All 17 members of the Radcliffe Pitches a cappella group huddled excitedly in Farkas Hall Friday morning, awaiting the arrival of Ben Platt, Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year.
Hasty Pudding members Nick Amador ’22 and Amir Siraj ’21 paced the foyer, preparing to give the Broadway star a tour of the hall, part of the festivities leading up to the award ceremony in the evening.
“I’m so excited. I love ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’” said Amador, referring to the hit Broadway musical that featured Platt in the title role.
At 26, the actor and singer is the youngest recipient in the 54-year history of the prize. In his relatively brief career he has had major roles on stage (at age 9, he played Winthrop Paroo in “The Music Man” alongside Kristin Chenoweth), in several television shows (including “The Politician,” for which he won a Golden Globe for best actor), and in films (the “Pitch Perfect” franchise). But his breakout role came in “Evan Hanson,” for which he won a Grammy, a Tony, and an Emmy.
“It was really exciting [to win the Hasty Pudding prize] and also crazy to be the youngest,” Platt said. “I don’t feel totally worthy, but I’m excited to be here, and I love theater and musical comedy.”
During the tour, which featured displays chronicling the theatrical society’s storied history, Platt took note of some of the previous Hasty Pudding recipients like Meryl Streep — “Everybody wants to be Meryl,” he said — and Rashida Jones, who composed the music for one of the shows.
