Ben Platt shines by being himself
Ben Platt gave me hope for the future on Thursday night. The Tony-winning actor and singer stopped at the Amway Center in Orlando as his latest concert tour wound down.
Yes, Platt has a remarkable voice — more on that in a moment — but an equal thrill in his 75-minute show was that Platt was cheered just for being himself.
He wore a cross between a button-down shirt and a blouse. He showed off his manicure and his sparkly water bottle. He name-dropped his boyfriend, actor Noah Galvin. He mimicked Mickey Mouse. He personified the idea of dancing like no one’s watching.
Remember the days of prefabricated pop acts who had to maintain a certain image? Well, if this is the era of authenticity, of being true to oneself, Platt could be its spokesman. There was never any doubt that what you see with him is what you get — and how refreshing that is.
Of course, there’s also that voice that wowed audiences in Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen.” Platt played the title role and took home a Tony for his efforts on songs such as “Waving Through a Window” and “For Forever.”
Neither of those songs made the set list — maybe he’s tired of them after seven years with the character or maybe he’s smarting over the criticism he received for the film version in which, at age 27, he played a teenager.
Most likely, though, the angsty songs just didn’t fit the vibe of his tour, which was in support of his latest album, “Reverie.”
Many of the songs had a more percussive edge than their album versions — better suited for an arena show and better at keeping the energy level up. The throbbing beats let Platt energetically, sometimes frenetically, dance to the mosh pit in his mind.
He told us he was out of shape at one point — “You know how it is — almost 30,” he said, as a not unsubstantial segment of the audience collectively rolled its eyes — but in fact, for nearly the whole show it seemed he was incapable of standing still. And Platt’s dancing is a full-body workout.
Among the musical highlights: A driving “Rain,” a bouncy “Happy To Be Sad” — complete with a cute story about how much he misses his boyfriend — and the slightly stalkerish but OK because it’s tongue-in-cheek “Share Your Address.”
A new song, “Monsters,” showed Platt’s growing maturity as a lyricist but also the phenomenal control he has over his voice. He seemingly effortlessly transitions from a deeper chest sound to a higher register that is almost too powerful to consider falsetto and contains a deeper level of emotion than his lower pitches.
There’s a quaver in the voice here, a catch in the sound there — and it all feels completely genuine. Platt sings from his soul.
The few cover songs were chosen carefully, with “Go Your Own Way” providing a chance for creamy harmonies with opening act Aly & AJ. An intense version of Lady Gaga’s “You and I” saw him with legs up on the keyboard, then lying flat on his back, then dropping to his knees — all while maintaining vocal control.
The showstopper, though, was an emotional and technically virtuosic version of Sara Bareilles’ “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress,” the show’s only Broadway tune — aside from a riff on the Orlando reference in “The Book of Mormon.”
Covers aside, in the end the night was all about Ben Platt being Ben Platt. And with talent on that scale and individuality that appealing, that’s just how it should be.
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