Ben Platt Says Performing Live From Radio City Music Hall Was Like ‘Best Bar Mitzvah’

Shiryn Ghermezian

Ben Platt in a screenshot from his Netflix special ‘Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall.’ Photo: Screenshot.

Tony Award-winning Jewish actor and singer Ben Platt talked in a recent interview about his experience performing at New York City’s iconic Radio City Music Hall and how it turned out to be one of the best days of his life.

The “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Politician” star performed songs from his debut solo recording, “Sing to Me Instead,” at the venue on Sept. 29, 2019. The concert was filmed and premiered as a Netflix special on Wednesday.

In the audience at his show were a number of Platt’s friends, including former “Pitch Perfect” co-stars Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow, and “Dear Evan Hansen” actors Michael Park and Andrew Barth Feldman.

Platt told Broadway.com about that night, “It was a beautiful crossroads of my life — like the best bar mitzvah ever. Everybody from my life, all in the same room together, felt like the end of leg one of the journey. I really tried to do my best to prepare in every way so that I could be present when the moment actually came, and I think it paid off.”

During the concert, Platt sang, danced and told personal stories about dealing with anxiety and coming out as gay. When the night came to an end and he left the stage, he was told to wait a “certain amount of time” before going back out for the planned encore. But, Platt explained, “the audience’s energy was just so special and loud that everything else just went out of my mind. I just ran back on stage without telling anyone I was going back out. The way that that moment is filmed is a tiny bit janky, but it’s so worth it to me. I just needed to get back out there. I’ll always remember that.”

Platt, who turned 26 just three days prior to the concert, also turned the after-party into a birthday celebration.

He recalled, “As soon as the concert was over, I had a party with all my family and friends. I curated my favorite playlist, and we just danced and drank. It was one of the best days of my life.”

Watch the official trailer from “Ben Platt Live from Radio City Music Hall” below: