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82-572: Dear Evan Hansen is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul , and a book by Steven Levenson . The musical follows Evan Hansen , a high school senior with social anxiety , "who invents an important role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn". The musical opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016, after the show's world premiere at

164-414: A feature film for Universal Pictures and director Stephen Chbosky . They wrote two new songs for the film, including "The Anonymous Ones," which was written in collaboration with Amandla Stenberg for the character of Alana Beck, whom Stenberg plays in the film. They also wrote "A Little Closer" for the character of Connor Murphy, played by Colton Ryan , who reprises the role in which he understudied in

246-641: A Window" to promote the show's national tour. Other songs on the deluxe album include "Obvious" sung by Taylor Trensch, the precursor to "If I Could Tell Her", "Hiding in Your Hands" sung by Mallory Bechtel which was replaced by "Requiem", and an acoustic version of "Disappear" sung by Taylor Trensch and Alex Boniello. Dear Evan Hansen premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., running from July 10 to August 23, 2015. Directed by Michael Greif ,

328-634: A musical crossover between The Flash and Supergirl . Melissa Benoist sang it in Supergirl 's " Crisis on Earth-X " crossover episode. They also wrote original songs for an episode of the Hulu show Only Murders in the Building , including "Look for the Light", a duet sung by Meryl Streep and Ashley Park . Another song, "Which of Pickwick Triplets Did It?" was written by Pasek and Paul working for

410-561: A panic attack but composes himself during the speech, which goes viral online. Zoe, overcome by the impact her brother and Evan have had, kisses him. Meanwhile, Heidi discovers Evan's viral video (" You Will Be Found "). Evan and Alana pitch a fundraising campaign on The Connor Project's website, to raise $ 50,000 to restore the abandoned apple orchard. Meanwhile, Jared continues to help Evan write fabricated emails ("Sincerely Me" [Reprise]). After Heidi learns about Evan's speech about Connor online, she asks him why she never knew about this or about

492-602: A song cycle about the trials and tribulations of moving into adulthood and the search for meaning. Edges premiered in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 3, 2005. On May 14, 2006, the duo made their New York City premiere: a benefit concert of original songs titled Become: The Music of Pasek & Paul . Presented by Jamie McGonnigal , performers included Gavin Creel , Cheyenne Jackson , Celia Keenan-Bolger , Jesse Tyler Ferguson , and Steven Pasquale . They also contributed to

574-452: A sullen and equally as depressed drug abuser ("Anybody Have a Map?"). At school, Evan meets precocious classmate Alana and his reluctant "family friend" Jared, both of whom decline to sign his cast. Evan runs into Connor Murphy, who misinterprets his awkwardness for hostility and pushes him to the ground. Connor's sister, Zoe, with whom Evan is infatuated, feels obliged to apologize for her brother's behavior. Evan wonders if his destiny in life

656-591: Is married; he and his wife have four children. †: Pasek and Paul were the youngest winners of the Jonathan Larson Grant in history. Sincerely, Me (Dear Evan Hansen song) The entire song is based around fake email exchanges between Connor Murphy and the main protagonist Evan Hansen, all written by the latter and his "family friend" Jared Kleinman. All of this is part of Evan's way to get Connor's parents to believe his lie that he and their son were friends, after Connor committed suicide earlier in

738-608: Is outstanding as Evan... Since the success of the musical depends entirely on whether Evan's solitary nature appears funny or weird, Evan's ability to laugh at himself and make the audience laugh is crucial. Platt is charming as he eternally twists his shirt tails and hangs his head... Although the themes of grief and loneliness are serious, the musical is anything but somber. It addresses challenging facts of life. But from start to finish, when Evan leaves his room and finds an authentic life outside it, Dear Evan Hansen contains far more joy than sadness." Charles Isherwood , in his review of

820-522: Is the fact that what starts as deceit can be blown totally out of proportion by the Internet where lies are disseminated with lightning speed leaving plenty of victims in their wake [...] The music is pleasant, not terribly original but good enough to get toes tapping. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's ballads stand out, particularly Heidi's 'So Big/So Small,' Evan's 'Words Fail' and Zoe and Evan's young sweethearts duet 'Only Us.'" The overall public reception of

902-404: Is to always be ignored (" Waving Through a Window "). Evan writes a letter to himself in the school library (begun with "Dear Evan Hansen,"...), wondering how he could talk to Zoe and if anyone at school would notice if he disappeared ("Waving Through a Window" [Reprise #1]). Connor bumps into Evan again, this time ironically offering to sign Evan's cast. He finds Evan's letter on the printer and, at

