#the point is that ben platt is a good singer and actor in roles that he deserves

[roseworth]

it’s so hard being a theatre kid and trying to explain that ben platt is genuinely so talented and he was great in dear evan hansen on broadway but he was nepo babied into the role in the movie when he did not deserve it and now that’s how people know his name

[prodigal-explorer]

i hate when people try to say that dear evan hansen is a good musical and that it deserved the tony.

it’s literally one of the shittiest musicals ever written.

“but evan is supposed to be complex, he’s supposed to be morally gray!”

then the writers should have done a better job of portraying that. half of the audience who sees deh walk out of it feeling pity for evan and wanting to forgive him when that’s not the point! the point is that people with mental health problems are infantilized to the point where it hurts both them and the people who are doing the infantilizing, and that people with mental health problems are HUMAN which therefore means they are JUST AS CAPABLE OF EVIL. the point is also that intention doesn’t equal effect! but pasek and paul did a GODAWFUL job at portraying that.

also all the songs sound the same and they are all shit.

and ben platt is not that good of a singer, he sounds like a goat.

and don’t think i didn’t notice that the only poc in the obc was the smallest and least influential role, and was also heavily demonized in the show, even more so than evan (im talking about alana).

great comet and come from away are SO MUCH BETTER. they’re both about mental health and morally gray characters too, but it’s done in a much more mature, fleshed out, and cohesive way that isn’t just a bunch of white 30 something dudes wanting to relive their high school days.

great comet recontextualizes war and peace, exposing its heavily relevant and poignant themes in a way that audiences in the 21st century can grasp without losing the magic of the legendary prose. as much as i hate tolstoy, this particular interpretation is a beautiful rendition of a shockingly resonant story with such a fantastic arc and even better music.

i cant even describe how amazing come from away is. the fact that it expresses such joy and exuberance while also balancing the chilling horrors of what it was like to be alive during 9/11. it takes my breath away. the fact that every actor played at least two massively different roles with different accents and mannerisms takes SO much talent, and i adore that the obc is so representative of what a group of ordinary humans smushed together by chance looks like, and that it’s not just a bunch of 20 somethings.

great comet and come from away were robbed because deh brought in more money. that’s the cold hard truth of it. but money doesn’t mean everything. it’s so clear what the better musicals are.

[malspinningyarns]

Ok, I can’t believe I’m getting excited about Wicked after 10 years, but I’ve been hit with casting inspiration for the movie.

First off: David Alan Grier as the Wizard.

I think this this is one of my more inspired ideas. Can you imagine? It’s not the most immediate choice (like Original Joel Gray or Martin Short) but he’d be wonderful (pun totally intended). He can act, he can sing, he can dance. He’s the right age. He’s funny. Having a black man play the Wizard can add an extra layer of depth. It’s an all-around good choice.

Fiyero: a couple of options

There are many ways Fiyero can go. I don’t know why one of my first thoughts was of Harry Styles. He definitely has the charisma of a Fiyero. Voice? Probably if pop-y. Acting? I don’t know. It’s a very Hollywood choice though. I don’t know if Henry Golding can sing, but acting and appearance wise not a bad choice. Aaron Tveit played the role on Broadway and would be very good though he is pushing 40. Then I was struck by inspiration: what about Taron Egerton? He’s around the same age as Cynthia and Ari. Very strong singer. Has the looks and the charisma. And is a good actor.

Boq

I think there is a high chance Ben Platt will get the role. His dad is one of the producers. I thought he had played the roll before, apparently he hasn’t? It’s possible they’d pick an unknown for the role or a little-known actor. I think Harvey Guillén from What We Do In the Shadows would be a good choice though.

Nessarose: there is only one choice here

Ali Stroker! An actual wheelchair user for Nessarose! But doesn’t she stand up at some point you may be asking yourself? It’s a movie! It’s a lot more possible to do this on film through movie magic than it is on stage.

Madame Morrible: a million choices

Pick an older character actress. Any older character actress. They’d all do great. Carol Kane? She’s played the role many times. Miriam Margolyes? Same. Andrea Martin? Fantastic. Catherine O’Hara? Great. Chita Rivera? Why not!

Doctor Dillamond: Just don’t pick James Corden

I used to like James Corden, but he’s been in too many movie musicals. “Something Bad” is the worst song in the show. They’re filming it in London. Just give it to like Rob Brydon or something.

If any of these end up right, I deserve a cookie. If most of them are right, I deserve a casting credit.

[enthusiasticmusicalquotes]

27-33

thanks!

