If you’re a regular listener of Sirius’ Broadway channel, it’s a good bet you’ve already heard the tune, “Waving Through a Window,” one of the signature songs of the soon-to-be Broadway smash, Dear Evan Hansen. Released this summer, the song has become a favorite of listeners and the Twitterverse has been abuzz about the tune ever since.
No surprise there, considering the score of the musical was written by the Tony-nominated team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the men behind such shows as A Christmas Story, Dogfight, and James and the Giant Peach.
Dear Evan Hansen tells a story all too familiar in today’s headlines. A high school boy named Connor, feeling alone, takes his own life. Circumstances make the parents of the youngster believe that a suicide note was written to his “friend” Evan Hansen, when in fact, the two were basically strangers. But Evan tries to ease the suffering of the parents by pretending he was truly his friend and things spiral out of control, with lots of love and laughter along the way.
After a successful run at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., where it took home three Helen Hayes Awards last year, Dear Evan Hansen opened Off Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in March, and enjoyed two months of acclaim. The musical will begin previews at Broadway’s Music Box Theatre on Nov. 14, and tickets for Dear Evan Hansen are available right now through the box office. The cheapest tickets start for as low as $69, while the premium center orchestra and mezzanine seats can be purchased for $159.
Dear Evan Hansen stars Ben Platt of Pitch Perfect fame as the title character, an anxiety-ridden social misfit who tries to get by one day at a time. It’s Platt who lends the vocals to “Waving Through a Window” and he also gets to shine on songs such as “For Forever” and “Words Fall.” Laura Dreyfuss plays Zoe, the bereaved sister who just happens to be the girl of Evan’s dreams. The song “If I Could Tell Her” performed by Dreyfuss and Platt was also released early, and is another fan favorite.
Broadway vets Michael Park (Smokey Joe’s Café) and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Footloose, Urinetown) play Connor’s heartbroken parents, while Rachel Bay Jones (Pippin) plays Evan’s mom. All three were part of the original Arena production, although Park returns after missing the Off-Broadway run. Also in the cast are Kristolyn Lloyd and Will Roland, playing Alana and Jared respectively, two fellow classmates of Evan, who provide comic relief in the production.
Coming off a year that saw Hamilton dominate Broadway, the much smaller Dear Evan Hansen is already being touted as a Tony favorite for 2017, thanks to an emotional book by Steve Levenson and inspired directing from Michael Greif, the director behind Rent and Next to Normal. It’s one you definitely don’t want to miss.
This post is sponsored by TicketIQ
