The Fame Reporter interviewed the unstoppable West End leading man Ben Joyce, currently starring as the iconic Marty Mcfly in the Olivier Award-winning musical ‘Back to the Future‘, based on the cult classic 1980s film. The time-turning production is now playing at the Adelphi Theatre in London.
Ben trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, First Class BA (Hons) and graduated in 2021. Ben made his West End debut as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (Trafalgar Theatre) and he was involved in a variety of workshops including Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can (Adam Spiegel Productions) and Boy Henry in The Little Big Things (Michael Harrison Entertainment). Ben played Jonny in the television series The Power (Sister Pictures/Amazon Prime).
We had the thrilling opportunity to sit down with West End star Ben and chat all about what enticed him to want to play the legendary Marty McFly, why audiences should see this classic 80s film live on stage, his West End debut in Jersey Boys, what makes people from around the globe visit the West End to see shows and more.
Welcome to The Fame Reporter Ben, what sparked your interest in performing initially?
I first fell in love with singing as a kid at about four years old doing karaoke. My parents kind of saw that there was a little spark forming and they thought maybe he might want to go to a stage school.
By the time I was nine years old I was in my first amateur show where I was playing the apple seller in Annie. That is where it started and from there, I was doing Amateur Drama and performing at stage schools.
Then eventually I decided it was something I wanted to do as a career. At about 16 years old I decided that and then I went to drama school and ended up here on the West End.
How did your experience with Back to the Future begin and what was your reaction when you landed the role?
So my journey began by seeing the show for the first time. I was in Jersey Boys at the time and my pal, and I got some last-minute tickets, and we were right down the front, and I remember thinking these seats are so good and we’re going to get all the action. I fell in love with it straight away.
Marty wasn’t a role that I saw and thought that’s definitely on my list. I think I was just experiencing it as an audience member first.
The show is so overwhelming and so funny; the dancing is great, and the soundtrack is amazing. Growing up with the film, I knew the film very well. I was proper geeking out.
It was mentioned to me by my agent at one point, they said maybe that’s a role you could do one day.
I was just loving Jersey Boys at the time, so I wasn’t thinking about it. The auditions came out and my agent asked if I wanted to go for it and I thought why not.
I was watching the film for inspiration as I was trying to remember the story and when I started auditioning. It was new in the West End. The cast before I joined was the original London cast. I found it really exciting of the thought of maybe getting to work with Roger Bart and obviously once I’d got the job, I found out that he was staying on, it was amazing. He was such an incredible Doc Brown.
You could see the relationship between Roger as Doc and the Marty Mcfly, that chemistry and the way they bounced off each other. So, I was thrilled at the thought of working with Roger Bart and the rest of the cast that stayed on.
What is it about the Marty Mcfly that enticed you to want to play him?
Marty is just so cool and I’m not saying that I am cool in anyway but seeing the way he is, and I am a big fan of the original film, especially when I started watching it so much after getting the audition. Do you know what it was as well, because I was playing Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys at the time, it was so completely different.
It was a different challenge for me. I’d been singing Frankie Valli for a year and going into something so polar opposite as a young, cool, 80s young man who loves music and has such a love for that 80s culture was really exciting.
I wanted that challenge and Frankie Valli was always a dream role of mine but seeing the material and seeing the show it was obvious to me that I really really wanted to do Marty McFly. I couldn’t ignore that even though I loved my job at Jersey Boys. I really wanted that new challenge.
What 3 performers dead or alive would you love to have a dinner party with?
Freddie Mercury, Pavarotti, and Judy Garland.
Your West End debut was as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, what was that experience like looking back achieving one of your dreams?
It was kind of surreal. It is always a dream when you are in drama school all you want is an agent and when you get your agent all you want is a job.
When I was in for Jersey Boys, Frankie Valli was my dream role. It was my first West End show I had ever seen when I was about 12 or 13 years old. It was the point that I really decided that I wanted to do it. Once I’d seen it, that was my dream from there.
When I got the audition for Jersey Boys I was in for Joe Pesci and Covering Frankie Valli. I thought that was an amazing role for me. Joe Pesci is very similar to Marty McFly, he is young, buzzing and wants to set the band up in the show. I was loving the Joe material and the Frankie as well.
