Dear Evan Hansen - Ben Platt Attendance

[Nycat63]

I am not an expert on these subjects, but I don't think the show will have a Hamilton-esque life (or Mormon, or Wicked, or some of the other shows mentioned) without Ben.  To think that it will grossly underestimates the power of the fangirls and fanboys that are returning to this show over and over primarily because of Ben (or Mike Faist, etc.)  While Hamilton certainly played to a younger crowd, it also had enough going on show-wise to entice adults to both see it once and possibly multiple times - and teenagers weren't coming because they were falling in love with Daveed or Lin and wanted to date them - they were into the show itself and the music.  Same with Mormon if you found it funny (I did), and Wicked had huge production value.  Those types of shows will also play on and on to the tourist crowds - I don't think DEH will have that pull for more than a year post-Tonys - if you ask non-theater goers/people outside NY if they've ever heard of it, many still haven't.  And tourists who just want to see a big Broadway show have enough to choose from that they don't tend to run to see something dark regardless of awards.

I saw the show twice only because my teenage daughter insisted on seeing it again on our recent trip to NY and we bought the tickets at regular prices months in advance, but once would have been enough for me - and I'm a fan of both the musical, the performances, and the score. But I don't feel the need to see it multiple times or with other actors, and I'm guessing many adults will feel the same.  With some of the other musicals mentioned, the tendency to do repeat business (not just with teenagers who will eventually run out of money) as well as tourist business is much higher.  

Not to mention Ben's performance is brilliant and will be tough to rival.  Much like Cynthia Erivo's in Color Purple, and frankly, I think, better in terms of the whole package.

Just my two cents - FWIW.

 

 

[LizzieCurry]

I've felt the same way about DEH's post-Platt life. Plenty of shows have survived well after their much-lauded lead actors leaving.

[MyLife]

Don't feel bad for Colton. I'm pretty sure he's having the time of his life making is Broadway debut in Tony Award winning Best Musical of the year covering one of the (if not the) biggest role on Broadway or not. "Thankless" or not, I'm sure he wins the crowd over at the end, earns a standing ovation, and is thrilled and appreciative to be where he is.

[10086Sundays]

Not to mention making connections and setting himself up nicely for a career in theatre, film, and/or TV.

[Nycat63]

I certainly hope for his sake all that is true, but I've heard and read a lot of negative comments about him from disgruntled fans (not saying they are either accurate nor fair, but they are out there, and he surely knows that a lot of people are disappointed and even angry when they learn he's on for Ben - again, not to say that's a fair response). I suppose that builds backbone and prepares you for the rejection you have to be able to handle in the entertainment business, but for such a young guy it can't be all that easy no matter how confident he is. We can look at it as adults objectively and think "wow, what a great opportunity for him" but few people - especially at the beginning of their careers - are completely immune to the pressure and criticism he faces just because he's not Ben.  It's nice to hear some praise for him on this board from people who have seen him, but I've seen far more negative than positive and that has to take some toll. But maybe my feeling badly for him is misplaced.

[cknick]

I think the show will have a run similar to Fun Home's (not that I am comparing it to Fun Home in any way!!).  Evan is a role that hundreds of young guys could do, and while I think the Ben is carrying the show in some way there is the potential for great actor to step into Heidi when/if Rachel leaves, which can bring in an audience. 

[bear88]

Any show seems like a commercial failure compared to Hamilton, and that doesn't seem like a fair comparison anyway. Neither does Hedwig, which is basically a one-man show that attracted lots of people with Neil Patrick Harris, an established TV star, who never would have seen the musical otherwise. My guess is that Dear Evan Hansen holds up better than Fun Home. The cast recording is on the charts, the show's appeal extends beyond teenagers to parents, and the musical is designed to be as universal as possible. (Personally, I preferred Fun Home, but its appeal is narrower, and its Best Musical win was overshadowed by Hamilton almost immediately.) The Ben Platt craziness seems a bit unhinged, and the show won't be the same draw without him. But while I don't think it will last a decade and become a Broadway mainstay, I think it should do fine, perhaps better than many people expect.

As for Colton, the guy is playing the lead role in one of the hottest shows on Broadway that just won Best Musical. He might inherit the role, for all we know. I just hope he's having a little fun.

