# 114 - Ben Irish on Mamma Mia, Starting Late & Jersey Boys Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029/114-ben-irish-on-mamma-mia-starting-late-jersey-boys Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029/114-ben-irish-on-mamma-mia-starting-late-jersey-boys.md Podcast: [Call To Stage with Amber Davies](https://stenobird.com/podcast/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029) Published: 2026-04-08T03:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/p.podderapp.com/1394744194/pdrl.fm/80163e/rss.art19.com/episodes/33b8d5a7-02d4-48a8-af92-c4ac69478a64.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0 Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/p.podderapp.com/1394744194/pdrl.fm/80163e/rss.art19.com/episodes/33b8d5a7-02d4-48a8-af92-c4ac69478a64.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029/episodes/114-ben-irish-on-mamma-mia-starting-late-jersey-boys Duration seconds: 1998 ## Resource GET YOUR TICKETS FOR OUR CALL TO STAGE RESIDENCY WITH GEORGINA CASTLE:  https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/georgina-castle-call-to-stage-live-residency/ On this episode of Call To Stage , we're joined by the wonderfully warm, funny and refreshingly grounded Ben Irish. Ben has become one of the West End's most reliable and versatile leading men. A self-confessed late starter — discovered through a work experience placement at an amateur theatre group in Portsmouth at the age of 15 — he trained at ArtsEd and has since built an impressive career across some of musical theatre's most beloved shows. His credits include Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys , Joe in 9 to 5 The Musical, Sky in Mamma Mia! , Sam in Ghost (which he also toured across Asia) and Hans in Frozen The Musical , which was filmed for Disney+. On this episode of Call To Stage , Amber and Ben talk about coming to musical theatre late and why there is truly no right time or right way into this industry, the family feeling that comes with long runs and touring companies, and the very real emotional and practical challenges of life between jobs. There are also stories from Jersey Boys , Mamma Mia! and Ghost , as well as conversations about setting boundaries, protecting your personal life and knowing when to say no — even when the jobs are good. For more bonus content, join the  Call To Stage Backstage Pass  on Patreon:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/calltostage⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank You To Our Sponsors Sign up today for your £1 a month trial with Shopify and start selling today at  shopify.co.uk Follow Call To Stage Instagram:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@calltostagepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029/episodes/114-ben-irish-on-mamma-mia-starting-late-jersey-boys/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/call-to-stage-with-amber-davies-6766029/114-ben-irish-on-mamma-mia-starting-late-jersey-boys.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.