtz as artists he admires. "As much as I love being in this [Sweeney] ensemble, I love watching a performer who is completely dependent on himself for creating everything." But if you catch Magnuson's act, don't expect to see Johanna the Cello onstage: "I had to make a choice to make this as different from Sweeney as possible. I'm not just Anthony."