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984-567: Is unknown if it will continue due to the impact of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war . The Korean production opened on March 28, 2024, at the Chungmu Arts Center in Seoul by S&Co. The script was translated for the production by Han Jeong-sik, while the songs were translated by Han Jeong-sik and Yang Joo-in. The Korean production was directed by Park So-young, with Yang Joo-in and Ben Cohn as music supervisor. The lead role of Evan Hansen

1066-413: The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2021, followed by a theatrical release on September 24, 2021, is directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Levenson, who also serves as an executive producer with Michael Bederman, Pasek & Paul and the show's lead producer Stacey Mindich. Ben's father Marc Platt and Adam Siegel serve as producers. In the film, the scene plays out

1148-492: The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in July 2015, and an Off-Broadway production at Second Stage Theatre from March to May 2016. The show closed on September 18, 2022. The show received critical acclaim. At the 71st Tony Awards , it was nominated for nine awards, winning six, including Best Musical , Best Book , Best Score , Best Actor for Ben Platt , and Best Featured Actress for Rachel Bay Jones . A film adaptation

1230-1131: The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom and reopened on October 26, 2021, with all of the cast returning with the exception of Nicole Raquel Dennis, whose role as Alana was taken over by Iona Fraser. The production played its final performance in the West End on October 22, 2022. A Buenos Aires production, directed by Sebastián Irigo, opened at the Metropolitan Theatre in May 2023 and ended in March 2024. The cast includes Máximo Meyer as Evan Hansen, Julia Zenko as Heidi Hansen, Rochi Hernandez as Zoe Murphy, Laura Conforte as Cynthia Murphy, Fabio Aste and Diego Mariani as Larry Murphy, Guido Balzaretti and Alan Madanes as Connor Murphy, Mariano Condolucci as Jared Kleinman and Mariel Percossi as Alana Beck. A Finnish production opened on September 28, 2023, at

1312-568: The Disney Channel show Johnny and the Sprites , with songs used in six episodes and for one story in the season's premiere. Their original material was featured on season 2 of NBC 's Smash in 2013, and have risen to the Top 25 on the iTunes Pop Charts. Pasek and Paul also wrote the original song "Runnin' Home to You" performed by Grant Gustin for The Flash episode " Duet ",

1394-592: The Helsinki City Theatre in Helsinki . The script and songs were translated for the production by Reita Lounatvuori and Hanna Kaila. The production was directed by Kari Arffman and starred Petja Pulkkinen as Evan Hansen, Nina Tapio as Heidi Hansen, Niki Rautén as Connor Murphy, Riikka Riikonen as Zoe Murphy, Sanna Majuri as Cynthia Murphy, Antti Timonen as Larry Murphy, Lumi Aunio as Alana Beck and Samuli Pajunen as Jared Kleinman. Julius Suominen served as

1476-571: The University of Michigan and winners of the American Theatre Wing 's 2007 Jonathan Larson Grant , which honors achievement by composers, lyricists and librettists. In September 2024 the duo became the 20th and 21st EGOT winners . Pasek and Paul started working together as freshmen at the University of Michigan . Both got "background" roles in the school's musical theater production, which inspired them to write Edges ,

1558-496: The semi-autobiographical musical drama Atlantis , which will reunite them with Steven Levenson for the first time since Dear Evan Hansen . Both films are slated for release in 2025. Pasek is the son of Temple University professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek . His alma mater is the University of Michigan and Friends' Central School . He is gay. Paul's alma mater is the University of Michigan and Staples High School . Paul

1640-482: The "friendship", and they get into a fight. Evan runs off to the Murphys' house, where he bonds with Larry, who offers Evan Connor's old, unused baseball glove ("To Break In a Glove"). Zoe tells Evan that she doesn't want their relationship to be about Connor, but about the two of them (" Only Us "). Evan becomes preoccupied with Zoe and begins to neglect Heidi, Jared, and The Connor Project. On one of his many visits to

1722-522: The 10th-most popular show tune people went running to. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. "Sincerely, Me" was featured in Universal Pictures ' 2021 film adaptation of the musical, starring Ben Platt , who reprised his performance in the titular role and was sung by him, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy and Nik Dodani as Jared Kalwani (changed from Kleinman to accommodate Dodani's casting). The film, which premiered at

