Michael Ball (born Michael Ashley Ball, on 27 June 1962 in Bromsgrove, England) is a British actor and singer, best known for musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Although born in England, Michael Ball is half Welsh, and says jokingly that he considers himself "Wenglish" and proud to be British [1]. He studied Drama at the Guildford School of Acting and graduated in 1984. His first major break was a star part in the production of The Pirates of Penzance at the Opera House, Manchester. Next came a brief stint in Rep. Cameron Mackintosh saw him and cast him as Marius in Les Misérables. Next came Raoul in the second casting of Phantom of the Opera, and Alex in Aspects of Love, both in London and on Broadway, and Giorgio in Stephen Sondheim's London production of Passion. Alone Together was Michael's one man show first performed at The Donmar Warehouse (which was reprised in 2004 for the Singular Sensations season at the Haymarket). In 2002 Michael took on the role of Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which was largely considered his comeback role. In 2005, at 10 days' notice, he replaced Michael Crawford, who had to leave the show due to ill health, as Count Fosco in The Woman in White, and gave a popular and critically-acclaimed performance.
Other performances include singing at the BBC's St David's Day concert, at the Les Misérables Tenth Anniversary Concert in 1995, and the fiftieth birthday party of Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1998. He is a dramatic baritone known for his range, expression and power.
Michael is an accomplished concert artist and tours frequently around the UK. He has also performed concerts in Australia and America. Since reaching the top of the British charts with "Love Changes Everything" (from Aspects of Love) Michael had small successes with follow up singles but in the main he has concentrated on releasing albums, all of which achieved Gold status within weeks, and in the case of The Movies album in 1998, Platinium in 7 weeks{was released Oct 26th confirmed Platinium status in interview on 12 Dec}. Michael represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992, singing the song "One Step Out of Time", which finished second.
Michael has also turned his hand to presenting both on TV and radio and has presented The National lottery, Children in Need and This Morning, and had his own series on TV and radio (Ball over Broadway on BBC Radio 2) (which is in its fourth season), The Greenroom, and several specials for BBC Radio 2 on subjects such as Nat King Cole, Cameron Mackintosh, and Cy Coleman.
In September 2005, Michael made his NYC Opera debut as Reginald Bunthorne in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience with the New York City Opera.
In October 2005 Michael released his latest album "Music". The album went into the UK charts at number 11, and spent 10 weeks in the top 75. The album finished the year the 99th best selling album of 2005.
In November, 2005, Michael returned to Broadway as Count Fosco in The Woman in White, which transferred from London's West End. However, he was forced to leave the show due to a reported viral infection caused by the fat suit required for the role, which reportedly raised Ball's body temperature by several degrees during the show. The suit is also thought to have been the cause of Michael Crawford's premature departure from the show in London. The show closed early, in part due to the health problems of Ball and leading lady Maria Friedman.
Michael spent the first quarter of 2006 on complete vocal rest, following the illness that caused him the leave Woman In White on Broadway. By the middle of July, Michael had taken part in the Royals Court's celebratory performance of The Rocky Horror Show, recorded a new album (called "One Voice", due for release on 30 October 2006) and made a guest appearance on Julian Lloyd Webber's album "Unexpected song". Then came the summer concerts at Aberdeen, Bath, Southport, Oakley Hall and Cardiff. In August, Michael sat in for Michael Parkinson on his Radio 2 show. He was interviewed for Radio 3's "Stage and Screen" programme, and recorded a tribute to Anthony Newley at Hackney Empire, also for Radio 2. Michael then took part in 'Proms in the Park' in Singleton Park, Swansea. He sang two tracks from his forthcoming album, 'One Voice'; the title song and 'Hero'. Michael also sung show stoppers, 'This is the Moment', 'Anthem' and 'Love Changes Everything'. In November, Michael will be releasing a new DVD containing all the best songs from his 'Live in Concert' DVDs. They will be split into five sections: Musicals, Love Songs, Personal Favourites, Party Time and Unplugged. The DVD will also include a brand new "Unplugged" session which Michael has recorded with just 4 other musicians in the studio especially for this DVD. It will be released on November 20 2006. Six days later he will join Petula Clark in concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. (In 2004, he co-starred with her in a production of Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard at the Cork Opera House in the Republic of Ireland, which was later broadcast by the BBC. Michael has lots of promotional activities coming up at the end of the year with the release of his new album 'One Voice'.
