This may not be Ben Platt’s first walk down the Tony Awards road, but it surely is an important one.
Platt is now nominated for best actor in a leading role in a musical for the second time, coming six years after he subsequently won the award in 2017 for his titular role in Dear Evan Hansen. Now, alongside his co-star Micaela Diamond, he is nominated for his role of Leo Frank in the critically acclaimed revival of Parade. The revival was moved to Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater after originating at the New York City Center this past fall and is playing a strictly limited engagement through August 6th.
Describing himself as a “born and bred classical musical theater guy,” Platt explained how being tapping into the world of Parade was fulfilling to him from a creative standpoint. “This is the most stylistically up my alley thing, as a theatre person, that I’ve done so far,” Platt said during Thursday’s Meet The Nominees press room at New York City’s Sofitel Hotel. “I grew up doing all classic theater, like in youth theater, in school, and listening to it with my family. And of course, I’ve beautifully found my way into pop music and contemporary music, Evan Hansen is obviously very pop-leaning. But for me, this is sort of the most comfort zone, home-based, sound, especially Jason Robert Brown, given that he writes such beautiful Jewish characters. It’s also just stylistically the kind of music that I love. So for me, musically, it’s been a really beautiful kind of Homecoming.”
Within this homecoming, the complexities of this performance are not lost on Platt. Parade is a musical that delves deep into the complexities of American society in the early 20th century, exploring themes of prejudice, racism, and injustice. The show is based on the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was wrongly accused of murder and ultimately lynched in Georgia in 1915. Through its powerful music and lyrics, Parade tells a deeply emotional story of the human cost of prejudice and the struggle for justice in a society rife with bigotry and hatred. At its core, the show is a thought-provoking exploration of the ways in which social injustice can tear apart communities and individuals. It is a moving tribute to those who have suffered and fought for justice in the face of overwhelming odds, and a powerful reminder of the need for empathy and understanding in a world that too often values division over unity.
Platt processes these ideas by viewing the show through the eyes of his character, making sure to emphasize his three dimensionality. “The challenges have definitely been more in he subject matter, and making sure to find the hope and levity and humanity within all the difficult big symbolism,” he said. “It is a big story about ideas and a big moment. Leo Frank stands for all of these things. And so, for me, the focus and challenge has always been keeping him as a person and a three dimensional guy as my focus, in terms of my part as a cog in the larger machine that Michael created, which is amazing. It’s just to really bring that person to life more so than to express the ideas.”
The role itself has been on what Platt described as his “list,” of roles that he’s wanted to play throughout his life. Frank is portrayed as a man of great intelligence and integrity, who is deeply committed to his principles and determined to fight for his innocence even in the face of overwhelming opposition. “It was just like a yes, yes, like, thank God,” Platt said when asked what his recation to first being casted was. “Because Leo Frank has always been on my list alongside George from Sunday In The Park With George and Bobby from company. So I think as soon as I saw, I was like, this is the role. This is the piece. And this is the director, it was an immediate click, and the only thing left on my mind was, who’s the wife? who’s the wife?”
“And he was like, Micaela Diamond. I was like, oh my god, duh,” Platt added, playfully. The relationship between Diamond and Platt was a fast friendship, with the two even spending time together at Monday’s Met Gala the night prior to their nominations.
A challenging part of Platt’s performance in Parade is an unexpected one: intermission. What is typically a fifteen minute break for the performers is the exact opposite for him, as he must remain on stage for the entirety of the break, fully immersed in both his character, and his characters devastating reality. Leo Frank is in prison when Act 1 of the show commences, and he remains there, making Platt bound to both the stage and Leo’s world. The intermission serves as a break for the audience, a time for them to leave their seats, stretch their legs, and perhaps even discuss the show with their companions. However, by keeping Frank on stage during this time, the show conveys the sense of isolation and confinement that he experiences. Frank, a man who is wrongly accused and punished for a crime he did not commit, is unable to leave his situation behind, even during a brief intermission.
“There are there are days where I’m able to think purely about Leo and the story and remain totally in the world of it,” Platt said. “And there are days that are more challenging or more fatiguing, or my main thought is just to kind of try to meditate and zone out and get through the 15 minutes. To try and just stay focused on either a point or, sometimes I’ll imagine colors or patterns on the mat, just something to kind of wash the slate clean. The only thing I try not to do is think about like, lunch, or my fiancรฉ, or things like that. I try to stay at least related to the world. But I mean, it’s two plus hours a week. So it’s a lot of sitting.”
See all of the 2023 Tony Awards Nominees here!
