Will Ben Platt sell tickets to his next show? Anyone else? — Page 2

ben platt gave one of the best performances i have ever seen in a broadway show. people are buying tickets to see dear evan hansen to see him. just look at stubhub tickets the nights where ben is out, tickets drop to as low as $60, but with platt, you're lucky to get them for $300, not including fees.

now i know people specifically want to see ben as evan hansen, but i think he will sell tickets to his next show. sure, not as much as josh groban, but after his performance in deh people are going to want to see his next show.

Sure, but as I say that was for her infamous role. She never made an impact like that with any other role she did in London etc. Again, roles like Celie aren't a dime a dozen.

broadwaysfguy said: "very surprised people think ben platt is going to do another musical role anytime soon



would bank on him focusing on movie roles or find a tv series vehicle which highlights his acting"

I agree, he should look for film work in my opinion. Young actors like Lucas Hedges and Timothée Chalamet - neither of whom are heartthrobs and both of whom have done theatre - are getting some great roles and acclaim. Hedges was Oscar nominated this year and Chalamet may very well be next year.

Updated On: 7/29/17 at 06:39 PM

I would put it this way - Ben has the heft to open a show (draw investors and public interest), but he doesn't have the ability to keep it open if he's the only thing it has going. He's not Nathan Lane, Bette Midler, or Pattti LaPone who can easily line up six months of advance sales as soon as they are announced.

But it does put him up there with people like Christian Borle, Laura Benanti, and Patina Miller. Which is pretty heady company for a 23 year old.

I would say that his major casting limitation right now is his youth. So far he has played mostly teenagers. But he has his whole career ahead of him. If he keeps bouncing between Hollywood and New York he can raise his profile even higher. And on Broadway I would expect to see him do plays as well as musicals in the future.

The main thing is that time is on his side. Unlike most child stars, Ben seems to be right on the cusp of his career, rather than at the end.

Updated On: 7/29/17 at 06:51 PM

Jarethan asks people not to be hyperbolic when using the word legendary in regards to Ebersole but has done so on the previous post in regards to Platt. I can't.

Yes.

froote said: "Jarethan asks people not to be hyperbolic when using the word legendary in regards to Ebersole but has done so on the previous post in regards to Platt. I can't.



No, I said that he gave what will be considered a legendary performance, singular. If the person had said, of Ebersole, that she gave what he thinks is / will be considered a legendary performance in Grey Gardens, I would have agreed. My issue is that one performance or three, does not make a legend, and IMO Ebersole doesn't have a very impressive resume overall..

IMO performing stage legends alive today -- who are legends because of their Broadway work, i.e., if they never made a movie or TV show -- would probably be limited to:

-- Angela Lansbury

-- Patti Lupone

-- Nathan Lane

-- Rosemary Harris

-- Zoe Caldwell

-- James Earl Jones

-- Frank Langella

-- Chita Rivera

-- Cherry Jones

-- Not sure who I am leaving out -- probably someone

ARGUABLY:

-- Kevin Kline

-- Bernadette Peters

-- Joel Gray (certainly gave a legendary performance in Cabaret)

-- Glenn Close (certainly gave a legendary performance in Sunset Blvd.)

LEGENDARY / PROBABLY LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE:

-- Christine Ebersole (legendary performance in Grey Gardens)

-- Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen)

-- Vanessa Redgrave (LDJIN)

-- Maggie Smith (Lettice and Lovage)

-- Bette Midler (Hello Dolly) (this would probably be a legendary performance by now even if no-one actually saw it)

-- Hugh Jackman in The Boy From Oz

-- etc.



Clearly, I think a long, glorious career (which provides the opportunity to build-up a theatrical portfolio) is a pre-requisite to being legendary. Although I am sure there are probably already exceptions to that.

If I was bitchy, I apologize.

I believe the gifted Platt will not be easy to cast in TV and film, as he's not really a traditional young leading man. He's a character actor, and a helluva powerful one. Young character actors are in demand, but they seldom carry projects. And, casting directors may demonstrate great imagination, but those who hire often do not. Who would be a model for a career trajectory? From Jesse Tyler Ferguson to ... who ... Dustin Hoffman? It's hard to say. An actor with Platt's emotional range needs to choose carefully. Timothy Hutton won the Oscar for "Ordinary People" but struggled to find roles that could use his emotional range. And Hutton is more leading man that Platt.



Sidebar: If Encores! ever got around to "Greenwillow," can you imagine Platt tearing into "Never Will I Marry"? I'd pay to see and hear that. The song, so brilliantly performed by Perkins decades ago -- it breaks my heart to this day to hear his rendition -- is what Platt offers.

Updated On: 7/29/17 at 09:35 PM

I think Bernadette has earned a spot a bit higher up on that list too.

And I would have to put Audra in there, as well, considering how many Tonys she's won, across an impressive spectrum of roles, and she isn't even 50 yet.

As for Ben, it's hard to say. My friend and I were discussing that very subject after the show. We both agreed what an absolute phenomenon he was in that role, and we were sort of questing beyond this show how he might be cast elsewhere someday? Does he lean more toward other contemporary musicals, or is it simply his age (and this special role) that has us thinking that way at this point?

Can I ever see him playing revivals of Crazy For You? Or Oklahoma? Or Baron Von Trapp?

This was such a special role, and he gave a commanding tour de force performance that I almost can't see anyone else in the role. Nor would I want to at this point. Furthermore, it's such an amazing performance I almost can't see him in any other role right now.

Updated On: 7/29/17 at 10:08 PM

theatreguy12 said: "...As for Ben, it's hard to say. My friend and I were discussing that very subject after the show. We both agreed what an absolute phenomenon he was in that role, and we were sort of questing beyond this show how he might be cast elsewhere someday? Does he lean more toward other contemporary musicals, or is it simply his age (and this special role) that has us thinking that way at this point?"

It's a fair question. Although, keep in mind he was working non-stop before DEH, and he turned down a movie to stay with the show. So booking work has never been much of a problem for him.

Updated On: 7/29/17 at 11:09 PM

It depends if it's a revival or an original musical. He'd be a major draw in a revival, a future Sunday in the Park revival with Ben would be amazing ten/fifteen years in the future. People would come to see Ben, they'd remember him as the star in DEH, and coupled with a classic, such as, Sunday, Company, etc., the production would be a hit. But an original musical can go so many ways- so it's tough to tell

perfectlymarvelous said: "I actually think Paul Dano is a reasonable model in terms of a young character actor who's done quite well. Obviously he doesn't sing like Ben Platt does (I don't think), but I could see Ben being cast in similar roles in film/television.



Actually, a very good example. The biggest issue I see with Ben Platt's career is that Ben Platt almost makes Paul Dano seem handsome. I watched that Ang Lee movie tonight, Billy Lynn's Whatever (pretty awful movie -- no idea what its purpose was), which had Ben Platt in a small role. He was playing a nebbish, which was perfectly suited to his looks, and adds to the challenge of great future roles.