REVIEW: Ben Ballarin Gives Chops to Charles Mee's Big Love

Ben Ballarin is a New York City transplant from Melbourne, Australia whose brilliant acting chops have secured him a spot in the newest rendition of Charles Mee’s Big Love.  Derived from the classic Greco-Roman production “The Danaids” by Asechylus, Big Love examines socially and sexually fraught issues surrounding love, sex, marriage and monogamy, and brings fifty-some personalities into the mix to depict the spectrum often described as the “war of the sexes.”

Ballarin takes on the role of the silent and brute Oed, one of the three brothers surprised by the sudden departure of his fiancé.  Oed does not articulate his feelings verbally, but his body language speaks volumes and Ben Ballarin infuses the role with charisma and personality, using the art of body language to speak for itself. 

It becomes apparent early on that Ballarin has a penchant for roles that hinge on dualities, as evidenced in this performance – taking ignorance and idiocy and turning them into affable understanding.  Ballrin flirts with Oed’s emotional cadences’   seemingly drawing on innate experience, and letting inhibition fall to the wayside to extract the carnal root of Oed’s frustrated disposition.

This approach is not new for Ballarin - he thrives on maximizing a situation -as evidenced by his tenure in New York City thus far, coming to the Big Apple with little more than $700 in his pocket and a plethora of high hopes and grand ambitions.  The move proved successful, as Ballarin has since acted in three sold-out, off-Broadway productions, including Big Love, Three Sisters, and The Erpingham Camp.

Ballarin cites Liev Schreiber as one of his largest influencers and role models and the intensity that Ballarin lends to his roles in the same vein as Schreiber.  The passion that he portrays for each role, no matter how large or small, comes through in every motion, every word, and every gesture.

He is currently working on a short film with his friend and fellow Aussie Ashlin Halfnight called “Sudden Flesh,” a name that piques curiosity about its subject matter.  Sex?  Love?  We will have to wait and see what awesome acting bomb Ballarin drops on us next, but one thing is for sure, Ben Ballarin is a talented actor with a bright career ahead of him.