Eliza Bilson
The 2017 Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen played its final Broadway performance on September 18, 2022. The show ran 1,678 regular performances and 21 preview performances, in turn making Dear Evan Hansen one of the 50 longest-running shows in Broadway history. Dear Evan Hansen highlights the struggles of high school students and mental health through the emotional score written by the Tony and Oscar-winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson, choreography by Danny Mefford, and direction by multiple Tony nominee Michael Greif.
The production began previews on November 14, 2016, while the official opening was December 4. After being closed because of Covid, Dear Evan Hansen reopened on December 11, 2021, twenty-one months after the shutdown. In 2017, the musical was nominated for nine Tony Awards. It ended up winning six, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor in Leading Role (Ben Platt), Best Featured Actress in a Leading Role (Rachel Bay Jones), and Best Orchestrations.
I saw the show recently in Philly and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. After reading the book and listening to the soundtrack (we don’t talk about the movie), I didn’t realize how different the show would feel when watching it in person. I had chills after every song. With brilliant lyrics and catchy songs, Dear Evan Hansen is everything you’d want in a show. Its deep and powerful message is shown through these gifted actors and actresses’ astounding performances about Evan Hansen and his pursuit of belonging.
The Broadway show touched the lives of many through its relatable and heart-wrenching performance and powerful and inspiring message: you are not alone. With its high reviews, the story deals with grief, belonging, acceptance, and mental illness. While many may be unhappy about the closing, Dear Evan Hansen has had a great run.
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