Ben Platt on fulfilling a lifelong dream with his London stage return (EXCLUSIVE)

For someone who has already conquered Broadway, Hollywood and the pop charts, Ben Platt remains surprisingly hungry for firsts.

Fresh from a sold-out run of The Last Five Years opposite Rachel Zegler – and with the live album of the production newly released – the Tony winner is heading back to London this summer for Midnight at the Never Get, a smoky new musical set in 1965 New York.

The production marks a personal milestone: one of the rare chances, as he puts it, to play a queer leading role on stage.

Speaking to Attitude ahead of the show, Platt reflects on why London audiences feel uniquely special, what it means to finally inhabit a role so close to home, and why stories of LGBTQ+ love, longing and resilience feel as urgent as ever.

He also opens up about the icons who shaped him, the creative challenges he still craves, and why performing in the capital has long been a dream.

Attitude: You’ve just come off a huge run of The Last Five Years with Rachel Zegler. How are you feeling right now?

Platt: Sort of that bittersweet feeling that you get when something was a wonderful experience. I feel so happy because it was such a great creative run, and also of course sad that it’s done because we just had such a good time. It’s one of those experiences where everything aligned and it really went beautifully.

I think the album just came out yesterday, so that’s been a really nice souvenir and just a nice thing to have. Obviously I’m thrilled for fans and people who love the show to be able to hear it, but selfishly just to have a time capsule of that event is really special too.

Did performing it live in London feel any different to what you expected?

What I loved about the London audiences, especially because I’m about to be there this summer, it was nice to get a preview, obviously in a very different piece. There’s a really nice balance of attentiveness and respectfulness, but still rowdy enthusiasm.

I think sometimes here in New York – obviously I love New York audiences – there’s a bit more unruliness that can come, particularly with young audience members. But here, even though it was a largely young audience, there was such a consistent attentive respect. Even though there was great cheering and energy, I loved the balance of those two things. It felt like they were really leaning in.

And in terms of all the venues we did it in on this run, the London Palladium was the only one that really felt like a true theatre. It was still somewhat large, but intimate, and nobody was too far away. That’s my favourite kind of venue because it feels like we’re all really in the story together.

Why do you think theatre culture feels different in London?

It’s hard to say. I’m still such a novice performing there, so I don’t know if it was a fluke, but from what I’ve experienced, I think there’s a slight bit more reservation in terms of public connection – not in a bad way, in a way that feels very safe for the performer.

I think there’s such a deep respect for theatre and it’s baked into the long history of the UK. There’s such a culture of local theatre-going. In New York there are theatre lovers who’ve been there forever, but there’s also a huge swath of audiences who are tourists and people seeing things as attractions. That’s wonderful too, especially economically to keep Broadway alive.

But because this was such a short-term thing, and because of the theatre-going culture in London, it felt like everybody was home team. Everybody was there as local theatre lovers rather than seeing it as an attraction.

Midnight at the Never Get is set around an illegal romance in 1965 New York. What hit you emotionally when you first read it?

A lot of things. First and foremost, it’s written by my friend Mark Sonnenblick, who I had the pleasure of composing with on Theater Camp. We had the most incredible collaboration and it was clear how talented he is.

Since doing Dear Evan Hansen when I was much younger, I’ve always wanted to do another original musical, but I’ve tried to be careful in choosing new material. Mark sent me this piece maybe three years ago and I listened through all the songs while reading the script in my backyard in Los Angeles.

I was so moved by the fact he’d written such a beautiful classic-sounding score – cabaret, Cole Porter, golden-age musical theatre sounding songs that felt familiar but were entirely original.

And as a queer person, to tell a story where that love is treated with the same romantic, old-school theatrical sweep that heterosexual stories often get was so moving and exciting to me. I’ve played queer characters on camera, but never really in musicals on stage. So getting to use that part of my toolbox in my favourite medium was super appealing.

Do you think queer love stories set in times of repression feel especially relevant right now?

Definitely. That specificity and universality go together beautifully. When you add the fact it’s a time where it can be a matter of life and death, or where the world is either seeing you or refusing to see you, the stakes become exponentially higher.

Even in my privileged bubble of living in New York and Brooklyn, with a protected home and queer community, I still feel societally there’s always a push and pull of trying to prove our belonging and our humanity – particularly for our trans community.

To tell a story with all of that as the backdrop, but which still focuses on the humanity of being in love with someone and how hard and wonderful that can be, is my favourite kind of queer representation.

Do you feel a responsibility to younger LGBTQ+ fans who look up to you?

I mean, just so excited and grateful. Anytime I’m in something, especially theatre, there’s always an element of doing it selfishly because I love it so much and it brings me joy.

But the most special thing is when you’re bringing in fans or younger queer people to see something that is actually valuable to see. I would hope young queer people coming to see this, getting to see themselves in something so classic and romantic and universal, will make them feel seen and feel like it’s something we can all recognise ourselves in.

I’m really happy to be using whatever ability I have to bring people in for something that feels emotionally valuable and important in terms of identity.

Is there anyone you’ve particularly looked up to within the community?

So many. When I was younger, Sam Smith was certainly a big part of my discovering myself as an artist – someone culturally lauded, whose music and voice were beautiful, and who was singing explicitly about queer relationships and love while that not being their whole identity as an artist. Getting to sing with them was amazing.

Then obviously the forefathers – Elton John and Rufus Wainwright – the door-openers who were able to play and be themselves.

And as an actor, watching people like Jonathan Bailey and Jonathan Groff be openly queer, support their communities, and still get to play everything and anything – I find that really inspiring.

Why is returning to London for this project important to you?

I’ve always really wanted to work in London in the theatre. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where I could visit and see unbelievable pieces on the West End, at the National Theatre, the Donmar and the Chocolate Factory.

I’ve always admired the culture, the respect for theatre-going, and how important it is to the city. I’ve always dreamt of being part of that community.

For this particular project, it feels like such a safe and welcoming place for a new piece to be developed, and for audiences to be part of the journey of finding exactly what it wants to be.

Is there still something creatively that scares you?

I think the whole search is always what scares me. The thing that makes something exciting is if it gives you that fear in a positive way – not “how am I going to bodily do this?” but “I’ve never stretched myself in this direction.”

There are theatre roles I’d still love to play. There’s much more experience I’d love in film. I’d love to do things that live closer to the ground, more naturalistic, a bit closer to myself. I’d love to do more straight theatre and non-musical theatre.

There’s really nothing I’d turn my nose up at. It’s about what feels new and what feels exciting.

You’ve worked with so many creative giants. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

I’ve had the opportunity to be more of a team member and also to be captain of the ship a few times. What I’ve learned more and more is that the way you conduct yourself, the camaraderie, leadership and example you set in terms of relationships and mutual respect – the power of that is immeasurable.

It’s always visible in the piece itself, whether it’s a film or a living, breathing thing like theatre. If you’re in a position of leadership – director, executive producer, number one on the call sheet, leading a theatre piece – the attitude and humanity you bring to the room every day is just as important as talent and craft.

I’ve never seen an experience truly beautiful, or the final piece truly beautiful, if that wasn’t running through the lifeblood of the process.

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Tickets for Midnight At The Never Get at the Menier Chocolate Factory are on sale now.