Stephanie La News

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.    

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!

It was amazing to see DEAR EVAN HANSEN with an enthusiastic audience. Many of the teens sang along with the show or at least mouthed the words as the performance played out. People were visibly touched by the situations and reduced to tears at several points. And yet I felt oddly removed from the experience, and kept wondering why.

Today is going to be a great day, and here's why: Dear Evan Hansen tour cast member Stephanie La Rochelle is performing a brand-new solo arrangement of one of the show's iconic songs, 'Only Us,' at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe to celebrate tonight's Country Music Awards. Check out this video to see Stephanie give a nod to her country music roots!

Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day and here's why: you're in New Orleans now. After the incident with the Hard Rock Hotel closed down the Saenger Theatre, New Orleans theatergoers were concerned about the state of the upcoming season. With a relocation to the Mahalia Jackson theater, Dear Evan Hansen made it to the Crescent City after all, and it is not a show you will want to miss.

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.

Every so often, a Broadway show comes along that speaks to the present generation. A show that resonates with a powerful, relatable message for the here and now. People lose their minds over such a spectacle because they feel heard and see a glimmer of themselves -- their struggles, hopes, fears -- reflected in art. For that reason, Dear Evan Hansen is an important piece of theater in 2019. 

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.

Today's top stories: New casting has been announced for the Broadway and touring productions of Dear Evan Hansen!

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.

On Thursday, June 27th The Kilroys celebrated the drop of THE LIST 2019 at WP Theater in New York City. The event celebrated the 13 founding members of the organization and the 33 plays featured on THE LIST 2019. 

It's time to step into the sun because Dear Evan Hansen's first international Evan, Robert Markus, is performing the show's classic song 'Waving Through the Window' in a special acoustic rendition. Check out the full video!

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature INTO THE WOODS, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, SIX and More!