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1804-439: The 2006 off-Broadway musical White Noise: A Cautionary Musical , which won Talkin' Broadway's 2006 Summer Theatre Festival Citation for Outstanding Original Score. In December 2006, they completed their BFA degrees in musical theatre. Edges proved popular on social media and within several years it had over 200 productions worldwide, with countries including Australia, South Africa, Denmark , France, South Korea ,

1886-410: The 2011 documentary film One Night Stand about the process. They wrote the lyrics and music to the 2012 musical Dogfight , also contributing to A Christmas Story, The Musical , which was nominated for a Tony Award in 2013 for Best Original Score. Pasek and Paul wrote the music and lyrics to their musical Dear Evan Hansen . The musical, inspired by the death of a fellow student while Pasek

1968-522: The 2015 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Derek Mong, in his review of the musical at the Arena Stage, wrote that the "inventive set design by David Korins...that transforms a small stage into a platform for the most intimate living room where a mother and son share a heart-to-heart to the physical abyss of internet cyberspace... book by Steven Levenson... lyrics and music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul... heartfelt lyrics with universal appeal joined by

2050-569: The 2016 song "Get Back Up Again" for the film Trolls , as well as five original songs for the 2016 animated direct-to-video feature Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz . They wrote the lyrics for the musical romantic comedy-drama film La La Land , which had music written by Justin Hurwitz . The film, in its world premiere, was the opening film at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2016. The film's track " City of Stars ", with their lyrics and composition by Justin Hurwitz, won

2132-611: The 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song . "City of Stars" and " Audition " received nominations for Best Original Song at the 89th Academy Awards , and they won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars." It was then announced in February 2023 that they would reunite with Hurwitz on a stage musical adaptation of the film currently in development, with a book by Ayad Akhtar and Matthew Decker and direction by Bartlett Sher . Pasek and Paul wrote

2214-568: The 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album . Producers announced a deluxe album on September 26, 2018. The deluxe album contains all of the songs in the Original Broadway Cast Recording, in addition to cut songs and covers. The cut song "Part of Me" was available exclusively on Billboard.com before it was officially released. The album was to be released on October 19; however, it was delayed to November 2. American singer Katy Perry re-recorded "Waving Through

2296-501: The Arena Stage production. New cast members were John Dossett and Kristolyn Lloyd . Michael Greif again directed, with choreography by Danny Mefford. The off-Broadway engagement closed on May 29, 2016. The show premiered on Broadway on November 14, 2016, in previews, and officially opened on December 4. After announcing that performances would take place at the Belasco Theatre, in mid-September 2016, producers announced that

2378-728: The Broadway production. Paul also composed the film's underscore with Dan Romer . It premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2021, followed by a release in theaters on September 24, 2021. The duo has also written original songs for Sony Pictures Entertainment 's live-action/animated adaptation of Bernard Waber 's children's book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (released on October 7, 2022) and Apple Original Films ' Spirited (November 11). As of 2023 , Pasek and Paul are writing new songs for Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Snow White . They are also collaborating with Pharrell Williams on songs for

2460-594: The Broadway run of the musical, including a shirt, arm cast, button for The Connor Project, copy of the "Dear Evan Hansen" letter, and a piece of sheet music, to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution . On March 12, 2020, the show suspended production due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Performances resumed on December 11, 2021, with Fisher returning as Evan Hansen. The returning company included all who were there at

2542-784: The Evan Alternate/Jared understudy, Ian Coursey as the Connor/Jared understudy, Reese Sebastian Diaz as the Evan/Connor/Jared understudy, Pierce Wheeler as the Evan/Jared understudy, Valeria Ceballos as the Zoe/Alana understudy, Gillian Jackson Han as the Zoe/Alana understudy, Isabel Santiago as the Heidi/Cynthia understudy, Kelsey Venter as the Heidi/Cynthia understudy, and Daniel Robert Sullivan as

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2624-1042: The Evan alternate and understudies Monica Blume, Julianna Braga, Blake Ehrlichman, Jenna Kantor and Jared Svoboda. The show played its first international performance at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. The production began previews on March 5, 2019, and opened on March 28, 2019. The role of Evan Hansen was played by Robert Markus, and Zachary Noah Piser on Wednesday and Saturday matinees. The cast also included Jessica Sherman as Heidi Hansen, Evan Buliung as Larry Murphy, Claire Rankin as Cynthia Murphy, Alessandro Costantini as Jared Kleinman, Shakura Dickson as Alana Beck, Sean Patrick Dolan as Connor Murphy and Stephanie La Rochelle as Zoe Murphy. Understudies Erin Breen, Malinda Carroll, Jay Davis, David Jeffery, Laura Mae Nason, Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Josh Strobl rounded out

