In March 2019, Broadway star Ben Platt released his debut album Sing To Me Instead. A few months later, he took the album on tour around the United States and Canada, hitting cities including Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, Austin, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The Netflix special Ben Platt Live From Radio City Music Hall was filmed on the last stop of the tour. 

Watching the concert special directed by Alex Timbers, it is pure joy to see Platt having so much fun and unabashedly being himself. It’s not a fancy concert. There are no bells and whistles. It’s just Ben wearing his flowery top and bright blue pants, the band, and his beautiful voice. It feels intimate even though it was filmed at Radio City Music Hall, which has a capacity of over 6000 people. This was Platt’s goal as he welcomed the audience to the extraterrestrial living room. There are moments when the audience gets up and dances along with Platt like during “Share Your Address” and “Rain” and there are quieter moments that bring you to tears like “Grow As We Go” and “In Case You Don’t Live Forever.” In addition to songs off his album, Platt performed covers of his favourite queeroes including Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke” and Elton John’s “Take Me to the Pilot.” 

Sing to Me Instead is a very story-driven album. Between songs, Platt tells the stories that inspired the music. He tells stories about his sexuality (he came out to his parents when he was in Israel in the eighth grade), his family, and failed relationships. Platt also says that cats are the devil’s children. It’s heartfelt and honest. No matter what he’s saying, singing or spoken, Platt’s voice and stage presence carries through the auditorium leaving the audience hanging onto every moment. 

Platt is best known for his work on Broadway including Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon and most notably for his role as the titular character in the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He has also appeared in Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, and Ricki and the Flash. 

Currently, you can see Platt starring in the Netflix series The Politician. Season 2 of The Politician is scheduled to premiere on June 19, 2020. He also just released a deluxe version of Sing To Me Instead which features live tracks from the Radio City performance and his new single “So Will I.”

Ben Platt Live From Radio City Music Hall is now streaming on Netflix and you can listen to Sing to Me Instead wherever you listen to music.