Ben Platt’s Midnight at the Never Get Is a Small, Perfectly Sung Act of Defiance at the Menier

Midnight at the Never Get | Menier Chocolate Factory until 12 September 2026

Ben Platt anchors an intimate three-hander set against the dawn of Stonewall, a memory piece with a trick up its sleeve.

Midnight at the Never Get began off-Broadway in New York as a small-scale musical, earning devoted admirers with its blend of storytelling and original songs. It now receives its UK premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory, led by Ben Platt of Dear Evan Hansen fame, in a production that is, above all, a small, beautifully judged piece of work.

Set in New York in 1965, the story follows Trevor Copeland and Arthur Brightman, a couple whose love is illegal at the time. Their solution is a secret nightclub act, “Midnight,” where they perform love songs to each other as an act of defiance against a world that demands they stay hidden. As the story progresses, real historical tension, the Stonewall uprising, begins to press in from outside, and the two men find themselves torn between their private romance and the social revolution building beyond the club’s walls.

It’s a tiny cast for a tiny venue, just a three-hander, which makes Ben Platt’s presence at the Menier Chocolate Factory all the more of a treat. The last time he was in London, he performed at the London Palladium in The Last Five Years, before moving on to the Hollywood Bowl and Radio City Music Hall. Getting him in a room this intimate is a rare privilege. The Menier has been transformed into this nightclub with plush velour seating, replacing the normal buttock-numbing benches I’m used to there. It would be wonderful if this seating could be retained, but I suspect that may not be possible.

This is another example of a major star appearing in London in a tiny venue, allowing the audience to appreciate him up close. Platt’s vocals effortlessly and beautifully support the original songs, and as our host, he guides us through the evening, recreating the magic of this imaginary nightclub. Equally impressive is Gregor Milne, who accompanies Platt on the piano, guides the largely off-stage band, and is very effective in the dialogue scenes. In a twist I won’t spoil, West End veteran Barry James joins them for the last scene. All in all, these are first-class performances.

You would never guess it from the songs themselves, but they’re written by the same composer behind K-Pop Demon Hunters. In complete contrast, these numbers sit firmly in the style of the Golden Age songbook. They’re beautiful songs, beautifully sung, and the whole thing is structured as a memory piece, with a neat trick played at the very end that I won’t spoil here.

If I have one small complaint, it’s that the ending drags itself out slightly longer than it needs to. But that’s a minor blemish on what is otherwise a lovely and captivating piece of theatre.

Ben Platt won’t be in a room this small in London again for a long time. EyeOnLondon says get there before September 12th if you possibly can.

For more London arts and culture, visit EyeOnLondon at eye-on-london.com.

[Image Credits | Johan Persson]

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