2706-458: The Evan alternate. Sonny received his part by participating in the open-call auditions on TikTok. The show's ensemble (alongside Monaghan) consists of Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim & Elise Zavou (who took over for Shakira Simpson after she dropped out in August due to personal reasons). The production premiered on the 9th of September 2024. An Australian production

2788-525: The Evan alternate. The on-stage ensemble, a first for any production of the show, featured Reeta Vestman, Tuukka Leppänen, Tiina Peltonen, Raili Raitala and Akseli Ferrand. An Israeli production was announced on May 24, 2023, as part of the Cameri Theatre 's 2023–24 season. It will be directed by Amit Apte and star Alon Sandler in the title role. The production was expected to run in Winter 2023 but it

2870-512: The February 25 Billboard 200 . The cast album became available in compact disc format on February 17, 2017. The cast album, produced by Alex Lacamoire , featuring the band from both the original off-Broadway and Broadway productions, including Ben Cohn (piano), Jamie Eblen (drums), Justin Goldner and Dillon Kondor (guitars), Rob Jost (bass), Justin Smith, Todd Low and Adele Stein (strings) and won

2952-1100: The Larry understudy. The tour played its final performance on July 2, 2023, at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, South Carolina . A second US tour using the original Broadway staging, this time with non-equity actors, is scheduled to launch in September 2024 at Theater Under the Stars in Houston, Texas . Crossroads Live North America will produce the tour. The cast will include Michael Fabisch as Evan Hansen, Hatty Ryan King as Zoe Murphy, Bre Cade as Heidi Hansen, Caitlin Sams as Cynthia Murphy, Alex Pharo as Connor Murphy, Jeff Brooks as Larry Murphy, Gabriel Vernon Nunag as Jared Kleinman, and Makena Jackson as Alana Beck, Michael Perez as

3034-411: The Murphys the fake emails, Cynthia is ecstatic to "learn" that her son had a friend, but Larry is hurt, believing Connor took his family and his privileged life for granted, and Zoe still refuses to mourn Connor because of how he treated her ("Requiem"). However, after reading the "suicide note", Zoe notices that she is mentioned fondly and asks Evan why Connor would say that about her, so he tells her all

3116-569: The Murphys' belief, despite Evan's fumbling attempts to explain what really happened. The Murphys invite Evan to their house for dinner, where he is awkward and uncomfortable, so he tells them what he thinks they want to hear, pretending that he and Connor had secretly been best friends, and recounting a fictional version of the day he broke his arm at an abandoned apple orchard the family had visited years ago ("For Forever"). Evan enlists Jared's help in creating fake, backdated email conversations between him and Connor (" Sincerely, Me "). After Evan shows

3198-416: The Murphys, Evan finds they invited Heidi for dinner. She is offended to learn they want to give Connor's college fund to Evan. At home, Heidi and Evan have a fight, with Evan telling her he has found family in her absence. Heidi, Alana, and Jared converge in Evan's conscience, compounding his guilt and doubt over his decisions ("Good for You"). Evan debates with the vision of Connor about whether he should tell

3280-903: The Music Box Theatre and became the longest-running production to play the venue in Broadway’s history. The musical made its West End debut at the Noël Coward Theatre in London on November 19, 2019, following previews in October of the same year. The show was nominated for seven Laurence Olivier Awards at the 2020 ceremony and won three: Best New Musical , Best Actor in a Musical for star Sam Tutty and Best Original Score or New Orchestrations for Pasek and Paul. The duo have written original music for several television shows. In 2007 and 2008 Pasek and Paul wrote music for

3362-554: The Original Broadway Cast Recording The show is orchestrated for a band of eight, including the music director. The parts are: MD/Keyboard; Violin; Viola; Violoncello; Guitar 1; Guitar 2; Bass Guitar/Double Bass; and Drums. The show was orchestrated by Alex Lacamoire , who won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for his work. An original Broadway cast album was released at midnight on January 27, 2017, by Atlantic Records . The second song on

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3444-543: The Second Stage production for The New York Times , noted: "The songs, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ( Dogfight , A Christmas Story ), strike the same complex notes, with shapely, heartfelt lyrics that expose the tensions and conflicts that Connor's death and Evan's involvement cause in both families. The music, played by a small but excellent band on a platform upstage, is appealingly unstrident pop-rock, with generous doses of acoustic guitar, keyboards and strings. It's