[froote]

Agree with all of your points bear88. I think most people forget that Fun Home won the Tony and then the next month Hamilton arrived on Broadway so there was really no time for the former to bask in being the hot new show which is a shame. Of course I'm sure they were grateful that Hamilton at least waited until after the end of the season to transfer so they could at least win the Tony and recoup. But yes it did have an unfortunately short run for a best musical winner.

I was actually surprised to see Dear Evan Hansen only make it to #44 on the charts after the Tonys, especially because it debuted so high and it had been #1 on iTunes. I guess that shows how few people buy from iTunes now in comparison to streaming. I know Hamilton and Mormon (which discounted that week to $1.99) both went to #3. Are there any more notable post-Tonys chart listings for cast recordings in recent years?

I think a big part of it will depend on how quickly it takes for a hot new show to come along. The Band's Visit will clearly be critically acclaimed, but will it have a fanbase? Then of course we have two sure thing commercial successes coming in Frozen and Harry Potter which may take a lot of the buzz away from DEH, especially as they're all aimed towards young people.

I'm guessing DEH will last another 2-3 years after Ben's departure giving it a total run of 3-4. Could be totally wrong of course.

[Margo319]

Sunday November 12th is all sold out.  There is a good reason for that.  

[haterobics]

Margo319 said: "Sunday November 12th is all sold out.  There is a good reason for that.  "

But there are only 8 seats left for the 19th, too, since people weren't sure which was the potential final one.

[Call_me_jorge]

This probably isn't the right thread, but didn't someone say they saw ben in a Panda Express?

[Margo319]

I did not say that before but about a month ago I did see him there.  I was waiting for my friend's order because I think their food is kinda gross, but there he was.  I did not say anything, just admired him from afar.  

[caseyd]

This is a little off the subject of what the post has turned into, but I'd like to share my experience from this past weekend. I had been dying to see DEH since the moment that little tiny audio clip of waving through a window was released, what feels like eons ago. I didn't think I'd ever actually be able to go to New York, so I just marveled at it without letting myself think I'd ever get to see it. Well, somehow it happened. The cards fell into place and I had tickets for the matinee on 6/25. As I was standing in line to be let into the theater I learned that Ben was out that day. A girl standing across from me, who I happened to meet at great comet's stage door the night before, told me. At first I literally thought she was joking, since we had talked about the chances of him calling out. Well, she wasn't so my mind immediately went to "of course this would happen to me!" and honestly for a little while I was heartbroken. I love Ben Platt and it had been a dream to see him perform as Evan, but then I realized that I loved the show for what it is too, not just for Ben. Suddenly I became very excited to see Colton, and let me tell you, he was absolutely fantastic. He shared some of the same mannerisms of Ben (from what I've seen of videos), but he definetly put his own spin on the role. He did a little more stuttering instead of just talking very fast, and he still did a lot of the ticks and things Ben does. He was absolutely fantastic and I feel bad for ever even doubting he wouldn't live up to Ben. He did mess up his lines two or three times, but it totally went with the stuttering character trait, and I'm sure most people didn't even notice. 

So this is where the crazy?? fun?? part of the story comes in. After the show, I decided to stage door because I was literally so blown away by Colton. He was the only one that came out, and he was so extremely gracious to every single person waiting. The way he paused and looked into everyones eyes as they were singing him praises was incredible. You could tell he was so grateful and happy to be there. It just made the experience that much sweeter. 

Well, they typically don't have Sunday night shows that I know of, but they did this night. At the time I had no idea why, and I was actually quite frustrated because I would have tried to get tickets for the night show instead. Since this show was happening, I decided to go back to the stage door and see if anyone else would come out. While I was waiting, I made some friends with a handful of people that were also waiting. We had to be there almost 2.5 hours before the show ended. We learned that they were filming for the New York Public Library archives, or what have you... and that Ben WAS performing. They set up the barricade all the way down the block to the left of the stage door, taking up all of Great Comet's entrance. I couldn't believe how long it was. I had my spot front and center and was just excited to see if anyone would come out. First, Asa and Colton came out. I talked to Colton again and he was just as humble. In fact he was literally shocked that anyone knew who he was this time around since he didn't even perform. Then Laura and Kristolyn came out. And then Ben came out. It was like I was dreaming. I had heard he very rarely comes out the stage door, so I was on cloud 9. He was very nice and very charming. Again, I had felt slightly guilty since I didn't even see him perform, but it's like it all worked out the way it should have. Rachel came out shortly after him and I was just absolutely stunned by the turn of events of the day. 

I went into that matinee with a slightly heavy heart, and I ended the day (in my opinion) with one of the best scenarios I could have imagined. I got to see Colton perform, which not many get to do, plus I got to meet Ben anyway. It was an insane day. I still can't believe it was real. 

[brandalonian]

Is Ben supposed to appear in tonight's show?

[herewegoabc]

Does DEH normally hold the first row of the mezz as house seats? Nearly the whole center mezz Row A (and a few on the sides) are now available for all the shows that Ben is out. There are also seats in center orchestra Row K for each show. I assume Row K are house seats, but I've never noticed that the first row of the mezz has been held back as well?

[yaoqian]

Hi all! I was just wanting to know, when is Ben's last performance? I know he has a contract until November but I'm just curious as to the exact date. I went over the thread and couldn't find any information on it :) thanks!

[Margo319]

"Does DEH normally hold the first row of the mezz as house seats?"

I have sat in the first row of the mezz both times I have been there, and for each ticket I booked 5 to 6 months in advance.  So, I would say no. 

[Gensho]

yaoqian said: "Hi all! I was just wanting to know, when is Ben's last performance? I know he has a contract until November but I'm just curious as to the exact date. I went over the thread and couldn't find any information on it :) thanks!

 

Nov 12 

 

[AllThatJazz2]

Gensho said: "yaoqian said: "Hi all! I was just wanting to know, when is Ben's last performance? I know he has a contract until November but I'm just curious as to the exact date. I went over the thread and couldn't find any information on it :) thanks!
 
Nov 12 "

Has this been confirmed? I've seen people tossing out both the 12th and the 19th as possible contract ends dates, especially since the 19th was the last day listed in the initially released batch of tickets.

[CT2NYC]

AllThatJazz2 said: "Gensho said: "yaoqian said: "Hi all! I was just wanting to know, when is Ben's last performance? I know he has a contract until November but I'm just curious as to the exact date. I went over the thread and couldn't find any information on it :) thanks!
 
Nov 12 "

Has this been confirmed? I've seen people tossing out both the 12th and the 19th as possible contract ends dates, especially since the 19th was the last day listed in the initially released batch of tickets.

It hasn't been confirmed. It's speculative, based on counting the number of weeks from the first preview. November 12 will be the end of 52 full weeks of performances, November 19 will be 53 weeks.

 

[Whateverjsays]

CT2NYC said: "AllThatJazz2 said: "Gensho said: "yaoqian said: "Hi all! I was just wanting to know, when is Ben's last performance? I know he has a contract until November but I'm just curious as to the exact date. I went over the thread and couldn't find any information on it :) thanks!
 
Nov 12 "

Has this been confirmed? I've seen people tossing out both the 12th and the 19th as possible contract ends dates, especially since the 19th was the last day listed in the initially released batch of tickets.

It hasn't been confirmed. It's speculative, based on counting the number of weeks from the first preview. November 12 will be the end of 52 full weeks of performances, November 19 will be 53 weeks.

 

 

"

I'm seeing it for a third time at the end of the month. I'm actually hoping Colton will be on. I also wonder who they'll get as a replacement - I'm bringing my friend in October to see her first Broadway show and I've told her this is one that she absolutely HAS to see. 

[thatsnicelady]

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[SweetLips]

You idjits, Ben doesn't have time to perform, he's too busy at the stage door just trying to get inside past the crazies.

[dmrockon092]

Is Colton scheduled to perform all of the shows during Ben's vacation? Really hoping to see him!

[Gensho]

Yes. 

dmrockon092 said: "Is Colton scheduled to perform all of the shows during Ben's vacation? Really hoping to see him!

 

"

 

[herewegoabc]

I wish Michael Lee Brown would get a chance to do at least one show, but I doubt he will.