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MICHAEL BALL :: A LOVE STORY ONSTAGE 1 Stage superstar has a ball conquering the world stage 1 Published in PRESS Magazine January 2004
Michael Ball has a career that spans almost two decades in theatre, stage, recording and hosting his own television and radio series and has, with his proven and varied talent, won both critical acclaim and the hearts of the public with his memorable performances. Possessing one of the finest voices of the century, his is an incredible tenor that really soars and his evocative voice adds a haunting flavor to many very well known songs. Once voted the most bankable name by the Society of West End Managers, Britain’s leading musical star continues to embrace audiences worldwide with his incredible voice and unique stage and studio presence. Born in the West Midlands on 27 June 1962, Michael Ball trained at the Guildford School of Acting and graduated in 1984. That same year, he made his debut in professional theatre as Judas/John the Baptist in Godspell which was staged in Aberystwyth, Wales. However, it was playing Fredric in the production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Opera House in Manchester that proved to be his first major break. His star performance in the lead role captured the attention of Cameron Mackintosh who offered him the role of Marius in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1985 production of Les Misérables at the Barbican Centre & Palace Theatre, London. Two years after his West End debut, Ball went on to star as Raoul when The Phantom of the Opera was first staged at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Shortly after, he starred in Aspects of Love, another Andrew Lloyd Webber production, where his memorable performance as Alex Dillingham, a role he created on the London stage, led to his Broadway debut and skyrocketed his career to star status as he took the production’s emotionally charged title song “Love Changes Everything” to number one in the late 1980s. In May 1992, Ball represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest aired live on television to an audience of 600 million viewers worldwide. Finishing in second place, his song entry, “One Step Out of Time” shot to the top of the UK charts and his first solo album, Michael Ball simultaneously captured the top of the Album's list. Since then, there have been 11 gold and platinum solo albums and several sell-out UK tours. Following his success in Eurovision, Ball undertook several major tours of the U.K. and has, since then, undertaken several sell-out tours both in and out of the country. Ball also hosted two seasons (1993-1994) of his own popular television series "Michael Ball" on Carlton TV. Among the internationally acclaimed performers who grazed his show included Cher, Gloria Estefan, Monsterrat Caballe, The Bee Gees, Take That, Robert Palmer, Harry Connick Jr., Shirley Bassey, and James Brown. His performance as Giorgio in Stephen Sondheim's critically acclaimed musical, Passion, which ran at the Queens Theatre in London in 1996, won him rave reviews. Three years later, Ball was presented with the Theatregoers Club of Great Britain's award for Most Popular Musical Actor of the last 21 years and was also voted the Royal Variety Club's Best Recording Artist. In 2002, a proven and varied talent, Ball made a triumphant return to the West End Stage and starred for nearly two years as the delightfully eccentric Caractacus Potts in the massively successful musical production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium in April 2002. Winning both acclaim and the hearts of the public with his memorable performance, his popularity was not only cemented further, but he has also reached a new generation of fans. Having performed countless times for over a decade, of all Ball’s work, the most interesting is perhaps his performance in the one-man show Alone Together which once again gained him critical acclaim. Held at the Donmar Warehouse in 2001, it was a somewhat darker affair than Ball’s usual productions. Told through song, the play focused on the life of an entertainer, while using a love affair as a concept. Singing for nearly two hours, he illustrated the highs and lows of a relationship through music where the various numbers used for acts were as diverse as Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Segue and Gershwin. Inspired by the production’s method of telling a story through song, Ball decided to make an album under the same premise. Thus, A Love Story was born. Released last October 2003, Michael Ball’s latest solo recording is a beautiful, haunting and emotionally evocative album. A 12-track CD, the musical selections coupled by the tracks’ creative sequencing is a bittersweet journey that tells the story of a relationship from beginning to end. Sung in Ball's smooth and subtle vocals while using his supple tenor in melodramatic and stagy ways throughout the album, it is a completely enjoyable aural experience that audiences would enjoy as they listen to the odyssey of his vocal chords which perfectly complement a musical collection that would be deemed by anyone to be the perfect soundtrack to any love affair. Produced by veteran LA producer Simon Franglen who had previously been Barbara Streisand's musical director and David Foster's (Celine Dion) arranger and engineer, and recorded at AIR Studios with the UK's premier rhythm section and a 55 piece orchestra, A Love Story ably highlights Ball's strength: his soaring, mellifluous vocals. Taking on a sophisticated but fresh approach, A Love Story is an intoxicating ride of musical styles that is full of tenderness, honesty, humor and an almost disturbing sea emotion. Beginning with Kenny Chesney's sentimental, "You Had Me From Hello", moving through the peaks and troughs of a modern relationship in “You’ve Changed” and to coming full circle with the classic, “Me and My Shadow”, a duet with with recent Nine Tony nominee Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, A Love Story is an album for anyone and everyone who’s ever known what it is to love, lose and love again. Other highlights include Michael Ball’s take on Burt Bacharach's memorable “God Give Me Strength”, Jim Croce's evocative “Time in a Bottle”, to Robert Palmer’s gently romantic “She Makes My Day”. Almost twenty years since his debut as an artist and a performer, appearances in countless musicals, twelve solo albums, his own TV show and numerous sold-out UK tours, Michael Ball continues to take listeners through beautiful musical journeys with his evocative voice and timeless music.
© Valerie V. Mayuga, 2005
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