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

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 1:54pm

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

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 1:56pm

Updated On: 5/17/22 at 01:56 PM

[OhHiii]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:01pm

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?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:09pm

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?"

Gurl, bye. I don't have time for your nonsense. 

 

Updated On: 5/17/22 at 02:09 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:13pm

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

[JSquared2]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:16pm

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"??

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:21pm

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! 

 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 2:50pm

Lollll imagine being THAT upset that people aren’t excited about casting news. Have to laugh.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 3:04pm

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

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 3:40pm

I know it won’t happen, but I just wish he put People of Atlanta back in.  Hammer of Justice is good, but doesn’t have quite the same oomph.

I also wish Letter to the Governor was used instead of The Glory. Not a big fan of the song, but I prefer it to the show having yet another extended scene focused on irredeemable villains.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 10:29pm

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

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 10:44pm

I’ve never been a big fan of Ben Platt, but I do think he could be a fine Leo in PARADE. I saw the final performance of the show at Lincoln Center and it has always stuck with me. You know how electrifying some of those final performances can be…

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 11:42pm

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.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/17/22 at 11:49pm

Yes, I'm assuming THE CONNECTOR will play someplace like 2nd Stage or New Group or Public.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 12:12am

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?

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 1:16am

Follow the link. I believe the channel has the entire show posted, or nearly the entire show. No closeups, just the full stage. Not the best video quality, but you can still see well enough what’s going on and make out all the sound.

https://youtube.com/user/cstmm

And yeah, Hal Prince went for a “big” execution in contrast with the minimalistic Donmar revival.

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 7:59am

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.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 8:45am

What script changes were made for the Donmar production?

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 10:36am

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]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 3:02pm

Yeah Platt is perfect for this role. Chill out, haters. P.S. he has a friggin Tony Award.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 3:07pm

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]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 5:08pm

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.

[Ke3]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 9:19pm

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.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 9:31pm

Sure but let's also be clear –– a Broadway revival of PARADE with Platt would still be risky. He's not a Hugh Jackman-level name. I'm not quite sure who to equate his name to...Idina in IF/THEN? He's obviously VERY known in theatre circles and has had some success as a recording artist. The first 3-5 months of sales would be really solid, with the possibility of continued success with rapturous reviews/awards/a good ad campaign/etc. But again, this is all premature talk.

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 5/18/22 at 9:40pm

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.