50 Fun Facts About Dear Evan Hansen

Which actor won a Tony at 23 for creating the title role in Dear Evan Hansen and reprised it on film?

Ben Platt was the youngest solo winner of the Tony for leading actor in a musical until Myles Frost took it in 2022. He had been with the show since its first readings in 2014.

Which songwriting duo, also behind The Greatest Showman, wrote the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen?

Pasek and Paul began writing together as freshmen at the University of Michigan. Benj Pasek usually handles the lyrics and Justin Paul the music, though they share credit for both.

Dear Evan Hansen's songwriters won an Oscar for the lyrics of City of Stars from which film?

La La Land brought them the Best Original Song Oscar in 2017, the same year their stage show won six Tony Awards. The film's melodies were composed by Justin Hurwitz.

Which institution received a shirt, an arm cast and sheet music from Dear Evan Hansen's Broadway producers?

The Smithsonian added the items to its National Museum of American History in 2018, along with a button for The Connor Project and a copy of Evan's letter.

Which pop star re-recorded Waving Through a Window to promote Dear Evan Hansen's national tour?

Katy Perry's cover was included on the deluxe edition of the cast album in 2018, beside numbers that had been cut from the show.

Which Stranger Things actor joined Dear Evan Hansen's final Broadway cast as Evan's sarcastic classmate Jared?

Gaten Matarazzo was returning to Broadway, where he had started as a child in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Les Misérables.

Defending his casting at 27 in the Dear Evan Hansen film, its star pointed to the grown-up cast of which musical?

Grease cast actors well past their teens as high school students in 1978, the comparison he made after the first trailer drew complaints about his age.

Which director of the Dear Evan Hansen film also wrote and directed The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

Stephen Chbosky had also directed Wonder, and he said his main aim was to preserve the original lead's performance on screen.

Which Oscar-winning star of Still Alice plays Evan's overworked mother in the Dear Evan Hansen film?

Julianne Moore joined the cast in September 2020, and reviewers counted her among the best-received performers in a film that was otherwise panned.

Which star of Enchanted plays Cynthia Murphy, Connor's mother, in the Dear Evan Hansen film?

Amy Adams drew one of the film's four Golden Raspberry nominations, even though several critics had praised her performance.

Who sets Evan the task of writing upbeat letters to himself, the habit that gives Dear Evan Hansen its title?

His therapist assigns the letters as daily pep talks, and one that Evan prints at school ends up in Connor's pocket.

What had Evan fallen from to break the arm he wears in a cast at the start of Dear Evan Hansen?

A tree fall is the story behind the cast, which his mother urges him to get signed by classmates as a way of starting conversations.

In Dear Evan Hansen, where does Evan claim he and Connor spent the day he broke his arm?

An apple orchard the Murphys once visited is the setting of his invented story, and a later crowdfunding campaign aims to reopen it.

In Dear Evan Hansen, what do Evan and Jared forge to prove that he and Connor were secretly close?

Backdated emails are shown to the Murphys as proof, which thrills Cynthia but hurts Larry, who feels Connor took his home life for granted.

Which never-used belonging of Connor's does Larry Murphy hand to Evan in Dear Evan Hansen?

A baseball glove is the gift, and the two bond over how to break it in during a duet that the film left out.

In Dear Evan Hansen, how does Jared Kleinman, who neglects to sign Evan's cast, label their relationship?

Family friend is the reluctant label he uses, yet he goes on to help Evan and Alana launch The Connor Project.

At what event in Dear Evan Hansen does Evan suffer a panic attack before his speech spreads online?

A school assembly held in Connor's memory is the setting, and a clip of Evan recovering to finish his speech goes viral.

In Dear Evan Hansen, what is the day job of Evan's mother, who studies to be a paralegal at night?

Nurse's aide shifts and evening classes keep her out of the house, which is why Evan is so often left on his own.

What of their late son's do the Murphys offer Evan at dinner in Dear Evan Hansen, upsetting his mother?

His college fund is the offer, made after Evan lets slip that money is tight at home, and Heidi is hurt that he discussed it.

How is Larry related to Connor and Zoe in the Dear Evan Hansen film, a change from the stage show?

Their stepfather, renamed Larry Mora, is who he becomes on screen, whereas the stage character is Connor and Zoe's biological parent.

Which anthem closes Act 1 of Dear Evan Hansen as Evan's speech about Connor spreads across social media?

You Will Be Found was written for the off-Broadway run, replacing Part of Me, which had closed the act in the very first production.

In which Dear Evan Hansen trio do Evan and Jared fake a paper trail, with an imagined Connor joining in?

Sincerely, Me returns in Act 2 as a reprise for Connor and Jared, though that version was left off the original cast recording.

In which Dear Evan Hansen trio do Zoe and her parents each react differently to the proof Evan has faked?

Requiem took the place of an earlier number, Hiding in Your Hands, which later surfaced on the deluxe cast album.

Which opening number of Dear Evan Hansen, a duet for the two mothers, was dropped from the film?

Anybody Have a Map? was cut because the director wanted the audience to meet every other character through Evan's eyes.

