Ben Platt at the Grammys
Ben Platt at the Grammys
#1Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:17am
What did you think of his performance?
I personally loved it very much, and thought it complemented his voice brilliantly.
"The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful" -- Ben Platt
#3Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:35am
Very nice.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Cat Guy
Leading Actor Joined: 3/17/17
#4Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:40am
His interpretation of "Somewhere" was quite wonderful.
#5Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:56amI thought it was fantastic, even if it was overshadowed by Patti’s performance. They were both great!
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
BroadwayConcierge
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/24/15
#6Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:57am
He was excellent. I even wondered if he had Spielberg's upcoming project on his mind...
#7Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 10:58amHis nervous energy and anxious delivery of the song was a turn off for me. It felt just like Evan again.
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#8Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:11am
He certainly can sing! But I would have rather heard all the right notes that Lenny wrote.
I understand it's the Grammies and they would want a contemporary feel but Bernstein's music is timeless.
And was the stripped shirt an homage to DEAR EVAN or was his real outfit still in the cleaners?
He looked very underdressed to me.
#9Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:26amYeah I agree, it's a song that should be sung straight through and with no further embellishments, its great beauty lays in the simplicity of the melody. Not Platt' s fault tho
#10Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:27amHe sounded good to me- he didn't embody the song much, just sang it, but still good. Of course Patti overshadowed him- because she both acted AND sang the hell out of it.
Darreyl with an L!
#11Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:28am
It was rather "meh" to me. The arrangement did him no favors- if we're honoring Leonard Bernstein, why would they have him sing a pop arrangement of the song? Why not let him sing it the way Lenny intended it?
It didn't really do much for me- in a lot of ways it felt like he was still playing Evan Hansen. He wasn't acting the song at all- appeared to just stand there and sing. Compare that to Patti, who both acted and sung the hell out of it, in the original key no less. I suppose Platt would have been fine enough were it not for Patti coming out immediately afterwards and delivering that knockout performance.
ohhiccup 2
Chorus Member Joined: 6/5/17
#12Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:28amI didn’t like the performance, but agree it wasn’t Platt’s fault it was what they would’ve told him to do. But the riffing just took away from how beautiful the song is to me. Maybe that’s just because I’m so not used to hearing it sung that way, it might grow on me.
CT2NYC
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/7/17
#13Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:42amI thought he sounded great, albeit a bit nervous. Considering that he's working on a solo album right now, which is supposed to feature original songs, having a contemporary arrangement of "Somewhere" was not surprising. I don't think the idea was to showcase Ben Platt the stage actor, but, instead, Ben Platt the recording artist.
Bwayfan292
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/17
#14Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 11:50amI think thats the last of ben doing something theatre related for a long time. I think hes surfaced the music insusty enough that he probally wont come back.
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#15Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:04pm
Bwayfan292 said: "I think thats the last of ben doing something theatre related for a long time. I think hes surfaced the music insusty enough that he probally wont come back."
He will def come back it might just be a few years. I think he wants to branch out and try new stuff for sure but I still think theater is his number one passion.
#16Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:11pm
It was his first song on a really national venue. Grammys might even be a bit national. .
He got a standing ovation.
I thought it was a truly passionate breakout performance
To seek revenge may lead to hell yet everyone does it but seldom as well......
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
#18Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:45pm
pretty much agree with most people here. He has a lovely voice but wished he would have sang the song the way it was written (damn American Idol for interjecting riffs throughout a song) especially since it was a tribute to Bernstein. Don't blame him, I'm sure he was just directed to sing it that way.
Patti did demand that any changes to "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" be done by the composer since they had to cut a minute from it. Ben didn't have that luxury.
#19Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:52pm
denali.fire said: "It was his first song on a really national venue. Grammys might even be a bit national. .
He got a standing ovation.
I thought it was a truly passionate breakout performance
"
But did blue Ivey stand first? It only matters if blue Ivey was the first to stand.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
#20Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:56pm
There have been countless threads on here over the years about how meaningless standing ovations are nowadays. Are we really going to be hypocrites and use a standing ovation at the Grammy Awards as a barometer of greatness?
JBC3
Broadway Star Joined: 4/9/17
#21Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 12:59pmGiven the iconic nature of Patti in Evita, comparing the two is not very useful. I liked his performance, particularly the accompaniment. His repeatedly truncated phrasing on "for us" was an interesting choice I probably would not have made.
#22Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 3:08pm
denali.fire said: "It was his first song on a really national venue. Grammys might even be a bit national. .
He got a standing ovation.
I thought it was a truly passionate breakout performance
"
The Tony Awards and the various late night and morning shows he performed Waving Through A Window on weren't 'national venues?'
Like I said in the other thread, I like Ben Platt and his talent a lot but felt like he was really out of his element. It seemed like Evan Hansen trying to sing Bernstein.
ohhiccup 2
Chorus Member Joined: 6/5/17
#23Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 3:14pmI think Ben is an amazing singer but prefer him when he’s actually in a show vs when he’s singing in a more concert like setting. It’s not just this performance where I’ve felt distracted from the actual meaning of the song he’s singing because of how much he’s riffing or doing vocal runs. That’s not to knock him and like I said he doesn’t do it when he’s actually playing a character. Just personal preference.
Cfried
Broadway Star Joined: 9/15/16
#24Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 3:15pm
It seems I'm one of the few that didn't care for his performance. The clipped "...for us" was almost irritating and I felt I was watching Evan Hansen sing West Side. I also did not understand the contemporary arrangement when this was supposed to be a celebration of Leonard Bernstein. Ben is a very talented artist, but this was not the right song for him. He's not the leading man-Tony type, so the performance didn't work for me.
Updated On: 1/29/18 at 03:15 PM
#25Ben Platt at the Grammys
Posted: 1/29/18 at 3:31pm
He has a great voice don’t get me wrong, but I hated his phrasing, it felt like he was still playing Evan. Its”there’s a place for us...breath...somewhere.....” and not “There’s a place....breath...forus SOMEWHERE”
You just felt his nervous energy for a song that should be and was likely chosen for its optimism in the face of adversity. If they were adamant about having Platt perform he should of done Something’s Coming or Maria.
If they wanted Somewhere to be sung they should of gone with other CBS family broadway stars like Jeremy Jordan, Patina Miller, or Christopher Jackson (another Grammy winner).
If anything they should of chosen New York, New York, as it would if been on the nose, and should of opened the show with a taped piece bringing in the Nominees at the various locations in the song, and then mixing it with Jay-Z’a Empire state and Billy Joel’sNew York state of mind. They were at Billy Joel’s home venue and didn’t even have him perform. thats an argument dor a different day though.
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