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Ben Platt is returning to Broadway.
The 29-year-old actor made his name in the title role of the musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen' in 2015 and went on to star in the film adaptation in 2021 but is now set to make his return to The Great White Way in the limited run of ‘Parade' at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre opposite Micaela Diamond after a brief Off-Broadway run in the show last year.
Director Michael Arden said in a statement: “I am delighted that Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's musical will be seen by Broadway audiences again after our brief run last fall. ‘Parade' has been a seminal piece of theater for me as an artist since it premiered 25 years ago, and to be collaborating with this incredible group of producers, designers, and artists led by the brilliant Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond is truly a dream come true. The story of Leo Frank is more important than ever to re-examine, and it is my hope that audiences are both inspired and activated to reflect on both the past failure and the enduring promise of the complicated tapestry we call America.”
The musical – which is expected to open in March and run until August – tells the true story of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia.
In 2021, Ben – who became the youngest ever actor to win a Tony Award for his role as struggling teenager Evan at the age of 23 – expressed that he “loved” being live on stage and hoped to return to Broadway “many times” throughout his career.
He said: “I love live performance more than anything and so returning to Broadway someday is a huge thing that I see in my future. I would love to find the right thing and I hope and pray to return many times in my life.”