During the audition process they said let’s bring you in for Frankie and then said that I was too young for Frankie. Then I went in for the final audition and they asked me to do all the Frankie material. I only signed with my agent about four or five months prior.
My agent met up with me and we were walking down the street, having a conversation and he said you’re going to be playing Frankie Valli and it was so surreal. I was just a young graduate wanting some work and suddenly, I got one of the leading roles.
It was the best job ever; I know I’m only on my second one and I love this job but as your first job it really does stick in your heart. I met some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, friends for life. I’ve made friends in Back to the Future for life as well.
Those three boys that I was in the band with in Jersey Boys, we still are so close. I will cherish those memories forever. I ticked off my dream role. Once I had done that year that’s why I was like, ok on to the next challenge now.
How similar is the show to the iconic film and what do you love about the music in the show?
It is so similar and that’s what I loved when I first saw it because it stayed so close and true to the film. We get fans who come and see the show and they finish off the iconic lines. With the musical coming out in a different time there were small things that had to change but not massive parts that altered the plot of the story.
Being a fan of the film, you’ll see the show, the costumes, the set and the characters are so similar to the film you can get that nostalgia back. That’s what our creator and writer Bob Gale said when people ask for the fourth film, he said go and see the musical because all you want is that feeling again when you first saw the movie.
That’s what the fans of the film love about it, it brings all that love of the film right in front of them and you are smacked in the face with nostalgia.
There are new songs in the show, but what’s clever about it is, Alan Silvester who wrote the original score of the film, Alan and Glen Ballard wrote the music together, they used lots of musical motifs from the original score in the musical soundtrack.
You get that famous Overture from the movie that is in the show as well. There are little nods from that Overture that are in some of the songs in the show. Fusing those aspects together is beautiful.
What is it about the West End for you that you think makes it magical or entices global audiences to attend shows?
What’s amazing about the West End is all the theatres are in the same area of town. You walk around the corner and there is another theatre and I really love that. Having lots of actor friends, I can just see them in the street.
What’s beautiful is the theatres are all bunched together, and you have such an array of live performance to watch. There are musicals, plays, ballets and more.
That hustle and bustle of town and you see people walking around with a program from that show and then you see someone with one from a different show.
The West End is beautiful and is our own little area of magic really. You get lots of touring shows in the UK, like Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, South Wales where I’m from.
There is something special about the West End and being in these beautiful theatres, some of them hundreds of years old. There’s that real magical buzz that you get.
What do you hope audiences take away from Back to the Future the Musical, that you wouldn’t get if you were just watching the film?
You get an extension of what you see in the film. Many people love the movie and want to come and get that feeling that they got when they first saw ‘Back to the Future’ on the screen. You get that and you also get those amazing, funny show numbers on top of that.
So, you not only get what you take from the film, but you also receive the extension of that. There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you are in a theatre, and you get to experience that with near 1500 people.
We feel it as well on stage, you all tune in together and you don’t really get that in a film, this is a live experience. We are doing it for you there and then. We have all the amazing moments and feeling you see in the film and more.
Fame Reporter Word Play
Back to the Future
The Musical
Dream collaborator
Queen
Favourite song of all time that you never get sick of
Rosanna
Causes you are passionate about
Children in Need
Jersey Boys
Frankie Valli
Dressing Room necessity
Toothbrush
Favourite line in the show
Where we’re going, we don’t need roads
The Power
The book
West End
Musicals
Interval snack
Ice Pop
Favourite Back to the future song
Put your mind to it
Unlimited show budget – what dream show would you do? Who would you play and who would play opposite you
Miss Saigon, I’d love to play Chris and I’d love to do it with a wonderful performer called Nathania Ong
Wales
Home
TV Binge
Bodies
Future dream
Lots of dogs
Place you want to travel to
Australia
Finally, favourite thing about performing
My cast
Thank-you for joining us at The Fame Reporter. We wish you all the best for your run in the show-stopping ‘Back to the Future The Musical’ in London’s West End.
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The Fame Reporter 