Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond to star in NYCC Gala presentation of Parade — Page 2

Also, is there any insight on if they are performing the original version or the updated one from Donmar?

Updated On: 5/17/22 at 01:54 PM

CarlosAlberto said: "OhHiii said: "CarlosAlberto said: "It’s funny - I feel like I’m experiencing deja vu. When Borle was replaced by Harris for ITW many on here expressed their dislike, cancelled tickets and made assumptions that he wouldn’t be good. We all know how that turned out.

Now some of you are doing it to Platt?

SMDH."

Yes….believe it or not, it is indeed possible to dislike more than one performer’s talents at a time! I know. I was shocked to learn this too."

That was not the point of my post ding-a-ling."

Ding-a-ling? Ouchhhhh the burrrrrrrrn. What is this 1992?

1000% not a fan of Platt, but I think Arden can pull out a great performance from him.

JSquared2 said: "OhHiii said: "CarlosAlberto said: "OhHiii said: "CarlosAlberto said: "It’s funny - I feel like I’m experiencing deja vu. When Borle was replaced by Harris for ITW many on here expressed their dislike, cancelled tickets and made assumptions that he wouldn’t be good. We all know how that turned out.

Now some of you are doing it to Platt?

SMDH."

Yes….believe it or not, it is indeed possible to dislike more than one performer’s talents at a time! I know. I was shocked to learn this too."

That was not the point of my post ding-a-ling."

Ding-a-ling? Ouchhhhh the burrrrrrrrn. What is this 1992?"



Would you prefer to be called a "f**king moron"??"

Thank you JSquared2. I was gonna "go there" but I'm trying to minimize the amount of PM's I get from the moderators this month!

Call_me_jorge said: "Also, is there any insight on if they are performing the original version or the updated one from Donmar?"

I THINK the Donmar script is the authors' preference now. For the Avery Fisher concert, JRB re-orchestrated that version for a full orchestra. My guess is that it will be the exact same books (script/orchestration) as that production, possibly with some modified keys.

Will also be interesting to see if JRB conducts, or if he has his trusted collaborator Tom Murray conduct, or if the new Encores MD will conduct.

Updated On: 5/17/22 at 03:04 PM

A minor tidbit from JRB's newsletter:

Really exciting news, just announced today: PARADE is coming back in a revival starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, directed by Michael Arden, with a full orchestra. Featuring all of Alfred Uhry's Tony Award-winning book and Don Sebesky's monumental orchestrations, this will be the first time PARADE has been staged in New York City since Hal Prince's original production in 1998! At New York City Center November 1-6! Go to City Center's website to find out how to snag tickets for what is sure to be a tremendous experience.

He also notes that his new musical THE CONNECTOR (with a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman and directed by Daisy Prince) will premiere in New York in February 2023 (theatre tba). It has been described as "a chamber musical" about "an aspiring writer who has his first article published by The Connector, a magazine with a storied history."

Updated On: 5/17/22 at 10:29 PM

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "He also notes that his new musical THE CONNECTOR (with a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman and directed by Daisy Prince) will premiere in New York in February 2023 (theatre tba). It has been described as "a chamber musical" about "an aspiring writer who has his first article published by The Connector, a magazine with a storied history.""

2022 is definitely the year of JRB. I believe he said in an interview that this is opening off-Broadway.

The original isn’t recorded anywhere right? Would love to see the original staging especially in that space. Was it a big show? Big set pieces?

I’ve never been a fan of overindulgent riffing, which is why Ben sometimes bugs me as a performer in the same way that Shoshana does, but he does have a wonderful voice and beautiful tone and I’m sure he will be excellent in this role. I thought he was first class in DEH on Broadway, and brought great energy to the stage. I also wonder if this casting would have been more warmly received if it was before the DEH movie and wasn’t currently the trendy thing to hate on Ben lol!

He’ll also help put bums on seats - the guy sells out big concert venues, so this is pretty savvy casting imo.

The first act of Parade was excellent, with the opening 15 minutes nothing short of thrilling. The second act fell apart. Since the score is excellent, I have always blamed the book for the seriously boring second act. I wonder if they will do any work on the book in advance. I assume that, if this is successful, the long-discussed revival could actually happen, especially if Roundabout is interested.

i would be very surprised if Ben Platt is not excellent in the role. I assume that a lot of the Platt criticism in this discussion is based on issues with his post-DEH work, since he did win the Tony Award, and for my money gave one of the 5 or 6 greatest musical performances by a male actor that I have seen in the last 55+ years of theatergoing.

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Yeah Platt is perfect for this role. Chill out, haters. P.S. he has a friggin Tony Award."

Leo Frank is a great part of him. It's not like he's trying to play Sweeney Todd or George Seraut or Billy Bigelow. (I also think he was devastatingly good in DEH.) And he's working with a very good director in Michael Arden, who will probably push him.

Say what you want about any vocal/acting "tics," but he laid the groundwork for Evan, the score was morphed around his voice, and every Evan since then hasn't strayed significantly from that vocal blueprint.

Updated On: 5/18/22 at 03:07 PM

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "If I can get up on my soapbox again:

- People complained to the high heavens when City Center announced shows like WOODS and A CHORUS LINE because they were “overdone”. Now here’s a lesser-known show, starring one of the biggest names to come out of Broadway in a long time.

- People complained about poor sales & bad casting for recent Encores shows. Platt is a name who will sell tickets. He’s JEWISH. He can sing the score. He’s a competent actor. He’s obviously passionate about the show/subject matter. Platt is a better fit for this than Feldstein for Fanny. And he has a GREAT director.

- Should the show move to Broadway (premature), it’s a huge win for PARADE fans and JRB fans because it’s a dark, challenging show that simply wouldn’t succeed without a star."

Also Platt's involvement means Micaela is basically a lock if this does go anywhere post-City Center. He's a big enough name that they can sell this on him alone giving her career a boost. That makes me happy!

Honestly I much prefer stars in shows like this than in The Music Man. Use that star power to do something daring, and help something that's less of a "sure thing" succeed. Of course I'm a bit of a hypocrite, because if you announced the 84th Gypsy revival with a name I like I'd be there.

dearalanaaaa said: "Excited to see this, and the casting is great imo! does anybody know what time onsale is? I see it's June 14th but I don't see a time, is there a specific time NYCity Center does onsale?

PS: I nearly confused the NYCC headline for new York Comic Con... would be very strange to perform there, haha"

Years ago I saw some of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark performed at New York Comic Con, so not completely inconceivable, but obviously Parade doesn't have the same comic book connection.