Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
L-R Noah Galvin, Ben Platt (photo: Henry Jacob Platt)Tony/Grammy/Emmy Award winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) and his actor boyfriend, Noah Galvin (The Good Doctor), announced on Friday they are now engaged. Continue reading “Former ‘Evan Hansens’ Ben Platt & Noah Galvin Are Engaged”
Tony Award winner Ben Platt (image via official Facebook)Some news items you might have missed:
• New York Times: Tony Award winner Ben Platt on the reactions to the critically-panned 2021 film version of Dear Evan Hansen – “It was definitely a disappointing experience, and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet and how horrific it can be…I find that Twitter is almost exclusively for tearing people down…It’s been really nice to be away.” Continue reading “Ben Platt On ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Film + More News”
Ben Levi Ross & Taylor Trensch of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’For Valentine’s Day 2019, the creators of the Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen, created this special rendition of the song “Only Us” from the hit show. Continue reading “Valentine’s Day: ‘Only Us’ From DEAR EVAN HANSEN”
(image via Lego)Some news items you might have missed:
• NBC News: Lego is kicking off LGBTQ Pride month by releasing a special set, called “Everyone is Awesome,” that celebrates the diversity of its fans. This is the first time in Lego’s 72-year history that it is releasing an official LGBTQ Pride set.
• The Hill: Coronavirus vaccinations in Ohio jumped 28 percent in the days following the governor’s announcement of a lottery for residents who get the shots, state health officials said Thursday. Residents who have been vaccinated will be eligible for five drawings of $1 million each.
• Kenneth-in-the-212: Six foot seven doctoral candidate Aidyn asks if he’s “still a big boy” as this week’s ‘Mask4Masc’ feature. #woof
• New York Times: The Times editorial board penned an op-ed calling the decision by Pride organizers in NYC that police officers would not be allowed to march in the annual Pride parade until 2025 a ‘misstep.’ I agree.
• Right Wing Watch: QAnon Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) falsely claimed in an interview that Texas has not reported a single COVID-19 death since the state lifted all restrictions over two months ago. ACTUALLY, the Texas Department of State Health Services reports more than 3,400 people have died of COVID-19 since the state removed all restrictions two months ago.
• OUT: It seems folks who hadn’t seen (or didn’t know much about) the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen were under the impression it was about a gay high school student after the official trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation dropped yesterday. p.s. it’s not
so many people wikipedia-ing dear evan hansen today and so many people finding out it’s not a musical about a gay kid who broke his arm lol
— alex (@alex_abads) May 18, 2021
Ben Platt is playing the role that made him uber-famous one more time, fortunately for us.
Universal Pictures drops the official trailer for the film adaptation for Dear Evan Hansen, the moving stage musical that promises ‘you will be found.’
From Vanity Fair:
The story centers on a kid whose therapist has given him the assignment of writing letters to himself, addressing his fears, hopes, and insecurities.
A classmate named Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan, who understudied the role on Broadway) steals one of the letters and later takes his own life. That boy’s parents (played in the film by Amy Adams and Danny Pino) mistake the letter Evan wrote for their son’s final words, addressed to a kid they assume was his close friend. Evan lets them believe this because he thinks it brings them comfort—but the confusion and lies soon pile up, leading to greater heartbreak.
The Broadway production scored 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical and a Best Actor in a Musical statue for Platt.
Folks on social media are making light of 27-year-old Platt playing a high school student, but come on folks – suspend your disbelief a bit and just enjoy.
The movie hits theaters September 24.
L-R Lisa Brescia, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, and Jennifer Laura Thompson (screen capture)Broadway musical moms help me celebrate Mother’s Day with some totally appropriate tunes from musicals that mine the gold in all kinds of motherly relationships.
Four Dear Evan Hansen moms from the Broadway and touring companies united for this terrific take on “Anybody Have A Map?” from the blockbuster musical. I’m sure a lot of moms out there relate to this.
Liz Callaway really scored with this Act One closer for the 1983 Broadway musical, Baby. The song takes place after Liz’s ‘pregnant for the first time’ character feels her baby kick for the very first time.