3526-770: The United Kingdom, Canada, the Philippines , and the United States. Pasek and Paul wrote the score to the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl 's James and the Giant Peach , which premiered in 2010 through Goodspeed Musicals . Other early works include If You Give A Pig A Pancake (2010) and Duck For President for Theatreworks USA, and Dr. Williams , written for the Orchard Project's 24 Hour Musicals benefit. The show starred Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Cheyenne Jackson . Pasek and Paul were featured in

3608-524: The album, "Waving Through a Window", was released as a special early download for those who had pre-ordered the album. The fifth song, "Requiem", was made available to stream for 24 hours on January 19, 2017, a week before the release of the cast recording. The song was released as a second pre-order bonus the next day. The recording of the Act 1 finale "You Will Be Found" was available for a first listen online on January 23, 2017. The cast album debuted at number 8 on

3690-922: The alternate Evan Hansen. The second year of the tour began on September 25, 2019, in Milwaukee, with Stephen Christopher Anthony stepping in to the role of Evan Hansen full-time, former Evan/Jared/Connor understudy Noah Kieserman as Connor Murphy, former Zoe/Alana understudy Ciara Alyse Harris as Alana Beck, John Hemphill as Larry Murphy, Sam Primack as the Evan alternate, and Toronto cast alums Stephanie La Rochelle as Zoe Murphy, Jessica Sherman as Heidi Hansen, Claire Rankin as Cynthia Murphy, and Alessandro Costantini as Jared Kleinman. The final touring cast included Anthony Norman as Evan Hansen, Alaina Anderson as Zoe Murphy, Coleen Sexton as Heidi Hansen, Lili Thomas as Cynthia Murphy, Nikhil Saboo as Connor Murphy, John Hemphill as Larry Murphy, Pablo David Laucerica as Jared Klienman, Micaela Lamas as Alana Beck, Jeffrey Cornelius as

3772-471: The cast. Despite extending its booking period through September, the production closed early on July 21, 2019. A West End production opened at the Noël Coward Theatre from November 2019. The show began previews on October 29, before officially opening on November 19. The role of Evan Hansen was played by Sam Tutty , who won Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his performance. At only 22 years old of age, he became one of

3854-473: The day his father moved out, and promises that she will always be there for him when he needs her ("So Big / So Small"). A year later, Evan is still living with his mother, working at a store to earn enough money to go to college the next semester. Zoe invites him to meet her at the orchard, which has been reopened in Connor's memory, and they connect for the first time since Evan told the truth. He apologizes for

3936-523: The exception of the role of Jared Kleinman played by Cho Yong-hwi. Its Seoul production concluded on June 23, 2024 and subsequently staged performances in Busan from July 4 to July 21, 2024. A new UK tour co-produced by Nottingham Playhouse and Ambassador Theatre Group opened in Nottingham on 9 September 2024, directed by Adam Penford before touring until May 2025. This tour is a new updated version of

4018-547: The finest, most emotionally resonant score yet from this promising young songwriting team." Susan Davidson, in her review of the Arena Stage production for CurtainUp , noted: "it helps to suspend the disbelief that sullen, anti-social teenagers can change quickly. Surely that's a process requiring time-released hormonal adjustments. It is hard to accept that a long-admired-from-afar girl can change Evan's outlook on life so rapidly or that Connor's teenage disequilibrium leads him to do what he does. Coming through loud and clear, however,

4100-454: The first time in collaboration with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman of Hairspray fame. The tongue-twisting patter song was performed primarily by Only Murders actor Steve Martin , and also by Matthew Broderick for one episode, followed by Martin Short . They received an Primetime Emmy nomination for "Which of Pickwick Triplets Did It?" in July of 2024. Pasek and Paul wrote

4182-471: The licensing rights, which have yet to be made more widely available to the general public as of February 2022. There were several readings prior to the first stage production, all in New York: A full workshop took place in March 2015 at Gibney Dance Center . It was initially called The PPL Project . Platt was involved in all readings and the workshop. The first city to produce the show after New York

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4264-477: The mention of Zoe, becomes furious and storms out, taking the letter with him. Meanwhile, Alana ponders her own inner anxieties ("Waving Through a Window" [Reprise #2]). Days later, Evan is called to the principal's office, where Connor's parents tell him that their son has died by suicide. They found Evan's letter in Connor's pocket, and mistakenly believe Connor wrote it, indicating a close friendship between him and Evan. Connor's signature on Evan's cast strengthens

