{"id":96170,"date":"2025-12-16T03:05:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T03:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/96170\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T03:05:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T03:05:13","slug":"ben-platt-surprises-la-crowd-with-demi-lovato-during-residency-show-at-the-ahmanson-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/96170\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Platt surprises LA crowd with Demi Lovato during residency show at the Ahmanson \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ben Platt\u2019s<\/a> cover of \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d is what we ABBA fans hope to sound like belting the classic in our cars at full volume\u2014buttery-smooth vocals, hitting every note, emotions that bring a tear to the audience\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t have been as harsh on Meryl Streep\u2019s performance in \u201cMamma Mia.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the case for Platt.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cSkyscraper,\u201d another vocal powerhouse number.<\/p>\n

@carolyn.burt<\/a> <\/p>\n

Ben Platt brings out Demi Lovato to perform \u201cSkyscraper\u201d during LA residency at the Ahmanson on Sunday, Dec. 14 #benplatt<\/a> #demilovato<\/a> #skyscraper<\/a> #losangeles<\/a> #la<\/a><\/p>\n

\u266c original sound \u2013 Carolyn Burt \u2013 Journalist<\/a> <\/p>\n

Platt\u2019s two-week residency at the Ahmanson and an earlier one at the Palace Theatre in New York in 2024 have become well known online for creating buzz around which special guest he\u2019ll bring out to sing a duet. Lovato was the first person to come to Platt\u2019s mind when he knew he\u2019d be doing another residency. \u201cShe has been holding it down for the mainstream pop world, for people who can really effing sing,\u201d said Platt as he teased his special guest for the evening before revealing her identity.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> status, walks the audience through his career between songs, from deferring attending Columbia for a year to star in \u201cPitch Perfect\u201d to his journey workshopping \u201cDear Evan Hansen<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Platt sings during the opening night of his two week residency in Los Angeles, \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

\"Opening<\/p>\n

Opening Night performance of \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12, featuring special guest Josh Groban. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Platt sings during the opening night of his two week residency in Los Angeles, \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

\"Opening<\/p>\n

Opening Night performance of \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12, featuring special guest Josh Groban. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Platt sings during the opening night of his two week residency in Los Angeles, \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

\"Ben<\/p>\n

Ben Platt sings during the opening night of his two week residency in Los Angeles, \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 6<\/p>\n

Ben Platt sings during the opening night of his two week residency in Los Angeles, \u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson\u201d on Friday, December 12. Photo Credit: Makela Yepez \/ Center Theatre Group.\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Platt, who grew up in Los Angeles, starred in a 2004 production of \u201cCaroline or Change<\/a>\u201d and a 2005 production of \u201cDead End\u201d at the downtown LA theatre. He then attended Harvard-Westlake School, and on stage, he joked that he\u2019s still unsure whether it\u2019s 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\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just his admiration for Los Angeles that\u2019s 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. \u201cThat was Lady Gaga,\u201d says Platt after performing a stripped-down version of her 2011 single \u201cYo\u00fc and I.\u201d \u201cIf you don\u2019t know that, you can go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The set also includes some other covers he\u2019s become known for, such as \u201cRiver\u201d by Joni Mitchell and \u201cVienna\u201d by Billy Joel, both of which he sang as part of Ryan Murphy\u2019s Netflix series \u201cThe Politician.\u201d But the moment that made it apparent a chronically online audience filled the theater was when he performed his ballad rendition of \u201cDiet Pepsi\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s drinking from a hamster dispenser<\/a>, as he bends down to sip the water from the straw that has been placed on a stool on either side of the stage.<\/p>\n

Platt ends his show with a rendition of his song \u201cBefore I Knew You\u201d and \u201cMy Man\u201d from \u201cFunny Girl,\u201d 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\u2019s well-deserved standing ovation, the crowd is silent as he sends them into the night with \u201cOver the Rainbow<\/a>\u201d from \u201cThe Wizard of Oz.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen Platt: Live at the Ahmanson<\/a>\u201d 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\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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