Ben Platt’s cover of “The Winner Takes It All” is what we ABBA fans hope to sound like belting the classic in our cars at full volume—buttery-smooth vocals, hitting every note, emotions that bring a tear to the audience’s eyes.
But unfortunately (for me anyway), a humbling trip to the karaoke bar leads to a reality check when my voice starts to crack, and I realize maybe the critics shouldn’t have been as harsh on Meryl Streep’s performance in “Mamma Mia.”
That’s not the case for Platt.
Despite performing the song an hour into his ballad-filled residency at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles for the third night in a row, he makes it look easy.
If you had just popped in for that number, you would have never thought that just five minutes before, he had surprised the Sunday night crowd with Demi Lovato to perform her 2011 single “Skyscraper,” another vocal powerhouse number.
@carolyn.burt Ben Platt brings out Demi Lovato to perform “Skyscraper” during LA residency at the Ahmanson on Sunday, Dec. 14 #benplatt #demilovato #skyscraper #losangeles #la
Platt’s two-week residency at the Ahmanson and at the Palace Theatre in New York in 2024 has become well known online for creating buzz around which special guest he’ll bring out to sing a duet. Lovato was the first person to come to Platt’s mind when he knew he’d be doing another residency. “She has been holding it down for the mainstream pop world, for people who can really effing sing,” said Platt as he teased his special guest for the evening before revealing her identity.
The duet was just one of the many treats Platt had in store for his hour and forty-minute showcase. The singer and actor, who is just an Oscar away from EGOT status, walks the audience through his career between songs, from deferring attending Columbia for a year to star in “Pitch Perfect” to his journey workshopping “Dear Evan Hansen.”
But perhaps the most special part of the residency is the fact that it takes place back where it all started, at the Ahmanson Theatre.
Platt, who grew up in Los Angeles, starred in a 2004 production of “Caroline or Change” and a 2005 production of “Dead End” at the Downtown LA theatre. He then attended Harvard-Westlake School, and on stage, he joked that he’s still unsure whether it’s in Studio City or North Hollywood, before revealing he was told that might be too niche a reference for the Los Angeles crowd, but that he didn’t care.
It’s not just his admiration for Los Angeles that’s apparent in his performance, but for music and theatre as a whole. Platt weaves his original songs into covers from Broadway productions and songs by artists he admires to make up his setlist. “That was Lady Gaga,” says Platt after performing a stripped-down version of her 2011 single “Yoü and I.” “If you don’t know that, you can go.”
The set also includes some other covers he’s become known for, such as “River” by Joni Mitchell and “Vienna” by Billy Joel, both of which he sang as part of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “The Politician.” But the moment that made it apparent a chronically online audience filled the theater was when he performed his ballad rendition of “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae. He originally performed the cover at the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, held at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this year.
In addition to the tales he shared from his career, bits of his personality sparkle throughout the show. Platt lets the music take him over as he dances around like a free spirit. The star also has a unique way of taking water breaks between songs, which he jokes makes him look like he’s drinking from a hamster dispenser, as he bends down to sip the water from the straw that has been placed on a stool on either side of the stage.
Platt ends his show with a rendition of his song “Before I Knew You” and “My Man” from “Funny Girl,” which he dedicates to his husband, Noah Galvin. After exiting the door at the back of the stage, which has been lit up throughout the show as one of the few set designs of his minimal staging, he returns for an encore number. Aside from the minimal chair squeaks and rustle of clothing as they return to their seats after Platt’s well-deserved standing ovation, the crowd is silent as he sends them into the night with “Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Ben Platt: Live at the Ahmanson” returns for its final six performances on Wednesday, December 17, and runs through Sunday, December 21, 2025. Tickets can be purchased at www.centertheatregroup.org/