By Lexie Kauffman ’22
Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway for the first time on July 30, 2015. The Tony award winning musical has continued to run since that first performance, touring globally and winning numerous awards, including six Tony’s, a Grammy, and one Daytime Emmy.
The beloved musical features the story of Evan Hansen, a teenager with social anxiety that tangles himself in a mess so big from a lie that was so small. Evan gets put in a difficult situation when he claims to be friends with the recently deceased Connor Murphy, a social outcast that committed suicide. A series of events unfold until Evan is lost in his own lie, now actively involved with Connor’s family, including his sister that Evan has a crush on. Words fail Evan as everything he does only seems to dig his hole deeper.
The musical follows a story of self-acceptance, honesty, and mental health. The award-winning story and soundtrack have provided comfort for fans across the world, especially during the pandemic.
Although Broadway is shut down, Dear Evan Hansen continues to prevail with parodies of songs like “Waving Through the Window” and “You Will Be Found” that have sparked fan projects across social media. Fans have also rejoiced at the news of an upcoming movie adaptation.
Due to Covid-19, a release date is impossible to guarantee right now, but soon Dear Evan Hansen will hit the big screens with the original composers, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, as well as the original star, Ben Platt, as Evan Hansen.
Steven Levenson, Dear Evan Hansen’s playwright, will be the one to adapt the musical for the screen. Stephen Chbosky—the director of Wonder, Rent, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower—is set to direct the adaptation. Platt’s father, Marc Platt—known for his work on Wicked, La La Land, and many other notable projects—also signed on to the project. He will be a producer alongside Adam Siegel.
Julianne Moore will join the cast as Evan’s mother, Heidi, with Amy Adams playing Connor’s mom, Cynthia Murphy. Danny Pino will play Larry Murphy, Cynthia’s husband.
Other cast members include Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy, and Nik Dodani as Jared Kleinman. The movie will also feature DeMarius Copes and Gerald Caesar as characters that are original to the movie.