Best know by many as the lead in the life-affirming, LGBTQ-beloved musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” Ben Platt is also a Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winning actor and musician. And now the out, gay triple threat is the recipient of the Harvard University-affiliated Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 2020 Man of the Year Award.
Platt comes to Cambridge to pick up the award on Friday, February 7.
Friday’s festivities include a celebratory roast for Platt and the presentation of his Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, the Pudding’s historic home in the heart of Harvard Square since 1888. Then, following a press conference at 8:30 p.m., the Hasty Pudding Theatricals will perform “Mean Ghouls,” the club’s second-ever production featuring both men and women in the cast.
“Mean Ghouls” then runs through March 8 at Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke Street, Cambridge. For tickets to the show and more info, call the club’s box office at (617) 495-5205, email tickets@hastypudding.org, or go to hastypudding.org.
“We’re thrilled to honor Ben Platt as our 54th Man of the Year because of the incredible impact he has had on Broadway and in Hollywood at such a young age,” said Hasty Pudding coproducer Natalie Needle.
“As our youngest Man of the Year, Ben has had a remarkable career as an actor and musician. We are also avid musical theater fans, so we are very excited for him to watch our production,” added Needle’s fellow coproducer Samantha Meade.
According to a Hasty Pudding press release:
Platt won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance as Evan Hansen, as well as the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, making him the youngest actor to win the coveted award. Additionally, Dear Evan Hansen won the Tony Award for Best Musical and the cast recording took home the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, as well as a Daytime Emmy Award for their performance on The Today Show.
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Man and Woman of the Year Awards are presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. The Man of the Year award was established in 1967. Its past recipients include, among others, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Justin Timberlake, Robert Downey Jr., Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Robin Williams. The Man of the Year festivities, presented by RELATED, Equinox, and SoulCycle, will take place on Friday, February 7th, 2020.
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