27. Matilda or Groundhog Day? I can’t scream loud enough by how underwhelmed I was by Matilda and how much I fucking adored Groundhog Day so I pick ghd

28. Historical event that should be made into a musical? i spent awhile thinking about this question, I think a cool musical could be about jewish people who created iconic comic book characters like Superman, Captain America, Spiderman, etc. and paralleling it with the characters in their reincarnations today (sorry this got a lil specific)

29. What non-Broadway singer/actor would you love to see in a Broadway show, and which role would you like them to play? literally all my faves have been on broadway or in theatre at one point or another so i don’t know how to answer this question sorrrryyy

30. If you read fanfic, what’s your favorite fanfic about characters from musical theatre? i don’t really read too much theatre fic but i remember this one on ao3 i read a little of that i liked. it was about the Groundhog Day after the one from the show, and how Phil’s scared about waking up the next day etc. it was this one 

(i’ve found most theatre fic can be iffy after seeing a Natalie/Gabe incest fic and fics that ship founding fathers and other Hamilton characters together and that’s just…not for me. 

31. Dream cast your favorite musical. ok - i don’t know vocal ranges and stuff like that, so I don’t know if these actors could actually play these characters. if this was a perfect world where anyone could play anything: i don’t know if she has the voice to play the role full time but i would kill to hear Idina sing “I Miss the Mountains” and maybe even play the role (otherwise, maybe Audra or Jenn Colella? i’d be happy with any…), Ben Platt would probably make a good Henry (but it would be interesting to see him as Gabe…), if they aren’t too old maybe Eva Noblezada or Denee Benton as Natalie…Andy Karl or Leslie Odom Jr. for Dan…Andrew Rannells for Dr. Madden/Fine…and either keep Aaron Tveit as Gabe or Chris McCarrell (which he’s already played before I believe)

basically any combination of those plus any other actors tbh i would l o v  e (i spent too much time on this question ahhh)

32. Set design or lighting design? both are crucial but set design

33. Favorite empowerment-themed Broadway song? maybe “Seize the Day” or “Defying Gravity”

[awkwardanxiousasexual]

Ok I have now watched it three times total and have collected my thoughts. These are only my opinions obviously so if you don’t agree then whatever

1.) Bit of a personal preference but I think this trailer focused way too much on Evan. Yes, I know he’s the main character. Yes, I know that the musical is named after him. But I also think that the other kids in the shows are really important to the overall theme and instead this trailer gave me “look it’s a movie about a Sad Boy” vibes. Idk Evan is essentially to the story but I’m worried that the script will not reflect the importance of characters like Alana, Jared, Heidi, or Zoe based on what the trailer showed

2.) Speaking of Evan... I don’t love Ben Platt in this role. He’s a great actor and singer and I’m sure he’ll do fine but I feel like some other actors might have fit better for a movie production. I know he’s not the first older guy to play a teen and won’t be the last but with this plot/story-line specifically I feel like it would have been better to cast someone slightly younger.

3.) Where’s Zoe’s guitar? I feel like we should have seen at least one shot of it unless she’s no longer in Jazz Band. It’s just a central part of her character and I felt like it was missing

4.) I don’t know if it’s the script, the actress, or the direction, but I feel like Alana comes off more shy than socially awkward. I tried to picture Movie!Alana in some of the act one scenes like telling the story about her aunt breaking her hip or Connor in English class and I couldn’t. She seemed more subdued? Idk less passionate/driven than I expected

5.) I don’t love Connor’s look. You can’t just slap on some black nail polish and call it a day. He doesn’t need the super long hair (not every musical Connor did!) or whatever but come on. He looks like a Kid in a Movie and not a depressed lonely teen. It felt a little manufactured. Give me the black hoodie!!!! Give me some messy-ish hair at least! He’s two steps removed from looking preppy

6.) Not enough Heidi in the trailer. I love her where is she

7.) Nik is going to be great as Jared. Hopefully the script lets him have the emotional depth he deserves and doesn’t give us a one dimensional dude who just makes jokes. In the trailer he says “the only thing left of their son is a letter you wrote to yourself?” And the musical line is “Weird sex letteryou wrote to yourself” Either they are toning down Jared (which would be a shame) or they cut it because it didn’t match the tone of the trailer and the full line is in the movie. This second option is frankly, hilarious, bc I love the fact that Jared would ruin a movie execs vision of an angsty teen drama. Also I love the Evan and Jared graduation pics and hopefully they mean that Jared gets to have an ending instead of storming off and never being seen after Good For You. Also did they change his last name? I saw some posts saying they did but he’s still listed as Jared Kleinman on google, imdb, and the Wikipedia page for the movie so...

8.) It seems like Jared and Evan mostly talk at school which makes sense in the movie format but it’s a big change from the laptop zoom calls or whatever the musical did. I wonder how it translates

Overall, I feel like it’s going to be some bland drama. It’s seems a little washed down from what the musical is which sucks because in theory, the movie should be able to expand on plot points and characters in ways that a staged show couldn’t. Guess we’ll have to see

Oof I don’t know how I feel about the Dear Evan Hansen Trailer

[waffleshausrx]

HOW did I just come across the musical amazingness that is Dear Evan Hansen. Ughhh, Ben Platt is an amazing actor/singer. I can’t believe he was being cast as a goofy sidekick and had to go through such crap roles like in Pitch Perfect. Thank goodness he finally found his spotlight because holy crap is he talented!

Also, the soundtrack is amazing. Definitely a broadway show I want to see at some point!