If you hadn’t heard of Ben Platt
before today, you will now. The Los Angeles native who played the prince in Cinderella, “in a blue
sequined vest at the age of six,” is now the prince of Broadway. “Oh my God!”
he mouthed moments after he nabbed the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for
Dear Evan Hansen. “Holy Crap! Ok! This is a Tony! Hello! Ok! Ok!” he shockingly
told the audience Sunday night. While Platt was in disbelief, the first Tony
nomination and win for the 23-year-old was not unexpected. Shot full of
adrenaline, Platt went on to thank everyone from his physical therapist to his
brother-in-law who was home watching his “edible, edible nephews.” Speaking of eating... the Tony audience gobbled up his performance of "Waving Through A Window."
Dear Evan Hansen is a show about an
awkward high school student whose social status is transformed by a blooming
lie following a tragedy. The story deals with bullying, teenage suicide and the
perils of social media. “Everyone has a bit of Evan Hansen in them,” the newly
minted Tony winner told the press after his speech. “I hardly remember what I
said,” said Pratt. I remember though.
The Picture Perfect star ended his speech with these words for young people:
“Don’t try to be anybody but
yourself. The things that make you strange are the things that make you
powerful.”
A picture perfect message on a picture perfect night for Ben Platt.
