Ben Platt - Finishing the Hat | 54 Below

Ben Platt singing "Finishing the Hat" from Sunday in the Park with George at the 54 Below show "Let Me Try That Again, Take 5" on 10/15/17.
Ben tells a story in the beginning, so if you want to skip to the video, go to 3:39.

[@graceedits3118]

Hearing him talk about how much he loved this musical in the 7th grade and knowing he got to song “Move On” at the Tony’s on Sunday has got me crying in a cool way 😭

[@ianmaddison8848]

What a great rendition of this song, love it, clicked on this by chance, so pleased I did

[@allyson--]

I consider myself a huge fan of 'Sunday in the Park with George' -- I still come back to this video bc I enjoy that Ben's version is his own. It only builds upon the material to stray from original interpretations.

[@brentcehan5502]

I *really* like this rendition. Firstly, he sounds like an actual artist. I got a genuine sense of a young man discussing the constraints of his craft. And the hesitancy that some of the commentators have seized on, seems like a genuinely new way of interpreting the song. While he's discussing what he's just learning about his craft, he's debating whether he's made the wrong choices; He's not only embarrassed to say he's lost the woman he loves to finishing up the mundane details of his work, he's pretty sure he's ridiculous and wrong. Cheers! It's rare to find a performer willing to rethink interpretive approaches to a Sondheim standard.

[@theahaberman8189]

I agree! Ben is brilliant at interpretation, all his emotional expression seems so genuine.

[@ginonovanta]

he looks like one of those people that would make your life so more full having them as your friends

[@demoninfested._.nugget5675]

YES OMFG

[@Kristine_202]

OH MY GOD. Whenever Ben talks about his childhood, I just think, "ME!" But without the talent. I was such a bossy little diva. I remember getting in trouble because we were having "rehearsals" and one of my cousins tried to come into the room and I screamed, "You're not in this number!!!!" That actually happened. I was about 10, but I remember it clearly. And when I got yelled at, I didn't understand. I just took my art very seriously. 🤣🤣🤣

[@AETHEREALMINDS]

absolutely gorgeous.

[@randalllaue4042]

His parents were amazing to support him, the looks at each other must have been heart warming...

[@MPalas96]

In case you want to go straight to the song (which you shouldn't do, for Ben's sake), it starts at 3:37

[@janiceweaver6945]

I bet they wish they had showed up for rehearsal now.

[@alyssaperez4639]

He sounds so beautiful 😍😭

[@uns0ciable4ever]

such a delicious falsetto man :(

[@chrismedhanakula8010]

I love Ben, I love Sondheim and I love this song but this does not work....

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

I say Ben should try performing Later from A Little Night Music. That song not only fits his range more, but also helps him transition smoother from Evan's overly cautious fatigue to Henrik's serious but confused frustration. Both Evan and Henrik are constantly facing other people's apparent lack of patience and respect for their stifling characteristics and personal conflicts, that they constantly bottle up everything they want to say but don't know how, and to do it "the right way" that their close ones keep harping them to. In fact, I will always wish Ben would perform Later someday, as I personally feel I relate to Henrik's character(especially during middle school) as much as I do with Evan's AND George's personalities. I feel I'm part Henrik, as I instinctively want to do good and please everyone around me(with good grades, being behaved, etc.) that it has alienated me from my peers(who couldn't be ever the opposite from my attitude) in the past, and even got me bullied by three different people, for my utter innocence and naïveté. I'm part George as when I learned to embrace discovering and developing myself as a person(which I owe listening to Sondheim as a great sense of help), I start to get meticulous and absorbed in my fields of interests to the point were I don't get engage as much with people as others say I should. And lastly, due to the above mentioned factors(and losing my mom to breast cancer at age 7), I carry a great deal of social anxiety that, coupled with being high functionally autistic, makes it difficult for me to naturally socialize in moments I had no prior understanding or control over(ex. I'm constantly having a hard time remembering names and faces of people I only met once or haven't seen for a long time), and yet overly concern about not accidentally offending anyone that I end up avoiding some of these social moments as I do struggle to get through them. I'm sure, by now, you could guess what character that last trait is linked too.

[@willwalker24601]

@@michaelwilliamybarra2409 you don't need to share your life's story...

[@MattVargas]

Finishing a Plat!