4346-404: The more unpleasant ramifications of his exploitation of a tragedy for his own personal gain, which might complicate the audience's reaction to him. Evan Hansen isn't as interested in these themes as it is in keeping the focus on the insecurity of the outsider, the nerd, the teenager yearning for acceptance. (To be fair, it is also interested in Evan's mother, who has one of the most moving songs in

4428-409: The others are trying to keep up with the times and diversify, but why does it have to feel so forced and tired?) Evan confesses his deceit and makes it clear that all he wanted, really, was to be loved, because of, well, that absent daddy, that inattentive mommy, and the nastiness of the world. With that false move, the show's creators risk destroying what's so spikily fascinating about Evan. Still, until

4510-425: The pain he caused and Zoe forgives him, saying the ordeal brought her family closer together. They share a moment before parting ways, in which Evan asks why she wanted to meet him at the orchard. Zoe tells Evan that she wanted him to see the orchard. Evan mentally writes himself one last letter reflecting on the impact he has had on his community and questions what's to come next ("Finale"). *Not included on

4592-498: The perfect, oftentimes acoustic, accompaniment that can change the mood from somber to celebratory to sinister in a single bar of music." Barbara Mackay in reviewing the Arena Stage production for TheatreMania wrote: "Levenson, Pasek, and Paul set themselves two high, untraditional bars in Evan Hansen : exploring a community's grief and examining a lonely protagonist who desperately wants to connect with that community... Ben Platt

4674-555: The production featured orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, music direction by Ben Cohn, set design by David Korins and projection design by Peter Nigrini . Ben Platt featured in the title role. The musical opened off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theater on March 26, 2016, in previews, with the official opening on May 1. The cast featured Ben Platt , Laura Dreyfuss , Mike Faist , Rachel Bay Jones , Will Roland , and Jennifer Laura Thompson repeating their roles from

4756-427: The reasons he loves her under the guise of Connor saying them ("If I Could Tell Her"). Evan impulsively kisses Zoe, but she pulls away and tells him to leave. Evan, encouraged by a vision of Connor, enlists Alana and Jared's help in founding "The Connor Project" to keep Connor's memory alive, which the Murphys eagerly encourage. Cynthia asks Evan to wear Connor's necktie at its official launch ("Disappear"). Evan suffers

4838-466: The run was extended and now closes its doors on November 10, 2024. The Singaporean production marks Dear Evan Hansen's premiere in Southeast Asia. The musical has received acclaim, particularly for Platt's leading performance, the lyrics and book. The story has also provided and encouraged open dialogue about its themes of mental illness and youth suicide . Dear Evan Hansen is a recipient of

4920-489: The same, but now with the main lyrical portions taking place in locations such as the Westview High School library, Ellison State Park and a game room where Evan and Connor play a DDR arcade game . However, the lyric "We're close, but not that way; the only man that I love is my dad" is omitted due to the character of Larry Murphy, Zoe and Connor's father, being changed to Larry Mora, their stepfather. While

5002-587: The second act, and despite it, Platt gives a performance that binds us to him in the way that Holden Caulfield , that other teen with a voice, did—especially when he said, 'It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.'" Pasek and Paul Benj Pasek and Justin Paul , known together as Pasek and Paul , are an American songwriting duo and composing team for musical theater, films and television. While Pasek usually writes lyrics and Paul usually writes music, they share credit for both elements. Both are graduates of

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5084-457: The show before officially replacing Galvin on February 6, 2018. The 2018 Jimmy Award winner, Andrew Barth Feldman , made his Broadway debut, replacing Trensch, on January 30, 2019. Zachary Noah Piser serves at the alternate for the role of Evan and has performances Wednesday and Saturday matinees. After Andrew's run was over, Jordan Fisher assumed the role of Evan Hansen on January 28, 2020. In November 2018, producers donated several items from

5166-552: The show was not without criticism. Some critics argue that it romanticizes or sanitizes mental illness by not naming Evan's diagnosis. It also suggested that the show glorifies suicide, with questions about Connor's death and whether or not Evan's suicide attempt was intentional. Stacey Mindich, lead producer of the Broadway, Tour and West End productions, claimed in her opening speech at the You Will Be Found: A Mental Health Month Symposium event on May 10, 2018, that she and

