samedi 10 juin 2017

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10 Things to Know About Broadway Breakout Star Ben Platt

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Image Source: Getty / ANGELA WEISS

Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen is stealing the hearts of audiences everywhere this season, and that's in large part due to its star, Ben Platt. Not only does the 23-year-old actor blow everyone away with his portrayal of the socially awkward, anxiety-ridden teen eight times a week, but he's just as charming off stage as he is on. Even if you're not theater-obsessed, odds are, you've probably seen his face before. Pitch Perfect ring a bell? With the Tony Awards approaching this weekend, brush up on these key facts about the rising star below.

  1. He was born and raised in LA. Even though Ben is a Broadway sensation, he actually grew up on the West Coast. He attended the prep school Harvard-Westlake School in LA and graduated in 2011. He is still close friends with his high school classmate Beanie Feldstein, who is Jonah Hill's sister.
  2. He grew up in a musical family. It's no surprise that Ben has a love for theater - it runs in his blood. His father, Marc Platt, is the producer behind La La Land and Wicked. His brother Jonah is also in the business, having starred as Fiyero in the latter musical on Broadway. Ben and his four siblings were often dubbed the Von Platts (based on the Von Trapps from The Sound of Music) for their musical talents growing up.
  3. He's Jewish. Ben is very open about his Jewish background. His mom, Julie, credits their religious upbringing to keeping their kids so grounded in Hollywood.
  4. His first big role was when he was 9. He played Winthrop Paroo in The Music Man at the Hollywood Bowl alongside Kristin Chenoweth, who went on to star as Glinda in his father's production of Wicked. The two actually met backstage when Marc came to see Ben's performance.
  5. He deferred from Columbia to be in The Book of Mormon. After graduating high school, Ben was accepted into Columbia University in New York but put his education on hold to star in The Book of Mormon. He played Elder Arnold Cunningham in the Chicago tour from December 2012-October 2013 and again in the Broadway show from January 2014-January 2015.

Image Source: Everett Collection

  1. He was in an a cappella group on stage and in real life. Ben is well-known for playing the nerdy Treblemaker Benji Applebaum in Pitch Perfect. Interestingly enough, he was also a member of Columbia's musical group Nonsequitur A Cappella.
  2. He originally auditioned for Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen's creators) when he was 17. Before landing the title role in the musical, Ben auditioned for a different Pasek and Paul original called Dogfight, about a group of Marines on the eve of shipping out to Vietnam. Even though they thought Ben was "incredible," he was a little too young for the cast. Following the audition, Benj sent him a Facebook message mentioning another idea they were developing and suggested they stay in touch. Fast forward a few years later, and the trio were working together on Broadway.

Image Source: Matthew Murphy

  1. He has some insane rituals for his role. Ben takes his role in Dear Evan Hansen very seriously, even if that means living a "monkish existence." His castmates say that he rarely goes out for a celebratory drink at the end of the week and often goes straight home to rest his voice. Aside from getting nine or 10 hours of sleep each night, he also has a strict diet to make sure he stays healthy but can also pass for an anxiety-ridden teen. He's not allowed to eat gluten or dairy, he takes zinc and oregano supplements, and he has two physical therapy sessions a week to make sure his posture doesn't become too much like his character Evan's.
  2. He's the youngest winner of the Drama League Awards. In May, Ben won the organization's distinguished performance award, which recognizes a performance on the New York stage in the past year and can only be won once in a performer's career. At 23, he became the youngest winner in the award's history.
  3. He's up for his first Tony. Ben is a front runner to take home best performance by an actor in a leading role at the Tony Awards this year. Not only would it be his first win, but it is also his first nomination.


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