walkingtilwefall

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Ben Fankhauser is going to be in a production of Mystic Pizza.

It's starting in Florida and then moving to Papermill in February. It's being called a tour so I don't know if there are stops beyond that.

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please tell me why Stephanie just shared this again

Sometimes you’re just scrolling down your Instagram feed and you see someone being all like “I like Zach, Steph, Dan and Jacob but I would really like them on Mt. Rushmore”*

And you’re bored and kind of not feeling well but you’re like “IS THAT A CHALLENGE???”

And then this happens.

*(note: not her exact words)

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I just realized the last two scripted musicals I’ve seen on Broadway have both ended with Ben Fankhauser basically pantsless

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If you live in Sacramento and you were planning on seeing Fiddler at the Music Circus in July, you'll see two Newsies. Josh Burrage is in the ensemble and Ben Fankhauser is playing Perchik.

EDIT: THREE Newsies! I have just been informed Jack Sippel is involved as well.

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What do you like about Jacob Kemp David?

Sorry, just seeing this now!

I actually was not a fan of Newsies prior to seeing the tour. I was living in NYC when it opened on Broadway but was too busy to see anything on Broadway, and I had seen the movie on VHS when I was a kid (probably about 7 or 8 years after it came out) and wasn't, like, transfixed. When the tour was announced and happening, I was living with family in Boston. I grew up doing theater with Jacob (not professional, just stuff at camp) and I've always been the kind of person who will show up for people years after we stop seeing each other on a regular basis because I like to celebrate my friends' accomplishments. He was also one of the nicest people I knew, and I felt bad for having drifted apart (I had tried to get our core friend group together multiple times over the years but one girl was basically like "stop trying, nobody cares" and looking back, she was probably wrong but I didn't want to hear that from multiple people so I just kinda gave up) so it was really important to be there.

I saw the show in Boston on the last night of the tour, and his performance completely blew me away. I'm a very anxious person by nature and I think he played his Davey a lot more anxious than Ben did (and no shade to Ben, I ADORE Ben) which made Davey's accomplishments that much more rewarding to see because it read like he had much more at stake. I thought he worked very well with Dan, and I felt as if their connection was more based in their character work than Ben/Jeremy's who, I felt, worked well together because they knew each other before Newsies. I CARED about the characters (mostly Davey, of course, but all of them) after I saw the show and Jacob's performance. I think I still would have had fun if he had never been cast or if I had a time machine and got to see it on Broadway before finding out he was in the tour, but I don't think I would have become a full-fledged Fansie.

My absolute dream would be to see him and Ben in a production of Blood Brothers, never mind the fact that they're both wayyyy too old, lol

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Stephanie Styles (Y1 Tour Katherine) got married this weekend and I spot my fave Davey in the back of the people pile

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i cannot stress how badly i think davey should’ve gotten his own solo song

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My two favorite Daveys could both easily play the Man in the Yellow Hat, so this checks out

does anyone see my vision?

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Ben Fankhauser was supposed to perform at 54 Below last night and his song got cut and I’m super bummed. Like, the show was still phenomenal but he was why I bought the ticket 😭

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I say this with all the love and the utmost respect but what. WHAT.

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Like many musical theater fans, I am fully obsessed with that Lie Detector Interview for the leads of "Merrily" and now I'm so salty we never got one for "Regina Comet" because you know full well Ben would have gone Full Jonathan and it would be up to Alex and Bryonha to keep him in check.

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things I’m salty about

Ben Fankhauser never got to have a guest spot on Mrs. Maisel

Jacob Kemp has yet to make his Broadway debut

we haven’t gotten either of them OR BranUran as Seymour in LSOH

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Ben Fankhauser is workshopping a musical right now and one of the other actors posted this delightful video from behind the scenes.

(IIRC he's been involved with this particular show in the past so when he was tagged in a post about it I thought the person posting was just doing a throwback post or tagging him in a post about the production to get his attention but nope, he's actually in this thing. It closes today and it's on the other side of the country, unfortunately.)

Vid Credit: Maren Montalbano

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I was in the audience for this and it was magical

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I’m screaming

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It’s Ben Fankhauser’s birthday!

although I believe the correct term is Fanksgiving

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I regret to inform you that he did not do impressions. He did, however, do “Suddenly Seymour” and it was glorious.

He didn’t really stick around after the show so I didn’t get to talk to him which I am actually seriously bummed about because it was the first time seeing him in anything since December 2021 (and I haven’t seen my other fave Davey in four years which is deeply upsetting) but he sounded great and if he ever plays Seymour I will bankrupt myself to go see it.

I just realized something...

and I could be wrong, he could be playing it completely normal BUT

I have felt terrible about not being able to go to literally ANYTHING Ben Fankhauser did in 2022. Either it conflicted with a work thing, I was out of town, or I knew he was featured so little in the thing that I couldn’t justify spending.

Anyway, I found out like a month ago that he was going to be one of two guest performers at a 54 Below solo show in the end of April. The solo artist is a woman from TikTok who does impressions of Broadway people. She has Broadway guests on her TikTok occasionally and they do impressions too.

BEN MIGHT DO IMPRESSIONS OF OTHER BROADWAY PEOPLE