[@lexim6869]

such a cutie

[@tomwesdorp9043]

Nice Job. "Fiddlin' With His Shirt"

[@user-vm4jt2ue2w]

No hate. You also probalyby know this. He played Evan Hasen in Dear Evan Hansen a very very extordanary and sucsessful show. His character Evan was a very anxious person with social anxiety, and in that role he had to do those certain fidgets, so he carried some of them after he left. He was in the role for over 2 years. Not trying to start anything, but I thought I would share why :)

[@tomwesdorp9043]

@@user-vm4jt2ue2w Sometimes I forget how earnest and humorless social media can be.

[@Sakrysta]

This is probably going to annoy some people, but I hate the way he is careless about pitch. When he “emotes” the lines, he is often just under pitch, which is fine for pop but DEATH in Sondheim’s music. Also, “…give what I give…” not “…did what I did…” 🙄

[@archiefanatic101]

I don’t know the original so I have nothing to compare this to. That being said, Ben is soooo talented!

[@ginonovanta]

i'd love to hear him as the baker in into the woods

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

I'd be enthralled to hear him perform "Giants in The Sky"!

[@HamiltonIsLife]

Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh

[@katieglauber3083]

3:38 is when he starts singing

[@callives5702]

Not the best rendition of this but it's still okay. A little to modern.

[@user-qd7qe1fr8i]

THIS VIDEO MADE ME 384764738383 TIMES MORE GAY AHHHHHHHHH

[@mx4690]

Please don't make it Evan finishing the hat. It DESTROYS the kind of internal conflict George is battling with in the song.

[@andrewreiman6665]

Mandy's is better! (And I fucking love Ben)

[@musicallou4900]

Look I made a hat

[@randalllaue4042]

😅

[@RoKbOy211]

it's..... too pretty?

[@carr0760]

It's actually too strong. Those high notes should absolutely not be full voice. He misses the essence of the song/character entirely, which shocks me because he's usually amazing.

[@paulpadillo4591]

I like Platt, but geez is this awful. Frequently and painfully out of tune from the get go. And on the word "window" - it's as though he's shooting for a note and just hoping it lands right. It doesn't. Also, his rhythm for Sondheim's text is approximated, defeating the sense of the lyrics. It isn't easy, but Patinkin and Gyllenhaal both got it right. Perfectly.

[@jaedentueller6783]

This doesn’t work for him

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

Maybe he should try singing Later, form A Little Night Music. It not only fits his range better, but I think there's a similarity to both Evan and Henrik's characteristics. Both Evan and Henrik are constantly facing other people's apparent lack of patience and respect for their stifling characteristics and personal conflicts, that they constantly bottle up everything they want to say but don't know how, and to do it "the right way" that their close ones keep harping them to. Plus, I admit I relate to both Evan and Henrik immensely, and with George as well!

[@deckenneth]

wow! this is awful.

[@elisel.641]

this just crushes every other version

[@mx4690]

Only if this is the only one you've heard of.

[@jrobertsapp]

Wow, not even close. Roughly a Dinner Theater version. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXPHoouoac-pmpo

[@kerriprice4152]

Elise L. I don't think you've heard Mandy Pantinkin (The Original George) or Jake Gyllenhaal (The 2016 Revival George). Those two were masters of Sondheim's work and what he looked for. Ben is great but it simply does not work with a Sondheim show.

[@chriswagstaff4934]

Mandy at Sondheim's 80th is the one.

[@Beautifullytragic6]

Nah. Mandy is King. And this is coming from someone who LOVES Ben's voice.

[@tedadders6109]

Eh, it's good but it's too modernised and, dare i say, evan hansen-y. No shade to Ben cus I am a fan but personally it needs that classical style

[@benjamingreenfield9569]

this is....not his best work.

[@hannahm.dedmon7456]

Benjamin Greenfield He probably performed this after an Evan Hansen performance...so I’d say it’s pretty dang good after performing in a show where he sobs and sings his face off for 2 1/2 hours.

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

@@hannahm.dedmon7456 I say he should perform Later form A Little Night Music, as both Evan and Henrik's personalities, I feel, are more closely linked than that of Evan and George.

[@TheCrissangelrocks]

Not a good rendition

[@callives5702]

Spencer Germany wow spence