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Ben Levi Ross on performing on muscle relaxers, carb-loading & his obsession with Annie Baker

By · Updated on February 20, 2024
Ben Levi Ross in "The Connector."
Ben Levi Ross in “The Connector.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

Ben Levi Ross describes originating a role in Jason Robert Brown’s The Connector as “my favorite music I’ve ever sung.” Audiences lucky enough to score a ticket to the twice-extended Off-Broadway run can expect Ross at the helm and plenty of plot twists as his character, Ethan Dobson, manipulates his way to the top of the publishing world.

Set in the mid-90s, after the initial onset of the 24/7 news cycle but before social media viral trends, The Connector explores the rise of a young journalist with questionable ethics and his fast rise in the ranks. For Ross, the production represents an opportunity to grow beyond his breakout appearance in Dear Evan Hansen, stepping into the role originated by Ben Platt.

Ethan, an anti-hero in a story about truth-telling, “fake news,” and workplace disparities, offers a window into what one might do to achieve notoriety. Sound familiar?

Queerty caught up with Ross just after opening night to find out more about his role, how he spends his free time, and what queer theatermakers inspire him.

My character in The Connector works in journalism. Any time ________ is in the news, I’m obsessed!

June Squibb. 

One of my early breaks was understudying the three male leads in Dear Evan Hansen, but in The Connector, I’m originating the role. One of the most fascinating things I’ve learned about my character of Ethan through the rehearsal process is…

When I first read the script for The Connector, my gut reaction was that Ethan’s arrogance and almost god-complex taint every decision he makes. But as we rehearsed and started performances, I realized that it’s actually his utter desperation and obsession with testing the limits that drives him. Which I think makes his story an incredibly tragic and pathetic one. 

RELATED: Vote for your favorite Live Theater in this year’s Queerties

Singing the work of composer Jason Robert Brown is like…

Singing Jason’s music is a journey because learning it is like rubbing your belly and tapping your head (or whatever that mind/body game is), but once it’s in your bones, it’s incredibly generous music that is built for actors. That, I think, is the genius of JRB. He can make something so musically complex so easily accessible to audience members and feeds the story’s forward movement seamlessly. 

Ben Levi Ross, left, and the cast of "The Connector."
Ben Levi Ross, left, and the cast of “The Connector.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

If I don’t have commitments the next day, my favorite thing to do post-show is…

Sit with my dog quietly in my home in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, or sit at Roman’s on DeKalb Avenue and eat pasta. 

The queer theatermaker everyone should be paying attention to right now is…

Jos Demme is a director who is fully in the throes of creating an original opera right now. Machel Ross is a brilliant director, and I love everything she creates. I’m always excited to see what Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley [Circle Jerk] are coming up with next. Emil Weinstein is a brilliant writer/director, and Dustin Wills is a mad genius director, and I will throw down the big bucks to see anything he makes. 

Related:

Conrad Ricamora & Cole Escola deliver a raucous romp through history in ‘Oh, Mary!’

Cole Escola’s wicked sense of humor takes to the stage, this time finding inspiration in the wild ambitions of Mary Todd Lincoln.

My biggest onstage mishap happened when…

I used a THC muscle-relaxing lotion on my lower back before going onstage for Act II and did not realize that you can fully get high from that. It was like… fine… no one noticed? I don’t think. 

The show that changed my life…

The work of Annie Baker made me want to be in plays (among some other genius playwrights I became obsessed with in high school.) I never got to see any of Annie’s plays in production until this past year when I saw Infinite Life at Atlantic. It was phenomenal, but I think it was even more meaningful to finally see something she wrote up on its feet. Her work is incredibly inspiring. 

The Connector plays Off-Broadway at MCC Theater through March 17.

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