Hey guys, I am catching the Saturday matinee performance the first week of January. There's currently no outages listed for Ben Platt and I have heard he had great attendance in BoM. The DEH score is significantly more challenging though, so I was wondering how his attendance has been so far + how his understudy is if anyone has seen them yet.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
He also didn't miss a single performance at Second Stage.
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Also, nearly every time he was out as Elder Cunningham, it was due to filming or some other professional thing, not from being sick. You'll probably be fine!
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Back in August/September, Elvis Duran interviewed Ben and he made it clear that he hates missing performances and calling out. The only time he will do it is if he is extremely ill. I think you should be fine!
I understand wanting to see Ben, but in the event Colton Ryan is on, you'll be in more than good hands - I saw him in a number of shows during his college years, and he's phenomenally talented.
I am so excited to see Ben give his performance of a lifetime but I also want to catch Colton in the role. I saw him in several college shows as well and he is incredible. He definitely has emotional intelligence way beyond his years, much like Ben.
Having seen the show 8 times (4 on and 4 off-BW), I have to say I'm mostly amazed by Ben's continuous effort of experimenting with the role. The Evan I saw two weeks ago is definitely different from the Evan I saw last week. Not necessarily improvement in the traditional sense, but I guess that's how he keeps his performances fresh in such a long run.
every time I have seen it, he's been just a bit stronger too.
Re: the attendance, I know he's really strict about taking care of himself and doing everything he can to not be sick and miss a performance. I also wonder if he's going to be even more diligent now that almost every review points to him owning the role/show.
Platt's attendance was very good in Book of Mormon.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
I assume the poster means more diligent about taking care of his body/health.
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dramamama611 said: "I assume the poster means more diligent about taking care of his body/health."
Yes, but since his attendance would be a downstream result of those things, there is no reason to think he isn't on top of all of that, since this isn't his first show.
Is the next logical question, his vocal health. The score has its demands ("Waving..." alone has those oft-mentioned top notes). I've heard people weigh in on how differently he sang in various venues to market/celebrate the show, and note differences in his voice's strength and perceived benefits from vocal rest. From what I've read, he must take considerable care of his voice to sing this 8 times a week. (Wasn't 2nd Stage 7? One more isn't big, but still.) Just a question. I have no reason to doubt he can pull it off. I go next Monday, matinee.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
The only real answer to the "will he suffer vocal fatigue?" question is that you have to wait and see. But since Platt is a professional singing actor, I can only imagine that he takes the necessary steps to safeguard his voice and maintain his health.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Do you know if he'll be out anytime in April/May? I'm going to NYC then.
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I would think that's the time he would most likely be in the show since that's when nominators and voters see the show.
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I saw Ben in Book of Mormon one day when he was definitely not in tip top form and my god did he just plow on through like nothing was wrong and deliver a fantastic performance. The guy is an absolute trooper and I think he knows when and when not to push (he ended up calling out the evening performance that day I mentioned).
"Anybody that goes to the theater, I think we’re all misfits, so we ended up on stage or in the audience.” --- Patti LuPone.
This thread is great news to me! We're seeing a Sunday matinee next month and I was initially worried that we might miss him. Not that I mind understudies, but I'm so excited to see Platt in the role!
"If you start from a place of joy and charm, you can get away with a lot in the second act. It may be that that's my life. I'm not sure."
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I am looking at tickets for DEH for either June or September. Is it safe to assume Ben Platt has the standard 1 year contract and we'd still have a chance to see him if we wait until September? Thanks
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
If he doesn't win Best Actor, something is wrong. Best male performance I can remember. The only performances that come close are Cynthia Erivo and Alex Sharp.