Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond to star in NYCC Gala presentation of Parade — Page 11

I think there is significantly less demand for this than Into the Woods. The perfect storm of Sondheim dying, Sara Bareilles, NPH being announced after a TON of tickets were already sold very quickly skyrocketing demand while there was already limited supply, and then stellar reviews and stellar word of mouth created the phenomenon event we saw over the summer.

Parade has Ben Platt, great reviews, and good word of mouth. Those aren't nothing, but there just isn't the same energy that was behind ITW.

I'm also remembering that Into the Woods was a snap transfer. They closed the City Center production on May 15th, started teasing on their Twitter May 24th, announced May 26th, and then it was on Broadway by the end of June. It was about six weeks from closing at NYCC to starting previews on Broadway. There was never time for the energy to die down. For Parade, it'll be at least four months and I already feel like the energy has died down.

I honestly wonder if the better move might have been to send Ben back to the Music Box and be on Broadway before this week. They would have had to deal with January and February, but would've capitalized on their buzz much better and would have been able to run during the holidays.

*No one is coming to see a lynching musical.




(I mean, I would, but I love JRB’s score. But there’s no way I see this making any money with those other 2 big players revivals happening).

This is already a very crowded season for musical revivals with Camelot, Into the Woods, and Sweeney Todd. Of course, the verdict is still out on 2 of the 3 of those productions, but based on the creatives and case involved with both Camelot and Sweeney, I am expecting nothing but the very best from both shows. It will be interesting to see how Parade fits into this equation for sure.

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ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "This is moving exclusively because of Platt, and has been developed with him in mind since day 1. It is a big test of his box office draw, and I still can't properly gauge what that draw will be 6 years after he left DEH. Yes he's had TV shows and albums and movies and whatnot, but it's a crowded season and he's done some questionable projects."

One has to wonder what if anything Ben has in mind as he plots his career (or is it being plotted for him, and poorly). The DEH crowd from Ben's era is not a natural fit for this show, his Q rating is not through the roof, and as you say a lot of things he has done have been questionable. (Perhaps most concerning was his anemic concert tour for which, as a celebrated but now deceased Jewish producer used to say, he had trouble scaring up a minyan.)

Some interesting insight here, I do wonder if they had tried to pursue a more immediate fall transfer. I’d venture this still does well, considering it’s the first major revival of such a beloved show even if it’s not well known outside of theatre circles. Not everyone got to see it at City Center.

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But is it enough to sustain the run? Large cast, large orchestra. Not sure it feels justified to be an “event.”

Nicticorax said: "Is Ben Platt really famous enough to where he can totally plot his career? I know he's well-known, especially in the Broadway world, and I'm sure he gets a fair number of offers. But is he drowning in opportunities to the point where he can just pick and choose based on what fits a specific career path or image?"

I was using "plot his career" in a far less extravagant sense that you took it. A recent acting school graduate who is deciding whether to pursue film or theatre, New York or LA, is plotting. I guess I'd say it's about choices, not offers. But yes I'd say he is at the point he (or his handlers) can/could be strategic.

Updated On: 12/24/22 at 02:29 PM

HogansHero said: "One has to wonder what if anything Ben has in mind as he plots his career (or is it being plotted for him, and poorly). The DEH crowd from Ben's era is not a natural fit for this show, his Q rating is not through the roof, and as you say a lot of things he has done have been questionable. (Perhaps most concerning was his anemic concert tour for which, as a celebrated but now deceased Jewish producer used to say, he had trouble scaring up a minyan.)”

Theatre seems like a good bet for Benny. Return to Broadway every 5 years and maybe can be a draw on the level of Audra or Nathan or Idina. Theatre is where he’s had his only real succcess.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Theatre seems like a good bet for Benny. Return to Broadway every 5 years and maybe can be a draw on the level of Audra or Nathan or Idina. Theatre is where he’s had his only real succcess."

I kinda collapsed two concepts in what I said, talking about Ben's choices and about the show's prospects without properly differentiating. I agree with Nictocorax that we will have to see if this show resonates for the DEH crowd as DEH obviously did, and if it does, then both Ben and the show will have a positive outcome. (I am skeptical.) I also agree that what Ben would be after is becoming a "draw" on Broadway (and that his film/tv Q is nothing to write home about). That's the bet, but if it doesn't succeed, I'm not sure where that leaves him. To me, Parade is a high risk proposition because both the show's track record suggests he will not have a long leash for proving his drawing power. This is not a show where the audience is automatic so he has to carry it. IMO of course.

PipingHotPiccolo said: "remember a few months ago ppl were on these boards criticizing Platt for "abandoning Bway" for a film/concert career attempt (as if thats not something EVERY SINGLE WORKING ACTOR would do if they could)? i see we've abandoned that line of criticism somewhat, so i guess thats a win for the sanity column.

wouldnt it make sense for Ben Platt to want to do a show that means alot to him personally, and would most likely garner him rave reviews and a Tony nom, in a role that suits him perfectly? And wouldn't it make sense, too, that the Bway-regulars and Jewish audiences, would flock to this?

I, personally, am much more excited for Sweeney but i don't think Groban is any more of a draw than Platt, and I think Camelot will be an exceptionally expensive that needs to fill a rather large theater, no? Not sure I get all the pessimism about why this couldn't sustain a short run like what was imagined for Into the Woods originally."

Platt is nowhere near Groban.

PipingHotPiccolo said: "I, personally, am much more excited for Sweeney but i don't think Groban is any more of a draw than Platt..."

I admire both of these performers. But Groban has been selling out stadiums for nearly two decades, and while he had a wide fan base, the core does seem to be middle aged women — who tend to have more disposable income than the younger-skewing DEH crowd, for which Platt is famous.

trpguyy said: "I admire both of these performers. ButGroban has been selling out stadiums for nearly two decades, and while he had a wide fan base, the core does seem to be middle aged women — who tend to have more disposable income than the younger-skewing DEH crowd, for which Platt is famous."

One thing I figured out about this board a long time ago is that, because some of us devote our entertainment attention mostly to the theatre (or, in some cases, just Broadway, and in some cases just musicals), we get these bizarre pronouncements about what and who is popular. (There is nothing wrong with having a limited focus, but there is something wrong with pronouncements based on an assumption that the world is in sync with that focus. I agree about Groban's fan base but I disagree about the disposable income of the (relevant portion of) the DEH crowd. I think the bigger challenge is getting either group interested in a show as serious, dark, and painfully resonant as Parade. (There are, of course, those who eschew Sweeney because of subject matter, but it is much less of a challenge [because Sweeney is not really serious, its darkness is in the gothic vein and is tempered with a lot of lightness, and its resonance is (at least) more attenuated].)

Updated On: 12/25/22 at 10:44 AM

GlindatheGood22 said: "If this has indeed been planning for Broadway all along, it would explain why Grace McLean suddenly (and silently) backed out of playing the governor's wife, presumably having learned she'd been cast in Bad Cinderella."

Gaten was/is attached to Sweeney and still did the NYCC production. So I don’t think a future commitment would’ve been the reason someone dropped out.