Ben Platt for Best Actor? — Page 2

ethan231h said: "just because he may sound amazing on a cast album does not mean he even could be nominated for a tony.....What Ben Platt is doing on the stage of the Music Box is a revelation to theatre.



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I also meant fantastic-acting wise too

Do the people who are saying that his buzz will die down because the show opened early in the season realize that all four musical theatre Tony winners last year -- as well as the winners for Best Musical, Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Revival of a Play -- all opened before January 1? What about Alex Sharp and Curious Incident? Or is it cool to just rehash some smart-sounding talking point that has no actual basis in reality?

If anything, the admiration for Platt's performance will grow throughout the season, as the show will definitely still be around come spring. I think he will win in a landslide.

carayip said: "BroadwayConcierge said: "I'm predicting a Best Actor category as follows:

Christian Borle
Jon Jon Briones
Jake Gyllenhaal
Andy Karl
Ben Platt

And Platt will win easily. Dear Evan Hansen honestly wasn't my cup of tea entirely (though I strongly appreciate the work it's doing), but Platt's running away with this Tony. And so will Rachel Bay Jones for Featured Actress."

No Josh Groban?"

There has been some discussion on if Josh Groban is going to be eligible as lead or featured. I currently have him in Lead Actor until proven otherwise.

Updated On: 12/22/16 at 09:34 AM

Let's not forget to consider the cultural contexts, and the Trumplephant in the room. Ben Platt is giving, by all accounts, a remarkable performance, but I don't think it's out of the question that, given the rise of "Trump's America" and the diversity lauded at last year's Tonys, a "cis white male star of a cis white male story" might not be specifically what the judges want to push this year.

Perhaps I'm being cynical, but I'm still hearing "Oscars So White" months after the ceremony and wondering if "Tonys So White" is going to be an ongoing concern as well.

His movie star status puts him over the top - I think if Jake's half as good as Jordan says he is, then he's a lock for a nom. As for people thinking Jon Jon can be shut out - think again. He's a phenomenal performer. Just the Miss Saigon dvd from the London production made me give him 3 standing ovations and I am not even a fan of the character.

darquegk - But that's just silly. If Ben Platt deserves the award, he deserves the award, end of story. He shouldn't be punished for a lack of diversity. What always bothers me about "Oscars So White" is that we focus on the lack of diversity in the nominations. Let's step back and look at the lack of diversity in ROLES. There is simply not enough POC getting good enough roles in film and theatre. THIS is what needs to be changed. By the time nominations roll around, it's simply too late.

But hey, it's definitely improved for the films this year!

Updated On: 12/22/16 at 10:34 AM

This is veering into the territory of color counting, but amongst musicals Miss Saigon, A Bronx Tale, In Transit, Holiday Inn, Amelie, and The Great Comet are the shows which have a diverse(ish) cast. Hello Dolly was a missed opportunity, as has been much discussed. So was Groundhog Day, Anastasia, Sunset Boulevard, Paramour, Charlie &.. and Cats to a certain degree. I think that's more or less where we were pre-2015-2016 season. I think casting choices are all excellent - most of these performers are perfect for the roles they were cast, but I agree with Leslie who said during the THR Actor's Roundtable that "color-blind casting is great, but we need to actually write more shows about people of color" for the conversation to finally die out.

Anwayyy... Ben Platt. Yeah. He is a lock for nom. Need to see Borle, Jon Jon, and Karl.

to say that this category is going to be decided solely on the basis of diversity is to say JJB is going to get the Tony. Both are preposterous notions.

BroadwayConcierge said: "I left out Josh Groban and David Hyde Pierce from my Lead prediction list as I assumed their roles will be considered for Featured Actor... please let me know if this won't be the case!"

They are both above the title in their respective productions so, unless the producers lobby otherwise, by default they are eligible for leading. I think it's highly unlikely the producers will want them considered in featured, as their productions have featured actor contenders in Lucas Steele and Gavin Creel.

Updated On: 12/22/16 at 11:31 AM

Kad, the default only extends to the question of whether action is necessary. There is no presumption that the admin committee will not assign a role as it deems appropriate regardless of what the producer wants or petitions for,

Someone who was a shoo-in for a TONY as soon as he opened his own musical sometime back has just seen DEAR EVAN HANSEN and has fulsome praise for the musical and the stellar performances!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOfx81yDEA1/?taken-by=thehughjackman

Updated On: 12/26/16 at 08:40 PM

CurtainPullDowner said

"Platt is sensational but I still think it's early and DEH might not even be running at TONY time."

Well, every once in a while someone says something here that just makes your jaw drop but this one might take the cake, unless you meant Tony time 2018 or 2019. What universe are you living in? DEH is a mega hit, selling out high average ticket prices. It's gonna be around for quite a while.

And I'll give odds to anyone who wants to bet against Platt winning the Tony. As one critic wrote, seeing Platt in this show is like having seen Merman in Gypsy.







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Updated On: 12/26/16 at 09:05 PM