Which Dear Evan Hansen love duet did Carrie Underwood and Dan + Shay cover for the film soundtrack?

Only Us is where the film implies the romance between Evan and Zoe begins, whereas on stage they kiss at the end of Act 1.

In which Dear Evan Hansen song does Evan finally admit to the Murphys that he made the whole story up?

Words Fail brings back the opening lines of Evan's first solo, bringing his journey full circle.

In which Dear Evan Hansen solo does Evan's mother recall the day his father moved out?

So Big/So Small follows her discovery of Evan's letter online, and it ends with her promise to be there whenever he needs her.

In which Dear Evan Hansen solo does Evan first describe an invented day out with Connor to the Murphys?

For Forever is performed at the Murphys' dinner table, and it returns in Act 2 as a reprise for the Connor of Evan's imagination.

Dear Evan Hansen's original star first reached filmgoers as the magician Benji in which musical comedy?

Pitch Perfect cast him as the magic-loving Benji Applebaum in 2012, and he returned for the sequel three years later.

Which actress, Catherine in the 2013 Pippin revival, won a Tony as Evan's mother in Dear Evan Hansen?

Rachel Bay Jones played the part from the first production in 2015 until she left the Broadway company in August 2018.

Which actor went from Connor in Dear Evan Hansen's original cast to Riff in Spielberg's West Side Story?

Mike Faist earned a Tony nomination as Connor, a part he had played since the show was still in workshop.

Which actress created Zoe in Dear Evan Hansen and later joined its original star in Netflix's The Politician?

Laura Dreyfuss had appeared in Glee as Madison McCarthy, and her Netflix casting was announced the day after her final Broadway show.

Which director of Rent and Next to Normal staged Dear Evan Hansen from its first production to Broadway?

Michael Greif was Tony-nominated for the show, his fourth nomination after Rent, Grey Gardens and Next to Normal.

Which playwright wrote the book of Dear Evan Hansen and later ran the miniseries Fosse/Verdon?

Steven Levenson won the Tony for Best Book and went on to write the screenplay for the film version himself.

Which Hamilton orchestrator won another Tony for arranging Dear Evan Hansen for an ensemble of eight?

Alex Lacamoire also produced the cast album, and he received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018.

Which Dancing with the Stars champion became Dear Evan Hansen's first full-time Evan of colour on Broadway?

Jordan Fisher took over in January 2020, weeks before theatres shut, and returned when performances resumed in December 2021.

Which Real O'Neals actor took over as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen and later married the original star?

Noah Galvin was the first replacement in the title role in 2017, and the two men married in September 2024.

Which Jimmy Award winner took over as Evan in Dear Evan Hansen at 16, later starring in No Hard Feelings?

Andrew Barth Feldman was spotted by the show's lead producer at the national high school theatre awards and asked to audition.

Which actor won an Olivier Award at 22 for playing Evan in Dear Evan Hansen's West End production?

Sam Tutty had first been cast as the alternate Evan before he was promoted to the lead for the London opening in 2019.

Which Booksmart star plays Zoe Murphy, Evan's crush, in the Dear Evan Hansen film?

Kaitlyn Dever was among the performers critics singled out for praise, and she also records as half of a duo with her sister.

Which Hunger Games actress plays Alana in the Dear Evan Hansen film and co-wrote a new song for her?

Amandla Stenberg wrote The Anonymous Ones with the show's composers, and SZA recorded a second version for the end credits.

Dear Evan Hansen's film adaptation opened which city's international film festival in September 2021?

Toronto had also hosted the stage show's first production outside the United States, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 2019.

How were most of the vocals for the Dear Evan Hansen film captured, to keep its star's singing authentic?

Sung live on set is how almost every number was recorded, during a 2020 shoot that ran under pandemic testing rules.

In the Dear Evan Hansen film, who plays instrumental versions of two songs that were cut from the story?

The school marching band is heard early in the film playing the stage show's opening duet and a number from Act 2.

At which playhouse, built for Irving Berlin, did Dear Evan Hansen spend its whole Broadway run?

Music Box Theatre was a late switch: the producers had first announced the Belasco, then changed plans in September 2016.

In which city did Dear Evan Hansen have its world premiere at Arena Stage, before any New York run?

Washington saw the show first in July 2015, and that run won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Musical.

Which musical set in Newfoundland after 9/11 lost the Best Musical Tony to Dear Evan Hansen?

Come from Away arrived with seven nominations, while the most-nominated show of the night, The Great Comet, had twelve.

Which award did Dear Evan Hansen's Broadway cast win for a performance on NBC's Today show?

A Daytime Emmy for musical performance went to the cast in 2018, the same year their album won a Grammy.

Into what did Val Emmich adapt Dear Evan Hansen in 2018, working with the show's three writers?

A young adult novel was the result, built partly from scenes and songs cut during development, and it reached number two on the New York Times list.

Which actor, a standby for three roles in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, plays Connor in the film?

Colton Ryan had covered Evan, Connor and Jared on stage, and on screen his character gains a new song, A Little Closer.