Talent & Involvement run deep in this Penn family

Jonah Platt (C’08) is quite the renaissance man.

Not only can Jonah sing well, and not only is he the musical director of Off the Beat, but he started and sustained an improvised musical troupe “One Night Stand” for the past 7 years (with a show in Los Angeles this week!). Talk about being involved!

…Not a big surprise, considering he comes from an involved family of Penn alumni (his mother Julie Platt (C’79) is a University Trustee and his father Marc Platt (C’79, Glee Club) is a Hollywood executive and Broadway Producer).

Jonah tells me that at his shows the audience makes up the name of a musical (“Mongoose Diaries,” “Thundercats in Love,” “They Came From My Mother” and “Walk of Shame” are a few recent ones) and the troupe then makes up a cohesive hourlong musical right on the spot. Per Jonah, “We make up the music, the lyrics, the dances, the dialogue– everything completely improvised with nothing pre-planned or rehearsed.”

Check out this “Walk of Shame” clip from their performance at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Jonah is the one lying on the floor and sings at minute 3)

Jonah will be performing their group’s international (60 min.) hit show, One Night Stand, at the Hudson Guild Theater in LA this week on January 10 (8pm), 11 (8pm) and 12 (8pm and 10 pm). (6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038). Running Time: 60 minutes, Tickets: $15.00. To make reservations (323) 960-5773.

(I’ll be there at the Saturday 8 pm show)

Their group then performs at the Dirty South Improv Festival in Chapel Hill, NC in February, then back to Edinburgh Scotland for the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they made their debut last summer.

Click here to learn more about how Jonah started this group and some of the big name backers to his show.

Check out the “One Night Stand” website

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