5248-525: The show would instead perform at the Music Box Theatre . Michael Park , who originated the role of Larry in the Arena Stage production, returned for the Broadway production (replacing John Dossett who went on to the musical War Paint ). All other cast members from the Second Stage production returned for the Broadway engagement. Ben Platt played his last performance on November 19, 2017. Noah Galvin replaced Platt on November 21, 2017, and played until February 2018. Taylor Trensch played two performances in

5330-475: The show. In February 2024, it was announced that the production would team up with TikTok to hold open-call auditions for both the teen and adult roles. Ryan Kopel will play Evan Hansen, with the rest of the cast comprising Lauren Conroy as Zoe Murphy, Alice Fearn as Heidi Hansen, Helen Anker as Cynthia Murphy, Richard Hurst as Larry Murphy, Killian Thomas Lefevre as Connor Murphy, Tom Dickerson as Jared Kleinman, Vivian Panka as Alana Beck, and Sonny Monaghan as

5412-418: The show.)" Hilton Als of The New Yorker was also critical, writing "It would have been amazing if Levenson had continued to dig into Evan's awfulness. Instead, he takes side trips into tired knee-jerk liberalism and therapeutic healing. (One of the more uncomfortable moments in the show is when Alana, a black character, played by Kristolyn Lloyd as a P.C. bully, screams about her invisibility. Levenson and

5494-503: The song a "fun and playful number," in contrast with the "serious subject matter" of the musical. Conversely, in a review for RogerEbert.com of the 2021 film adaptation, Robert Daniels noted how "Sincerely, Me," alongside other songs in Dear Evan Hansen penned by Pasek and Paul, was a "garish arrangement" with "lyrics that ring with the artificial tinge of a plastic lollipop." In 2020, Sportsshoes.com named "Sincerely, Me"

5576-661: The songs for the 2017 musical drama film The Greatest Showman . About the Barnum & Bailey Circus , the film premiered on December 8, 2017. The duo's song " This Is Me " won a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for Best Original Song at the 90th Academy Awards . In collaboration with Alan Menken , Pasek and Paul wrote the lyrics for two new songs for Disney's 2019 live action film adaptation of Aladdin . The film also includes original 1992 song compositions written by Menken, Howard Ashman , and Tim Rice . Pasek and Paul also adapted Dear Evan Hansen as

5658-445: The story. The song is reprised at the start of Act 2 by all three characters, but is interrupted by Evan mid-chorus when he realizes that the email exchanges are becoming unrealistic. "Sincerely, Me" received mixed-to-positive reviews by critics. Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post called "Sincerely, Me" an "irreverent rocker...with appealing zeal" in his review of the 2021 film adaptation, while Melissa Hall of BroadwayWorld called

5740-404: The targets of harassment. Evan walks in on the Murphys fighting among themselves about the blame, and finally admits to them his fabrication. As the Murphys leave in disgust, Evan absorbs his perceived brokenness as inescapable ("Words Fail"). Heidi recognizes the "suicide note" online as one of Evan's therapy assignments and apologizes to him for not seeing how badly he had been hurting. She recalls

5822-585: The team did not want the show to be called a "suicide musical" in order to gain an audience. The protagonist's motives and choices have also been criticized. Jason Zinoman in a piece for Slate argues that the musical "employs many different tactics to prevent us from seeing Evan Hansen as a jerk, but its most audacious is to not allow anyone onstage to see him that way...The choice to give Evan Hansen no comeuppance doesn't make dramatic sense. But you don't need to be too cynical to see its commercial and emotional logic. Not giving voice to anger at Evan Hansen avoids

5904-492: The third and final musical in its 2024 Season line-up. The non-replica production, directed by Tracie Pang, opened on October 11, 2024, at the Victoria Theatre. The production features Filipino-born Angelo Martinez making his professional debut as the titular character as well as Filipino singer and theatre actor Gian Magdangal in the role of Larry Murphy. Initially scheduled to run from October 11 to November 3, 2024,

5986-533: The time of the shutdown. The show played its final performance on Broadway on September 18, 2022, after 21 preview performances and 1,678 regular performances, though some sources tally the full run at 1,672 regular performances. A US tour launched in October 2018 in Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Buell Theatre in October 2018. Starring Ben Levi Ross in the title role and by December 2018

6068-529: The truth ("For Forever" [Reprise]). Alana has become suspicious about Evan's "friendship" with Connor, so Evan shows her Connor's "suicide note", which paints a more bitter picture than the letters about the boys' friendship. Realizing that the letter is the key to fulfilling the fundraising goal for The Connor Project, Alana posts it online where, to Evan's chagrin, it also goes viral. The public begin to blame Connor's wealthy, previously dysfunctional family for his suicide ("You Will Be Found" [Reprise]), making them

