Everyone loves Winnie The Pooh and Benjamin Durham more than most – because he’s playing the loveable old bear on stage in Aberdeen.
“It’s an absolute joy to be playing Winnie The Pooh, a real treat,” he said. “Everyone loves Winnie The Pooh, I do, too, and I get to share in the joy audiences get from seeing him on stage.”
And he can’t wait to introduce Aberdeen audiences to the new version of Disney’s Winnie The Pooh when the family show arrives at His Majesty’s Theatre from Friday July 14 to Sunday July 16 as part of an extensive UK tour, direct from the West End.
“The Hundred Acre Wood is brought to life, the classic AA Milne stories and characters – all the things you would expect, Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, they are all there,” said Benjamin, adding a new narrative has been created for the touring show.
Adventures and fun as 100 Acre Wood comes to life on HMT stage
“Christopher Robin has gone to school for two days and Pooh is wondering where he’s going to get some honey. So we go on a big adventure, travel through the seasons, and we get to see part of their world as they have adventures and fun.”
As part of that fun, the show features the Sherman Brothers’ songs from the Disney films, such as Winnie The Pooh and The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers, but also features original poems and songs by AA Milne.
The new version is a clever mix of puppetry and actors on stage as they bring all the iconic characters to life in a show, which Benjamin hopes will delight Pooh fans, young and old.
The wonderful thing about Tiggers – and Piglets – will be brought to life in Winnie The Pooh when it arrives at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen.“We are separate but linked to the puppets. The idea in creating these puppets is that we are the children playing with these toys. We are your Christopher Robins, the way a child takes a Winnie The Pooh toy and creates the life within it,” said Benjamin.
Playing Pooh on stage evokes childhood memories for Benjamin
The actor is a lifelong fan of Winnie The Pooh and being on stage as Pooh evokes some precious childhood memories for him.
“My mum is a massive fan and growing up she brought that into our childhood for me and my brothers, so it was lovely to revisit that as an adult,” said Benjamin.
Not that taking on the role was without some daunting moments, of course.
“It’s a heavy mantle to take on and there has to be a lot of respect and love for the content,” said Ben. “The stories are now almost 100 years old, a lot of joy has been brought in that time and you have to honour what’s come before.”
While AA Milne’s books have been an essential – and much-loved – part of children’s literature since Milne created the characters in 1926, for many people it is the Disney films, first released in 1961, which embody the spirit of the Hundred Acre Wood.
Certainly, the vocal work of first Sterling Holloway and then Jim Cummings is the voice of Pooh for generations of fans. So how hard was it for Benjamin to recreate those distinctive tones?
Stage version of Winnie The Pooh will delight fans – and win new ones
“I’ve watched a lot of Winnie The Pooh and you have to take in as much as you can, especially the wonderful work done by Sterling Holloway and Jim Cummings. You have to discover what is the common theme, what are the Pooh-isms that are constantly there? So it was a lot of listening to the content then sculpting it around that by repeating it back.”
Benjamin hopes the stage version of Winnie The Pooh will delight fans and maybe win some new ones. And he has little doubt about the appeal of AA Milne’s stories.“The characters are timeless and we all know people who are like these characters. We all have friendships like that,” he said. “And the wonderful thing about Winnie The Pooh is there is no pretence, there is no animosity, it is all with love and kindness the character comes.
“There will always be a place in the world for a little yellow bear in a red top, who just wants to share love.”
‘Come and see your favourite characters sharing a wonderful time’
And he hopes audiences flocking to His Majesty’s as it transforms into the 100 Acre Wood will be just as delighted.
“Come ready to see your favourite characters having a wonderful time and sharing that wonderful time with you… and hopefully, we’ll find Pooh some honey.”
Disney’s Winnie The Pooh will be at His Majesty’s Theatre from Friday July 14 to Sunday July 16. For more information and tickets visit aberdeenperformingarts.com
