A Conversation With Ben Vereen

BY JANICE MARIE WILSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISAK TINER

It was a Tuesday afternoon like no other on this planet. In fact, I quickly realized within thirty minutes of my conversation with Tony Award Winner Ben Vereen, I was encapsulated in a soul-to-soul experience. He had answered immediately, and when his warmth and inviting, charming voice (like none I had ever heard) greeted me, I was breathless and star-struck!

Vereen’s tone was soft, musical, and wise. It felt like the heavens just opened, and the angels were floating in concert around me. Oh, what a feeling…. and we had only exchanged the greeting “Hi, how are you?”

He asked how I was with such heartfelt sincerity that I immediately felt a Presence surrounding me. We started with small talk of the weather in Vegas, my family, and then a powerful knowing statement riveted the airways, “You know, we are all in this together!” he said.

Photo of Ben Vereen by Isak Tiner

Few entertainers in our world are as accomplished or versatile as Ben Vereen, actor, dancer, and singer. His accomplishments illuminate the stage, screen, and education for the performing arts. From his unforgettable acting of Chicken George in Roots, Louis Armstrong in Louis Armstrong-Chicago Style, Pippin (which garnered him the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for the “Best Musical”), and winning a Tony Award nomination for his part in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” he will always be remembered for his outstanding talent.

Today, he is one of the nation’s most requested speakers among audiences of all ages. Vereen has a deep connection and feeling of understanding for his audiences. Speaking on overcoming adversity, arts in education, Black History, Broadway, recovery through physical and occupational therapy, and the importance of continuing education, he receives standing ovations.

Vereen was flying high with excitement—and for a good reason. He just had an interview from outer space! Vereen was inducted as an honorary member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity in 2019. In celebration of its 107 anniversary, Victor Glover (1st Black astronaut to arrive at the space station for a long-term stay and the 14th African American to be in space) called Vereen from the space capsule, 250 miles above the earth.

“How privileged are we?” Vereen asks, his voice filled with awe and reverence. “What an amazing moment to talk to Brother Glover, from space! He is the real guy up in the sky! Our colors for Phi Beta Sigma are blue and white. Now the heavens are filled with our blue and white flag. What an inspiration for our young children to witness an African American as an Astronaut in Space!” He reflected on the magnitude of this accomplishment. “Seeing this, the children can believe that it could be one of them one day. That is the most impactful! We all know what our children see is when they start believing they can BE!” Vereen truly has friends in high places. His feet never touched down for the rest of the conversation.

Photo of Ben Vereen by Isak Tiner

Vereen is a jet-propelled version of amazing creativity. As a child, he wanted to be a pilot. But his high energy and funny antics led him on another flight pattern. “Like I said, when the calling came, it’s funny how angels in your life point the way. I was just running around as a kid wanting to be funny. When I was six or seven years old, a gentleman came to speak to my mom. This man was in charge of integrating an all-white community and chose me to be part of the performing arts program. I didn’t know anything about the performing arts … I was good at playing stickball!”

He remembers asking his mom what a performer was. She was the one who pushed him to go out there and do something for someone else. That’s when he learned what it meant to be a performer. Vereen became mesmerized by the costumes, the performances of an all-African American 50-piece orchestra conducted by his homeroom teacher Dr. Hill. “It was thrilling, it was thrilling, it was thrilling,” he repeats three times. And if that wasn’t enough, he shared in astonishment, “Then I found out I could make a career out of it … and they would pay me!” He recalls, “I didn’t go looking for it. It found me.” A huge belly laugh shakes the airwaves.

What are you doing during the COVID-19 crisis? He has spent his time conducting virtual performances. He is working on a video for the homeless community with a retired choir director from Poway, California. He is interested in talking about the solution and the good aspect of who we are as humans. He seeks to find out how he can make it better. “In case I am homeless. I’m doing it for me.” He affirms.

I asked him, “What kinds of solutions did you find?”

“There are no solutions,” he states. “There are only opportunities—healing opportunities. Open communications and giving space for love.” A picture of Astronaut Glover in the space capsule came to mind. “When you get to that space of love and communication, it shows up beautifully. The arts are one way to fix it. Bring in the space of love,” he directs us. “Openness of love is how you begin,” he affirms. “When you find your sense of love and when you sit in that space and communicate that sense of love … wonderful things show up. The arts are one way to fix it when you don’t know what to do.”

Photo of Ben Vereen by Isak Tiner

With a calm knowingness, he continues. “People have forgotten who they are. When you are performing for an audience, you are showing up and reminding people that they are all expressions of the Divine Creator.” He believes it is through the performing arts that people use this amazing ability… to remind each other of who they are.

A presence settled between us. Vereen continued without hesitation. “I believe in waking up in the morning, putting my feet on the ground and saying, HERE I AM, is what directs my life. In my own humble way, I am driven to make it better … not for fame and fortune but for the ability to say … HERE I AM.” He pauses for a second, “Possessions will go away, but life itself is the thing!” He is here to make it better for us. Making it better is what he does best!

Vereen was named Ambassador to the Urban Voices Project. He believes that in bringing people together because of their vocal ability, they will transform their lives. “We are greater than our humanness. Greater than our situation. We have forgotten that we are better!”

He sees when this group sings together that they no longer feel or look downtrodden. There is an “Up to them.” Their lives become transformed when they sing in this choir. “All you have to do is have an open heart. Something inside of each one of them is allowed to come forth. Ahhhh, and that’s a beautiful thing,” Vereen proudly acclaims.
On June 1st, Vereen performed with the choir for a virtual homeless event (Care for the Homeless). He sang “I Want to Know What Love Is.” He truly knows love and shows it! He recalls one of the choir performers was transformed by his ability to play classical music on the piano. This performer allowed his heart to be open, and that which is greater than himself came forth. He laughed when he told me that this gentleman now has more Instagram likes than himself!

Vereen is not a stranger to heartache because he lost his son, daughter, and wife. He reflects, “That’s a lot.”

Photo of Ben Vereen by Isak Tiner

He practices the model to live one day at a time. Vereen tells us to stand up, wake up, and serve. Because when you are standing with an open heart, you are standing upright, and you have an excellent opportunity each day to ask, “What can I do for somebody else today?” He says, “It is not just an expression; I am talking to you! This is another wonderful opportunity to serve today!” I could feel my body stand up straighter. He doesn’t skip a beat. He takes a deep breath and lives another day for glory!

Having the attention of someone so wise and accomplished, I had to ask him how he felt that the COVID-19 pandemic would affect our lives. He thoughtfully paused and said he once was told that F E A R stands for False Evidence that Appears as Real. He said that “We need to look past it and ask how we perceive ourselves. We have an opportunity to solve all situations. We owe each other the responsibility to make OUR world a better place. Perceive yourself as open … that’s where you are. You are goodness and life itself.”

Photo of Ben Vereen by Isak Tiner