{"id":6185,"date":"2019-07-17T19:36:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T19:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/culturalattache.co\/?p=6185"},"modified":"2020-01-10T23:52:51","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T23:52:51","slug":"the-simple-joys-of-ben-vereen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culturalattache.co\/2019\/07\/17\/the-simple-joys-of-ben-vereen\/","title":{"rendered":"The Simple Joys of Ben Vereen"},"content":{"rendered":"

It doesn’t matter whether you are a highly-acclaimed performer or a street sweeper in a small town, life can be challenging. Just ask Tony Award-winning singer\/dancer\/actor Ben Vereen. He’s had more than his share of challenges, but he maintains a sense of gratitude and pleasure in life. I call it the simple joys of Ben Vereen. He’ll be sharing that joy on Friday and Saturday night at Catalina Jazz Club with his show\u00a0Steppin’ Out with Ben Vereen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"The
Ben Vereen in “Pippin” (Photo by Martha Swope\/Courtesy of the NYPL Archives)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Besides winning the Tony for his performance in the original production of\u00a0Pippin<\/em>, Vereen has appeared in the musicals\u00a0Jesus Christ Superstar<\/em>,\u00a0Grind<\/em> and most recently\u00a0Wicked<\/em>. He was also one of the stars of the original miniseries\u00a0Roots<\/em> where he played “Chicken George.”<\/p>\n

The challenges he’s faced include the death of his 16-year-old daughter in a car accident in 1987. Then in 1992 he had the worst trifecta of a day possible. He hit a tree with his car. Later that day he suffered a stroke while walking on Pacific Coast Highway and veered into the street. Vereen was hit by a car driven by music producer David Foster. Last year he had to apologize after accusations of sexual harassment from 2015 became public.<\/p>\n

But he’s still here. Last month I spoke with Vereen by phone about his ability to maintain a positive attitude.<\/p>\n

One thing that has always been a hallmark of your point-of-view is gratitude. When you hear people saying how grateful they are on a regularly basis, do you think there is more genuine gratitude today or has it become a platitude?<\/p>\n

That’s part of this particular show. I’m looking back. How many songs did we sing about growing older and now I am older. And that Beatles song –\u00a0When I’m 64<\/em> – I’m passed\u00a0it, but I’m grateful to be. The whole idea of this show is let’s have gratitude for life. Let’s show how great this can be. All the aches and pains, which will come to you, but we’ll show you how to deal with it. This is how I’ve lived for so long. I’ve learned gratitude over the years. You don’t just wake up with it, you learn it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You’ve been through such radical highs and lows. How do you maintain that positive attitude?<\/p>\n

I don’t know that I’ve\u00a0had lows more than anyone else, but it’s how you maintain the attitude.\u00a0<\/strong>You can choose the good or the not-so-good. I sit in\u00a0meditation and if I get to a place where I’m rattled, I stop. I go to a place of gratitude and move from that perspective. At any point I could\u00a0have said, “I can’t go on, this is too much.” The Creator doesn’t give you more than you can bear. Myself it’s about spirituality and the breadth of life and the gift of life. Stop taking it for granted.<\/b><\/p>\n