Broadway favorite Ben Platt joined “Variety Live!” on May 20 to discuss his new Netflix concert special and what’s in store for season 2 of “The Politician.”
“Ben Platt: Live From Radio City,” which is now available on Netflix, documents Platt’s last performance on tour supporting his debut album, “Sing to Me Instead.” In addition to performing covers of Elton John and Brandi Carlile, Platt added in anecdotes from his life between songs to give the special a never-before-seen feel.
“I wanted it to feel like if the album was a confessional in a way, I wanted you to gain something from seeing the show live that you didn’t gain from the album,” Platt said. “And that was putting all of the songs in as personal and specific a context as possible so that people really know exactly where they’re coming from, because I think apart from just falling in love with the song musically, the way to really connect with one is to know exactly where it was born.”
Besides his lucrative career on stage, Platt has also made a splash in the TV world playing Payton Hobart on Netflix’s “The Politician.” With the show’s second season premiering June 19, Platt teased that there’s more scandalous humor since the characters have aged.
“I think that allows for a bit of a sharper focused humor and a little more of a raunchiness that’s fun, and it’s all a little bit more streamlined,” Platt said. “I think we have so much to set up in the first season, so much world to create and backstory to tell, and now we get to really focus on the specifics of this election, and it’s in New York, which we love.”