It has been announced that Ball will be taking the lead role in Kismet in June/July 2007 for the ENOdetails can be found on the English National Opera website.There will also be a tour but exact dates are not known yet{Michael confirmed this during his Stage and screen interview}.
He is currently sitting in for Johnnie Walker on his Sunday afternoon BBC Radio 2 show.
When A Child Is Born
Michael Ball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A tiny star lights up way up high
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
This comes to pass when a child is born
A silent wish sails the seven seas
The winds have changed, whisper in the trees
And the walls of doubt crumbled, tossed and torn
A rosy hue settles all around
You've got to feel, you're on solid ground
And for a spell or two no one seems forlorn
This comes to pass when a child is born
And all of this happens because the world is waiting
Waiting for one child, black, white, yellow, no one knows
But a child who would grow up and turn tears to laughter
Hate to love, war to peace, everyone to everyone's neighbor
Misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten forever
It's all a dream and illusion now
It must come true, sometime soon, somehow, somehow
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
This comes to pass when a child is born
This comes to pass when a child is born
The lyrics of Michael Ball's song "When A Child Is Born" are a poetic representation of the miracle of birth and the hope and change that it brings. The first two lines paint a picture of a ray of hope emerging amid darkness, giving way to a new beginning. The third line expands on this idea by suggesting a brand new morning is dawning across the land, enveloping it in newness and possibility. The rest of the song revolves around the idea that a child's birth has the potential to bring about great changes in the world.
The second verse of the song further explores the transformative power of a child's birth. It speaks of a silent wish that sails the seven seas, with winds that whisper in the trees. Doubt is said to crumble and be torn, as the walls of insecurity and uncertainty are destroyed by the sheer joy of the child's birth. The third verse talks about the happiness and equanimity that can come with the birth of a child, when people feel optimistic and hopeful, and no one is forlorn.
The last verse of the song moves towards the wider picture of the impact of a child's birth on the world. It suggests that the world is waiting for a child who can grow up to change the world, regardless of their race, color or ethnicity. The child is expected to turn tears to laughter, hatred to love, and bring about hope for peace and coexistence among all people. The song culminates with the chorus repeating the idea that a new dawn is coming when a child is born.
Line by Line Meaning
A ray of hope flickers in the sky
There is a small but hopeful sign in the sky
A tiny star lights up way up high
A small star shines very brightly in the sky
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
A new day is beginning across the whole land
This comes to pass when a child is born
All of these things happen because a child has been born
A silent wish sails the seven seas
A secret hope travels all around the world
The winds have changed, whisper in the trees
The wind has shifted and is now carrying a special message
And the walls of doubt crumbled, tossed and torn
The doubts people had are breaking down and disappearing
This comes to past when a child is born
All of these things happen because a child has been born
A rosy hue settles all around
Everything becomes more beautiful and positive
You've got to feel, you're on solid ground
You feel secure and sure of yourself
And for a spell or two no one seems forlorn
For a little while, nobody is sad or lonely
This comes to pass when a child is born
All of these things happen because a child has been born
And all of this happens because the world is waiting
All of these things happen because the world is ready for change
Waiting for one child, black, white, yellow, no one knows
The world is waiting for any child, regardless of race
But a child who would grow up and turn tears to laughter
A child who will bring joy and happiness to the world
Hate to love, war to peace, everyone to everyone's neighbor
A child who will bring about love and peace between all people
Misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten forever
The world will be free from pain and sadness
It's all a dream and illusion now
These changes seem impossible right now
It must come true, sometime soon, somehow, somehow
But it will happen, hopefully very soon
All across the land dawns a brand new morn
A new day is beginning across the whole land
This comes to pass when a child is born
All of these things happen because a child has been born
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alberto Salerno, Bembo A Baldan, Ciro Dammicco, Francesco Specchia, Maurizio Seymandi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Maguire
on Wherever You Are
This song was probably written by Graham Gouldman and Andrew Gold