6150-545: The youngest winners in the category. The rest of the cast included Rebecca McKinnis as Heidi Hansen, Lauren Ward as Cynthia Murphy, Rupert Young as Larry Murphy, Jack Loxton as Jared Kleinman, Iona Fraser as Alana Beck, Lucy Anderson as Zoe and Doug Colling as Connor Murphy. Understudies and covers included Marcus Harman as the alternate Evan Hansen, Tricia Adele-Turner, David Breeds, Haydn Cox, Natalie Kassanga, Hannah Lindsey, Mark Peachey, Courtney Stapleton, Alex Thomas-Smith, and James Winter. The show closed in March 2020 due to

6232-524: Was Toronto, Canada , where it ran from March 5, 2019 - July 21, 2019 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre . Evan Hansen, a bullied 17-year-old with social anxiety , depression , and a recently broken arm, is assigned by his therapist, Dr. Sherman, to write letters to himself detailing what will be good about each day. Evan's overworked mother, Heidi, suggests that Evan ask people to sign the cast on his arm to make friends. Meanwhile, Cynthia and Larry Murphy struggle to connect with their own 17-year-old son, Connor,

6314-1247: Was announced on September 14, 2023, as part of the Sydney Theatre Company 's 2024 program in co-production with the Michael Cassel Group. The production, directed by Dean Bryant and with new set designs by Jeremy Allen, is scheduled to run from October 12 to December 1, 2024 at the Roslyn Packer Theatre . The Brazilian production opened on August 2, 2024, at the Teatro Liberdade, in São Paulo. Directed by Tadeu Aguiar, with Liliane Secco as music supervisor and scenography by Natália Lana, starring Gab Lara as Evan Hansen, Vannessa Gerbelli as Heidi Hansen, Thati Lopes as Zoey Murphy, Flavia Santana as Cynthia Murphy, Mouhamed Harfouch as Larry Murphy, Hugo Bonemer as Connor Murphy, Gui Figueiredo as Jared Kleinman, and Tati Christine as Alana Beck. The production ran till September 22, 2024. Pangdemonium Theatre's formal announcement came in October 2023 that Dear Evan Hansen would be

6396-532: Was directed by Stephen Chbosky and co-produced by Marc Platt , the father of Ben Platt, who reprised his performance in the title role. Released by Universal Pictures on September 24, 2021, it was a box-office disappointment and received negative reviews from critics. This, along with soft ticket sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic , became the leading factors that would cause both the Broadway and West End productions to close. The show continues to be performed worldwide, with Music Theatre International holding

6478-474: Was in high school, features book by Steven Levenson . Directed by Michael Greif and starring Ben Platt in the title role , it premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. on July 30, 2015. It made its Off-Broadway debut in March 2016 at the Second Stage Theatre , and on Broadway on November 14, 2016, opening three weeks later at the Music Box Theatre . At the 71st Tony Awards , it

6560-529: Was nominated for nine awards including Best Musical , Best Score , Best Book of a Musical , and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt. It won six awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score for the duo. At the 2018 Grammy Awards , Dear Evan Hansen won Best Musical Theater Album. The musical received the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a 2016 Obie Award for Musical Theatre. The show broke box office records at

6642-418: Was scheduled for over 50 cities. It also starred Jessica Phillips in the role of Heidi Hansen, Jared Goldsmith in the role of Jared Kleinman, and Phoebe Koyabe in the role of Alana Beck. Also starring in the tour were Christiane Noll in the role of Cynthia Murphy, Aaron Lazar as Larry Murphy, Marrick Smith in the role of Connor Murphy, Max McKenna in the role of Zoe Murphy, and Stephen Christopher Anthony as

6724-470: Was triple-cast, featuring Park Kang-hyun , Kim Sung-kyu and Lim Kyu-hyung. The supporting roles were double-cast: Kim Sun-young and Shin Young-sook as Heidi Hansen, Yoon Seung-woo and Lim Ji-seob as Connor Murphy, Kang Ji-hye and Hong Seo-yeong as Zoe Murphy, Jang Hyun-sung and Yoon Seok-won as Larry Murphy, An Si-ha and Han Yu-ran as Cynthia Murphy and Lee Da-jeong and Yeom Hui-jin as Alana Beck, with

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