From Stephen Sondheim’s brilliant Into The Woods, Broadway icon Betty Buckley served up a show-stopping “Children Will Listen” backed by the Boys Choir of Harlem at the 1992 Carnegie Hall concert honoring Sondheim.
In the 1996 stage musical adaptation of the Tom Hanks hit film BIG, Barbara Walsh played the mother of the lead character who magically grows up and leaves home on an adventure. At the top of Act Two, the mom reflects on how quickly kids can grow up wishing she could ‘stop time’ for just a while.
Just like in life (I’m thinking my own life here), Broadway musical moms take many forms – aunts, godmothers, neighbors, even god-like forces like Mother Earth – who show up at the right moment to help us on our way.
I loved the creative and oh-so-moving 2017 revival of Once On This Island. Alex Newell and company brought the house down nightly with this jubilant and earthy “Mama Will Provide.”
As I recently reported, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and theater producers have announced Broadway shows will begin reopening this September.
L-R Lisa Brescia, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, and Jennifer Laura ThompsonFour Broadway leading ladies singing together for the first time.
Four Broadway and National Tour Dear Evan Hansen ‘Moms’ — Lisa Brescia, Christiane Noll, Jessica Phillips, and Jennifer Laura Thompson — joined forces for this music video that asks the universal question, “Anybody Have A Map?”
The Dear Evan Hansen YouTube channel shared the video in 2018, and I kept meaning to share this. I love how different all four actresses are and yet they have a similar ineffable quality.
I love the arrangement, and in these crazy days, the song offers a lighthearted acknowledgment that we don’t always have the answers.
The Broadway producers wisely took advantage of the show’s terrific score to come up with unique spins on the songs. In the past, I’ve shared two ‘Evan Hansens’ singing “Only Us” to each other for Valentine’s Day and four actors who’ve taken on the title role from the Broadway, National Tour, Toronto and West End productions singing “For Forever.”
Hey, folks.
I usually end the day with my News Round-Ups, but this feels a little better tonight.
Tonight, The Late Late Show with James Corden closed with Tony Award-winner Ben Platt joined by members of the Broadway and touring companies of the smash musical Dear Even Hansen singing, appropriately, “You Will Be Found.”
This feels like a better note to end the night.
Thanks for reading TRR folks.
Have a great night. (and wash your hands…)
…signed, human being, me…
Four ‘Evan Hansens’ sing “For Forever” from Dear Evan HansenToday, the London production of Dear Evan Hansen begins performances officially launching the fourth company of the Tony Award-winning musical to date.
To commemorate the occasion, the producers released this never-before-heard arrangement of “For Forever,” performed by a quartet of Evans: Sam Tutty (London), Andrew Barth Feldman (Broadway), Stephen Christopher Anthony (North American Tour), and Robert Markus (Toronto).
The Tony Award®-winning Best Musical also continues on Broadway, in Toronto and cities all across North America.
In case you aren’t familiar, from the synopsis:
A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in.
Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new American musical about life and the way we live it.
The producers have released a series of videos featuring actors from the multiple companies of the hit musical.
One of my favorites showcases four actresses who have played the role of Evan’s mother on Broadway and in the national touring company – Lisa Brescia, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Jessica Phillips, and Christiane Noll – singing, “Anybody Have A Map?”
Like the above video, the musical team turns these powerful solos from the show into expanded quartets with new arrangements.
I love seeing the actors relate to each other as only those who’ve played the roles can; there’s a knowingness present in their connections.
Grammy Award winning vocal group Pentatonix serves up their take on “Waving Through a Window” from the hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.
The multi-platinum selling group has dipped its toes in the Broadway catalogue a few times.
Band member Kirsten Maldonado joined the Broadway cast of Kinky Boots last year alongside Scissor Sister frontman Jake Shears. The fab five also recorded a track for the concept album of Finding Neverland, and they also dropped by the Wicked 15th anniversary special on NBC.
The song has been covered by several pop stars since Dear Evan Hansen’s debut, including Katy Perry and Rachel Tucker.