Deal with the devil (From Daily Echo)

Deal with the devil

4:20pm Friday 18th March 2011 in Stage Interviews By Lorelei Reddin, Entertainments Editor

BENJI Reid is the first to admit that when he started dancing it wasn’t with any great aims in mind – but then he was about seven at the time.

“I started out making a spectacle of myself at weddings for the attention bit also for the feel of dancing,” says the star of one man show The Devil has Quentin’s Heart.

“I was doing it because it was what I enjoyed but when I got older I started to hone my craft.”

His credits as a dancer are certainly impressive. 1985 he won the GLC Break-Dance Champions with Broken Glass Street Crew and was the European Body-Popping Champion and 1986 he came second in the World Dance Championships.

He also went on to work with the legendary Soul II Soul as the main dancer and co-choreographer for their world tour, playing at the Soul Train Awards.

Since then, Benji has moved into physical theatre. He was one of the pioneers of hip-hop theatre, which combines hip-hop dancing with urban music and dialogue.

And on Thursday he comes to Southampton’s Nuffield Theatre with an exciting new show.

“The show is about a guy who wants to please his father and ends up making a deal with the devil, thinking that being ultra successful will impress his father,” he explains.

“It’s a dark, urban tale.”

Benji plays several different roles in the show and also dances – “There’s some contemporary and popping in there” – and is joined on stage by Andrew Wong who will be mixing beats.

“Over the past few months we’ve had quite a few people who are new to the theatre see the show and they’ve been surprised that this has talked to them,”

says Benji.

“I think between the subject matter and the style, there’s something that new converts to theatre enjoy. This show is definitely a good first step for people – it’s highly accessible but also challenging.”

As well as being challenging for the audience, Benji says that working on a one-man show has also been challenging for him, especially during rehearsals.

“In rehearsals it can be very taxing because you’re the only person who the director is focused on and you don’t get a chance to rest. It is an intense experience.”

Benji hopes that the appeal of offering something a bit different, as well as the fact that the show uses contemporary dance and urban sounds will help it to appeal to new audiences.

“It’s important to bring new people into the theatre,” he says.

“There are things that are timeless like Shakespeare and there are also stories that are current to our lives, and Quentin is of its time. I’d say that anyone who is curious about dance, performance or visual theatre should really come and see this show.”

The Devil has Quentin’s Heart is at The Nuffield, Southampton, from March 24 to 26.

Tickets: from £10. Box office: 023 8067 1771.