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THE HARVARD CRIMSON | FEBRUARY 5, 2020
Ben Platt Named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year By AMANDA Y. SU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Musician and actor Ben Platt will be the Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2020 Man of the Year, the organization announced Monday. Platt — the youngest-ever recipient of the Man of the Year award — is best known for his performance in “Dear Evan Hansen,” which won a Tony award for best musical. The cast also earned a Grammy award for best musical theater album, as well as a Daytime Emmy Award for their performance on The Today Show. Platt’s previous credits include “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2.” This year’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year Elizabeth Banks made her directorial film debut with “Pitch Perfect 2.” The Hasty Pudding’s producers wrote in a press release
that the organization chose Platt for the award because of his “incredible” impact on Broadway and in Hollywood.
Ben has had a remarkable career as an actor and musician. Samantha J. Meade ’21 Hasty Pudding Co-Producer
“As our youngest Man of the Year, Ben has had a remarkable career as an actor and musician. We are also avid musical theater fans, so we are very excited for him to watch our production,” co-producer Samantha J. Meade ’21 said. Platt is currently filming season two of “The Politician,” a Netflix series on which he also serves as an executive producer.
He earned a Golden Globe nomination for best lead actor in a comedy for his season one performance. The Hasty Pudding Theatricals annually presents its Man of the Year Award to performers who have made “lasting and impressive” contributions to entertainment. Since the award was established in 1967, recipients have included Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Justin Timberlake, Robert Downey Jr., Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Robin Williams. The Hasty Pudding will honor Platt at a celebratory roast on Feb. 7 in Farkas Hall, where they will present him with his Pudding Pot. Afterwards, the group will perform “Mean Ghouls,” their second production featuring a co-ed cast in more than 170 years. amanda.su@thecrimson.com
SUIT FROM PAGE 1
Parties Dispute Confidentiality in Wrongful Death Suit first time, to information concerning mental health issues
No defendant should be allowed to shield itself from future liability of future change by hiding its knowledge of risk. Lawyers for Wendell W. Tang
confronted by college students, the availability of mental health services and occurrences of student suicide,” his lawyers wrote. “No defendant should be al-
lowed to shield itself from future liability of future change by hiding its knowledge of risk behind unilateral confidentiality agreements and by blocking disclosure of information acquired during a lawsuit to that lawsuit,” the plaintiff’s motion added. “Sunshine is an effective disinfectant,” it read. Asked for comment, University spokesperson Rachael Dane referred to Harvard’s reply in the case, which argued that Tang’s estate conflated documents filed in court with discovery materials produced by parties in litigation. In addition to suing the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — Wendell Tang brought suit
against residential dean Catherine R. Shapiro, Lowell House
Sunshine is an effective disinfectant Lawyers for Wendell W. Tang
Resident Dean Caitlin Casey, Harvard University Health Services mental health counselor Melanie G. Northrop, and HUHS psychiatrist David W. Abramson, for demonstrating “negligence and carelessness” that ultimately resulted in Luke Tang’s death. juliet.isselbacher@thecrimson.com amanda.su@thecrimson.com
Visitors and students walk along the paths through Harvard Yard Tuesday morning. AIYANA G. WHITE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
The sights and sounds of Harvard.
The Crimson @crimson_photo
