While this isn’t the first mention of the show on this website, it may as well be mentioned right here: I love Dear Evan Hansen. There have been few modern shows that are as formative to my views on musical theater. In terms of modern shows, it’s the one that has resonated with me the most, realizing that theater was capable of making a show based around exploring mental health and have it be this triumphant, contemporary view of life. It’s the one show that I obsess over and believe to have a flawless soundtrack. I understand that it may have some narrative issues for some, but I personally claim it as my show. It helps me to deal with my own personal emotions, and “You Will Be Found” definitely hits twice as hard when you’re seeing it live.
So as you can guess, that means that I have a strong soft spot for Ben Platt. He is the actor who originated the role on Broadway, and my first exposure came on the Tony Awards when he sang “Waving Through a Window.” There was something about it that spoke to me, and I searched for the soundtrack. It only got better from there. I could praise the entire cast, but that would derail my central theme of this piece.
Platt is a gift of a performer, one of the first since The Book of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells that I latched onto and wanted to follow their entire career. The way that he sings “For Forever” is an exercise in how to explore emotion within a vocal range. He puts so much soul into every note and it hits me in just the right way. As a result, I’ve pretty much tried to follow his career around to his various gigs, even watching The Politician over the course of three days. Watching him look more disheveled and like a homeless man during this quarantine has been just as amusing (if you haven’t seen his duet of “A Whole New World” with Idina Menzel, you should).
Considering that this week will mark his first concert special Ben Platt: Live from Radio City Music Hall (2020), I had to find a way to dedicate at least one post to his work. I am eagerly anticipating the Netflix special and wonder if he will bring just as much passionate energy to a more traditional performing style that he does to Broadway. I don’t see why not, but I can’t wait to find out.
That’s when I realize one truth that contradicts all of this: I never actually listened to his debut album “Sing to Me Instead.” The 2019 album was his first major music project since leaving Dear Evan Hansen, and my biggest memory of it before now was that Sara Bareilles was forced to start a feud with Platt at the Tony Awards only to say that she liked his album. It was an amusing moment, if forced. Still, that wasn’t enough to get me to listen. No, if I listened to one album from that evening’s shows, it was Hadestown.
I don’t know why I was tepid to listen to Platt go pop. He is a young and talented performer. I have every reason to believe that he’s just as talented in the pop world. Still, I knew that if I wanted any familiarity with his Netflix special, I needed to fix this problem. While I’m aware that it won’t have every song he’s expected to sing (he released the single “Rain” shortly before the concert), it would be enough to give me a familiarity.
The easy answer is that “Sing to Me Instead” is great because Ben Platt is great. What I wasn’t expecting was it to feel like an extension of Dear Evan Hansen on a literal level. While the musical focused around teenage angst, I assumed that Platt’s personal life would sound, ahem, different. Lyrically it’s an album about young love, reflective of a man looking at his life and noticing how the bad habits inform his mistakes. He wallows in the familiar metaphors of romance, finding meaning in the decisions that he makes. His voice strains, creating the sense of crying as he remembers someone who may or may not have existed. You know, like Dear Evan Hansen.
Though I am doing it a great disservice to suggest that this is a b-side collection. Gone are the big theatrics. In its place is this adult contemporary use of piano, playing like the backing track to Platt as he wanders around his living room and serenading his memories. It’s simple, stripped-down, looking for meaning. Every note has this somber quality and Platt’s quivering voice sounds like he’s having personal breakthroughs with each track. He’s swirling a drink, looking into it as he holds the microphone, waiting for that breakthrough to come.
At least that’s how the album starts, reflecting back on his past romances. Even as he deals with his own depression, he thinks on the people who can make his life better. With “Ease My Mind,” he finds his first glimpse into optimism, which he’ll continue to find as he lets love deeper into his life:
Darling, only you can ease my mindHelp me leave these lonely thoughts behindWhen they pull me under, and I can feel my sanity start to unwindDarling, only you can ease my mind
By the song “Temporary Love,” he is moving forward and finding more permanence in his life. While the piano plays like a ballad of his soul, he creates this sense that he’s slowly letting out a smile, that he’s found reason to love again. He begins to lighten up in the ways that you’d expect him to. There’s a slow rumbling in his chest as the melancholy breaks through to triumph and joy. The self-reflection is paving the way to a reimagining of what his life can be. Sure he has moments of depression and feeling like he lets people down, but he ultimately is able to cope and grow as a person.
If I’m being honest, this adult contemporary album plays into a singular style that does well for a listening experience, but doesn’t really have much in the way for criticism. These are all finely crafted songs given to Platt that reflect what his gifts are. Is he capable of singing with his patented emotion outside of Broadway? I am proud to say that the answer is yes. His voice is richer than ever. While I don’t think it’s nearly as challenging, it definitely shows that he has a crossover appeal that could grow over the rest of his career, as he takes breaks in between his Broadway projects or while waiting to shoot the latest segment in Merrily We Roll Along.
He can be a crooner capable of doing covers like Frank Sinatra. He just has that voice that can go as high or low as necessary. To hear him do a good quiver is to show just how tender his voice ultimately is, managing to capture the despair beautifully in a hushed tone. He can also sing the rafters, making you feel every last note in your soul. There are traces of that here, and I can imagine that they’ll be even better when they’re live. I feel like Platt is often better before a crowd, feeling the pressure to make their experience better.
With that said, I think that the album becomes more interesting the more that it escapes Platt’s own personal relationships. With “In Case You Don’t Live Forever,” he explores how his uncle informed his own sexuality, finding this fondness for what his life ultimately meant to him. It’s the theme of vulnerability that goes beyond romance Paired with “Older” and “Run Away,” he finds the relationships in his life that make him see the value of a life well-lived, finding joy in being able to just accept others for themselves and not living with regret. In a lot of ways, it’s putting into context the earlier songs, trying to justify personal growth.
Other songs like “New” and “Share Your Address” show what he may be like if he ever chose to be a pop star. The latter song is especially fun given that it finds his awkwardness being explored in a positive manner, willing to accept his flaws as a reason to love him:
I want a key to your houseI wanna pick up your clothesI wanna clean up your messI wanna know where you hide thingsWanna be in your photosWanna share your addressI know, I know it's too soon, too fastBut this could last
There is a desire to his voice here and I think his optimism is staggering in comparison to the other songs. It’s strange to hear his longing for some form of happiness, but it makes you feel good for Platt. This album feels personal, managing to capture a mid-20s view on life and love as he tries to find some semblance of happiness. By the end, I think that he finds it, and in the process has made this odd little project prove that he’s more than embellishing his career. There is so much heart and meaning behind every song, and I think this album has the potential to grow on me.
With that said, I don’t yet love this album as more than Platt appreciation. He is a very talented singer and his first dive into pop singing definitely has some appeal. I buy into his sincerity as a performer and every note is perfect, capturing angst that is specific to his struggles. However, there are points where I much prefer him going big like he did on Dear Evan Hansen, finding him to be more interesting when he has to vocally stretch into these interesting quirks. “Sing to Me Instead” has plenty to like, but my first impression is lukewarm.
That isn’t to say that I’m any less excited about his concert special. I imagine that there will be something added to him being placed on a stage. I feel like he’s most comfortable there, and “Sing to Me Instead” feels too calculated to fully reach his potential. It has plenty of heart and I think says a lot about Platt as an individual, reflecting his personal desires in poetic song form. In that way, I think there’s value to this record. It’s an interesting detour from what we know and makes me excited to hear where his solo career goes, even if I just want him to get back to Broadway sooner than later.
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