Ben Vereen, star of stage & screen, talks about upcoming Zelienople show

Ben Vereen at 54 Below

ZELIENOPLE ― Ben Vereen, a shining star of stage and screen, says he's stoked to make his only Pittsburgh-area appearance of the year Nov. 11 at the Strand Theater.

"How old is that theater?" Vereen asks at the onset of a phone interview, delighted to hear the 1914 structure, abandoned for decades, reopened in 2009 with a gala four-night event where movie star Debbie Reynolds sang, danced and told stories.

"Did she? That's sweet. I can't wait to step into the spirit of it," Vereen said.

Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen is the name of his show, but what does that involve?

"Stepping out with fun," Vereen said. "Stepping out with life. Stepping out with just who we are. It'll be a nice evening."

He's got magic to do, to quote a famous line from the stirring opening number of his Tony Award-winning run in "Pippin."

"I got magic to do," Vereen said. "I want to ignite the magic in all of us. I have a band (David Loeb, Marc Dicciani, Gregory Jones); the guys have been with me for years."

That drummer-bass-piano trio provides the melodies for Vereen to sing along to, while he showcases dance steps learned under the direct tutelage of choreography legends Martha Graham and George Balanchine.

"Vereen blows onto the stage with a gale force ready to sweep the audience up, up and away," raved a New York Daily Times reviewer.

"It's songs people know," Vereen said, "and storytelling."

Think about Vereen's legacy and the stories he can tell. He earned his first Tony nomination playing the lead role of Judas in the 1972 Broadway debut of "Jesus Christ Superstar," and 33 years later played the Wizard of Oz role in Broadway sensation "Wicked."

From ABC's groundbreaking miniseries "Roots," to portraying activist-author-abolitionist Frederick Douglass in a season five dream sequence in the Paramount+ series, “The Good Fight,” Vereen has earned acclaim for his acting.

Many will remember his guest role as Will Smith's biological father on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

"I also played Chris Rock's biological father (the 2014 film "Top Five")," Vereen said, letting that juxtaposition sink in, before letting loose with one of his warm, rolling laughs guaranteed to make anyone smile.

Vereen recalls feeling crushed when his 1980 ABC detective comedy series "Tenspeed and Brown Shoe," co-starring West Homestead's Jeff Goldblum, got canceled after 10 episodes.

"I was really having fun with that show, and as a matter of fact I should call Jeff Goldblum today because we should do a stage play together," Vereen said. "I'm going to talk him into it."

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Back to his acclaimed "Jesus Christ Superstar" role, Vereen said, "I had the privilege of playing a character which I didn't quite understand his background and reason for why he did what he did. So, I had to justify Judas. Why would this man go against the Child of God? All the children of God? That was the wildest experience, and I'm grateful for it. That was the first performance for which I was nominated for a Tony."

His Zelienople concert takes place on Veteran's Day, with all veterans and active military qualifying for $20 ticket discounts. Two veterans and their spouses will win free tickets, with details at thestrandtheater.org.

"It's all about the men and women who served our country, and really don't get any praise," Vereen said. "That's what this evening is about, to celebrate them. Show up and let them know we stand behind you and love you for what you've done for us and are doing for us."

This past June, Vereen, 77, received the Hero's Award from the First Responder’s Children’s Foundation for his volunteer presence at Ground Zero helping the 9/11 first responders.

"When 9/11 happened, I lived in Brooklyn, and I saw the second plane hit. And you cannot imagine; I still have traumatic dreams about that day," Vereen said. "I could not stay in my apartment watching the smoke roll across the city and thousands of people running across the bridges to get away. I ran the other way toward it. I got my way into the Red Cross and I volunteered and I was there for two-and-a-half weeks with firefighters and first responders. I did it because my neighbors were there, screaming for help. It was my people. Our people. Never forget. I was so upset they did this in my backyard. I can imagine what the people of Israel and Gaza are going through right now."

Twenty years after 9/11, Vereen starred in a TV commercial encouraging theatergoers to return to Broadway after COVID protocols had been lifted.

"The arts are one thing we have in life that keeps our pulse going," Vereen said. "A good song can ease a person's heart, relax them, allow them to heal. So we got to keep the arts alive. The Bible says 'In the beginning, God created,' it did not say, 'In the beginning, God manufactured.' So we are all creative aspects of that One who created us; call it Allah, Buddha, Jesus, Yahweh, that divine energy of higher power is infused in all of us, and we are the living light and creative force of that.

"That's why I say I want to light the magic inside of all of us."

What's Up

Steppin’ Out With Ben Vereen

7:30 p.m. Nov. 11, the Strand Theater, Zelienople.

$145 reserve seating at thestrandtheater.org; $185 VIP package includes early admission and meet-and-greet with Vereen.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Ben Vereen, star of stage & screen, discusses upcoming Zelienople show