Dear Evan Hansen - Ben Platt Attendance- Page 10

[Bibliot]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 12:56pm

I tend to think "vocal rest" is just code for sick leave. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 3:13pm

Ben has been out a lot lately. I really hope he's there when I see it on November 8.

Updated On: 8/26/17 at 03:13 PM

[Nycat63]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 3:25pm

phan24 said: "Ben Platt was at Sweeney Todd tonight



 

"I would love it if US magazine did a "What's in My Bag" with Ben Platt.  What does that boy have in there? That's more than my teenage daughter and I carry around.  

The only celeb we saw at Sweeney Todd was the guy who played Hurley on Lost.  My kid would have fainted if we'd been there this night.   Ben didn't come out stage door when we saw DEH on both occasions (not complaining - totally get it but she was sad) so this might have killed her.  That lobby is pretty small and intimate!

[Bibliot]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 3:55pm

Where is this info about him being 4 years into this role? Evan Hansen ran for about 5 weeks in 2015 in DC, don't know how many shows a week.  Then it ran 2 months off-Broadway in mid 2016. After 5 months hiatus it started on Broadway at the Music Box, and he's been going for 9 months on this run. 

Updated On: 8/26/17 at 03:55 PM

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 4:24pm

He did some of the workshops for it.

[Bibliot]

Posted: 8/26/17 at 4:29pm

He did 2 readings and 2 workshops (half-day each) in addition to the 2 short pre-Broadway productions and this current one-year contract. I totally believe he's been with the character since the beginning, but with long hiatuses. Point being it's not an uninterrupted years-long grueling schedule. It's midway through a one-year contract on a typical Broadway schedule -- which itself is certainly tough on everyone! But not uniquely tough.

Updated On: 8/26/17 at 04:29 PM

[n8c]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:21pm

Apparently Ben's sick leave has been extended through August 30 (according to the official website's ticketing page). I have tickets for the Aug 30 matinee and am traveling from Chicago. For those of you who have seen both Ben and one of the understudies, is it still worth the trip?

[ethan231h]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:26pm

YES

[QueenTwinnied]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 12:40pm

Absolutely! I can only speak on Michael Lee Brown's performance as Evan, but he blew me away a couple weeks ago. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 1:53pm

Bibliot said: "Point being it's not an uninterrupted years-long grueling schedule. It's midway through a one-year contract on a typical Broadway schedule -- which itself is certainly tough on everyone! But not uniquely tough."

I think we have been getting your point... repeatedly.

[n8c]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 4:29pm

Thanks--has it typically been Colton at the matinees and MLB in the evenings, or is it not that predictable?

[Kiwibelg]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 5:20pm

Don't know what their schedule is but we saw MLB on a Sunday matinee and he was AMAZING!

 

[chuckydisc]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 6:03pm

Nycat63 said: "phan24 said: "Ben Platt was at Sweeney Todd tonight.


"I would love it if US magazine did a "What's in My Bag" with Ben Platt.  What does that boy have in there? That's more than my teenage daughter and I carry around."

Well, do either you or your daughter have a Tony Award to lug around???   :-p

 

[herewegoabc]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 6:03pm

The past couple of weeks, Colton has only been on Wednesday and Saturday matinees, and MLB has been on the rest of the time. 

I have seen both twice,  and you won't be disappointed with either. I prefer MLB because I think his eventual breakdown is even more powerful than Ben's, but Colton is a great performer. He doesn't cry as much, nor does he do a lot of the stuttering/stumbling, but he is very physical in his anxiety. His physical performance during Waving Through a Window is especially impressive. It's like a visual panic attack.

[Bibliot]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 6:05pm

haterobics <--- Congratulations on having the most well suited username ever!

Blocked.

 

[Nycat63]

Posted: 8/28/17 at 6:12pm

chuckydisc said: "Nycat63 said: "phan24 said: "Ben Platt was at Sweeney Todd tonight.


"I would love it if US magazine did a "What's in My Bag" with Ben Platt.  What does that boy have in there? That's more than my teenage daughter and I carry around."

Well, do either you or your daughter have a Tony Award to lug around???   :-p

 

 

Point taken except we don't actually carry them around with us - they are at home on the mantle next to our Emmys!  

 

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 11:23am

Accidentally happened across this on YouTube. It actually just popped up while prepping another totally non-musical related video for a training this morning. I thought it was great. 

https://youtu.be/SlPZLDC_ZB8

 

[JillianSch]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 12:57pm

Anyone have an idea of who will play Evan today's matinee? 

[herewegoabc]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 1:14pm

Per somebody on Twitter, MLB is on for the matinee at least.

[n8c]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 7:15pm

Just to follow up on my earlier question of "Is it worth it to fly from Chicago if Ben Platt is out," I went as planned to today's matinee, with Michael Lee Brown in the lead role, and I wholeheartedly agree that the answer to my question was a resounding "Yes!" That was the most incredible theater experience I've ever had. I was worried that I would spend the whole show lamenting that I wasn't seeing Ben, but MLB was extraordinary by any measure and I sobbed every bit as much as I expected to, and fell in love with his portrayal of Evan as much as I hoped to. So, if you find yourself in the same situation as me, don't fret. The entire cast, the entire show is amazing, particularly MLB. I'm sure Ben might add an extra layer, but it was very clear that MLB, in addition to bringing his own personality to the role, is working very hard and doing a very good job of channeling a lot of Ben's portrayal. In any case, I didn't feel one bit stilted at paying full price and would see it again with MLB in a heartbeat. 

[cknick]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 7:35pm

This has surely been mentioned before, but it's worth considering that the roles all those wonderful "golden age" actors played were not written like Evan Hansen.  Not even close.  Evan's music really is not intelligent vocal writing for long-term singing.  It all sits in an unnatural register and prolonged use definitely causes damage and weakness.  It would be like opera actors singing Wagner roles 8 times a week.  So while I totally agree about having the stamina for 8 shows a week, the writing here isn't doing Ben any favors. 

[coolcool2]

Posted: 8/30/17 at 8:00pm

Couldn't agree more! MLB was amazing. I cried and cried ;P

[lady_luck]

Posted: 8/31/17 at 1:34pm

I was randomly looking on StubHub to see if any prices had dropped for this evenings performance, and I noticed that the average ticket price has gone down considerably for the upcoming week's performances. I am looking at a $199 ticket for Wed. September 6th 8:00pm performance right now. Anyone know why tickets are so cheap right now? I haven't heard of any scheduled leaves, and Ben should be back next week right? I paid $315 for my ticket for Sept 12th so I'm curious! 

[saxpower]

Posted: 8/31/17 at 1:55pm

He's actually supposed to be back tonight.  However, the DEH website says (and I think this was planned before the vocal rest) that he will be out for the 9/3 matinee and 9/6 evening performances so that's probably the reason the 9/6 ticket is cheaper. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 8/31/17 at 3:08pm

Bibliot said: "haterobics <--- Congratulations on having the most well suited username ever!

Blocked."

Oh my, how will I carry on?!