John Hemphill News

The third year of the record-breaking North American Tour of Dear Evan Hansen relaunched on December 7, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The tour will stop by more than 30 cities across the US and Canada in the 2021/2022 season.

The returning  casts have been announced for all three productions of Dear Evan Hansen, each of them featuring the  acclaimed actors who were performing the title role in March 2020 at the time of the shutdown.

Rest in peace Rebecca Luker, get a sneak peek at Kerry Butler's upcoming concert with Seth Rudetsky, watch casts of Dear Evan Hansen perform You Will Be Found, and more!

Company members from the Broadway, North American Tour, and West End productions of Dear Evan Hansen have come together to perform a rendition of 'You Will Be Found'. The video features Jordan Fisher, Gabrielle Carrubba, Jessica Phillips, Christiane Noll, David Jeffery, Ivan Hernandez, Jared Goldsmith, Phoebe Koyabe, Zachary Noah Piser & more.

Although Playhouse on the Square will not be offering in-person performances during the holiday season.  There is a stocking full of digital offerings to keep patrons 'Merry & Bright' - and in the safety of their homes. 

Last night, CBS presented HOMEFEST: James Corden's LATE LATE SHOW SPECIAL, hosted by James Corden. One of the performers was Ben Platt, who joined the touring cast of Dear Evan Hansen to sing You Will Be Found.

The national tour of DEAR EVAN HANSEN has arrived at the Eccles Theater, bringing fascinating story, deliberately flawed characters, and a modern score that are enthralling and deeply emotional, eliciting both sadness and hope.

Humorous and heartbreaking, the acclaimed Broadway smash is a moving crowd-pleaser.

Once in a while, you're lucky enough to witness something so special that you are forever changed. I've stared at this computer screen for hours trying to verbalize what is still swirling around in my head, impressions that are seemingly impossible to solidify into communicable thoughts. Last night's performance of Dear Evan Hansen plunged me into deep reflection, something only a handful of shows have accomplished. The show that won six Tony Awards in 2017 and a 2018 Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album is in Sacramento now through January 26 for a west coast jaunt of its first national tour.

Described by the Los Angeles Times as a a?oecultural phenomenon,a?? Dear Evan Hansen comes to Portland's Keller Auditorium from January 28 through February 8. Casting includes Stephen Christopher Anthony in the title role. Jessica Sherman plays 'Heidi Hansen', Claire Rankin plays 'Cynthia Murphy', and John Hemphill plays 'Larry Murphy.' Noah Kieserman and Stephanie La Rochelle round out the Murphy family (as Connor and Zoe, respectively), with Alessandro Costantini as 'Jared Kleinman' and Ciara Alyse Harris as 'Alana Beck' completing the on-stage company.

The most important thing to know about DEAR EVAN HANSEN which is playing at Broadway San Diego through January 12th is that you should go well hydrated because you may be in tears by the time you exit the theatre.    

In the afterglow of the Bicentennial Celebration of Memphis and Shelby County, Playhouse on the Square, in partnership with Robert B. Briggs and the Briggs Foundation, tamburrino, inc., Monogram Foods, Grayson Smith Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, and super sponsor Dr. Thomas Ratliff are excited to offer one of the most popular shows ever produced on a Playhouse on the Square stage.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN on tour launched last year in Denver and is currently on tour across America! What are critics saying about the show in different cities across the country? Check out all the reviews for the hit musical below from tour stops in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Boston, Washington, DC and more!

Dear New Orleans, November 5 is going to be a good day and here's why... the Tony Award Winning musical DEAR EVAN HANSEN with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman) opens at The Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.  Sincerely, me.

Dear Evan Hansen was the winner of six 2017 Tony awards including Best Musical and Best Performance by an actor. The first national tour of a Dear Evan Hansen has set up shop at the Kansas City Music Hall for a one week run.

'Wow. I knew the soundtrack, but was not expecting that!' Such was the repeated refrain that echoed throughout the theater lobby as gobsmacked Memphians filed out of Dear Evan Hansen, the first production of the 2019-2020 Broadway season at the Orpheum. Since its celebrated premiere on the Great White Way in 2016, the Tony Award winning Best Musical's original cast album, featuring music and lyrics by today's 'it' collaborators with the Midas touch, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, has seemingly transcended those who self-identify as musical theater lovers. Rather, its contemporary, pop infused tracks have built appeal across a broad array of audiences, with many - particularly millennials - able to sing or at least hum them on command. For that, tremendous credit is owed to Ben Platt of Pitch Perfect fame, who originated the role of Even Hansen on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in the process.

A great story, well told, could and should move the audience into feeling something. Whether it's empathy for the protagonist's plight, revulsion at the villain's crimes, or laughing at a clown's antics, if you don't come away from a tale without feeling something, then the author/actors/director/etc. have failed their audience.

Dear Evan Hansen is the oh so rare example of a truly original musical. In a world where musicals based on movies are becoming the rule and not the exception, it's refreshing and almost unheard of for a completely original musical to succeed as it has. The show had a long gestation period that included workshops and pre-Broadway tryouts, but when it finally made it to Broadway in late 2016, the buzz surrounding it made it a hit before it even opened. It would go on to win a slew of awards including Best Musical at that year's Tonys, and now as the tour is entering it's second year on the road, Louisville is finally getting a taste of this runaway hit with a week long run at the Kentucky Center.

Coming to St. Louis's Fabulous Fox Theatre October 22 a?" November 3, casting for Dear Evan Hansen includes Stephen Christopher Anthony in the title role. Jessica Sherman plays 'Heidi Hansen', Claire Rankin plays 'Cynthia Murphy', and John Hemphill plays 'Larry Murphy.' Noah Kieserman and Stephanie La Rochelle round out the Murphy family (as Connor and Zoe, respectively), with Alessandro Costantini as 'Jared Kleinman' and Ciara Alyse Harris as 'Alana Beck' completing the on-stage company.

Dear Evan Hansen producer Stacey Mindich has announced several casting changes for the Broadway and North American touring productions of the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen.