BWW Q&A: Catherine Brunell Stars as Heidi Hansen in DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Theatre Raleigh

Theatre Raleigh will present DEAR EVAN HANSEN, running June 3 through June 21, 2026. The contemporary musical, featuring a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Steven Levenson, explores mental health, family, and connection through the story of an anxious teenager and the mother working to reach him.

Catherine Brunell stars as Heidi Hansen. Brunell recently closed the Broadway national tour of Mrs. Doubtfire, where she played Miranda Hillard opposite Rob McClure. Her Broadway credits include Mean Girls, Something Rotten, the title roles in Mary Poppins and Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Eponine in Les Misérables at the Imperial Theatre, along with Big River, A Tale of Two Cities, and Elf. Her career began while attending Northwestern University, when she was cast from an open-call audition in the national tour of Les Misérables. Her national tour and regional credits include Big River at Ford's Theatre, Anything Goes at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Paramour at The Old Globe, and numerous productions at the St. Louis MUNY, where she was twice nominated for a Kevin Kline Award for Best Actress. On television, she has appeared in Netflix's The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and NBC's The Sound of Music Live! A frequent soloist with the Carolina Philharmonic in Pinehurst, NC, Brunell resides in New Jersey with her husband and three children. BroadwayWorld spoke with her about taking on the role.

What drew you to the role of Heidi Hansen, and what do you find most compelling about her journey as a mother in Dear Evan Hansen?

I was spellbound by Rachel Bay Jones' Broadway performance as Heidi. She perfectly captured the challenges of motherhood—the constant cycle of succeeding and faltering all while striving to be the best parent possible. As a mother of three, I deeply relate to those personal challenges, the duality inherent in parenting. I also connected to the complexities of navigating a teenager's mental health struggles.

How does it feel to bring Dear Evan Hansen to Theatre Raleigh, and what excites you about performing this story in an intimate regional theatre setting?

This job is a giant gift. For so many reasons. Not only did I do Les Mis with both Lauren Kennedy and her husband, Charlie Brady but I have a long history with artistic director, the great Eric Woodall. And our brilliant director, Jessica Boevers Bogart, has been a dear friend of mine for over 20 years. Jess is family to me. When she asked me to play this role back in the fall, I didn't know if it would work timing wise because of my family's schedule but thankfully, it worked out! To play Heidi Hansen with Jess at the helm feels like the security blanket, the safety net I craved to really investigate this piece of theatre, to take risks and to feel supported in doing so. I love feeling challenged by a role like Heidi. I am an actor who never wants to leave the rehearsal room. I constantly want to keep experimenting with playing the scene and trying new tactics. Spending months in preparation for Theatre Raleigh's production, getting to dissect this incredible script has been a privilege. I love Steven Levenson's script. The way he writes is so natural. So easy to learn. I haven't been this excited to sink my teeth into a role since playing Eliza Doolittle! I think the show will translate beautifully in a more intimate setting that Theatre Raleigh affords.

Heidi Hansen is a single mother doing her best under incredibly difficult circumstances — how do you approach finding the humanity and complexity in her choices?

I approach characters by finding our similarities to bring my own truth to the role. Raising three teenagers, I understand the "dance" of parenting—switching between being the fun mom, the working mom, the zany mom, the strict mom...sometimes all in one afternoon! Recently I told someone I was going to play this role and they said "oh, you're playing the mom who is a mess". I was so taken aback. Heidi is not a "mess"; she is a single mother doing her absolute best for her son. If Heidi is a mess, then most parents I know would consider themselves in the same boat.

Dear Evan Hansen deals with some very heavy themes around mental health and family — how do you personally prepare emotionally for a role like this eight times a week?

I know this show will be demanding, but having performed on Broadway for years, I intend to savor every moment of this short run. As I have grown older, I am interested in how my gifts as an artist can be of service. We are storytellers with a responsibility to bring these struggles regarding mental health, adolescence and parenting to life. I feel a profound responsibility to be at my best.

Your connection to the Carolina Philharmonic means you have a relationship with North Carolina audiences — how does it feel to now be bringing a full theatrical production to the Raleigh community?

I was just in North Carolina a few months ago singing with the Phil and it turns out both the music contractor for Theatre Raleigh and the guitar player for Dear Evan Hansen play in the Philharmonic! So if that is any indication of the level of talent that Lauren Kennedy and her team compiles, I know this experience will be top notch. I hope that the symphony audiences will come to Theatre Raleigh and experience the brilliance of Pasek and Paul's music. Maybe next time I'm in Pinehurst, I can sing one of these songs with Maestro Wolff and the Carolina Philharmonic! Wouldn't that be a dream?

The score of Dear Evan Hansen is quite demanding — what has your preparation process looked like for tackling Heidi's musical moments, particularly a song like "So Big/So Small"?

I have been singing this score nearly everyday for months. I'm that crazy lady, belting her face off & crying in my car, going on walks and singing to myself like my life depends upon it. I have coached this material with a few of my most brilliant actor friends. They have given me so much to think about as I have built this role. My sweet daughter, Bea and my husband, Chris have been running lines with me for weeks. They've been so supportive. I find that the more I know a text cold, the more spontaneous and playful I can be in rehearsal. When learning the music, I always start with the intention of the lyrics and how the song serves the story. So Big/So Small is a revelation, such a pivotal moment for Heidi - the song is so tender, so vulnerable, a proclamation of her unconditional love for Evan while simultaneously admitting her own shortcomings. The song is perfect. It sings itself.

What do you hope audiences, particularly parents, take away from watching Heidi's arc throughout the show?

My husband is a high school teacher and he always says…the more a teenager pushes you away, the more you need to push forward and stay in their business. It's so true! Chris and I do this in our parenting. We strive to stay in our kids' business (as annoying as that is to them sometimes), to ask the hard questions, to talk about subjects that make us feel uncomfortable. If anyone sees this show and is inspired to knock on their kids' closed door and open up a difficult conversation, then we will have succeeded in our storytelling.

Why must audiences come and see the show?

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