Dear Evan Hansen
The New York Times called it "a superb new musical with great art and humor." New York magazines lauded it as a "musical gem with the kind of surprising songs only found in the best musical theater." The Washington Post called it "musical storytelling of the highest caliber, a work whose captivatingly generous spirit is matched by its exemplary intelligence and fearless embrace of deep feeling." But Dear Evan Hansen isn't just a darling of the critics. The emotional masterpiece is resonating across generations, where at the heart of the show is a universal message about our desire to connect more deeply in a world dominated by impersonal digital interactions.
The Dear Evan Hansen musical follows the story of Evan Hansen, an anxiety-ridden teenager who gets caught up in a line that he never meant to tell and, as a result, finally begins to feel like he fits in. The show deals with universal themes of family, alienation, bullying, mental health, addiction and belonging, while also starting a much-needed conversation about what it means to be growing up in America in the digital age.
The book-produced by Melcher Media, the team behind Hamilton, Wicked, Rent, and many more-will tell you the story of the musical from its conception nearly a decade ago to the Broadway stage. From developing the idea to writing the show, composing, casting, and rehearsals, DEAR EVAN HANSEN will appeal to fans far and wide will offer them the opportunity to continuously revisit the show, and for those who haven't seen the musical, reading the book will make them feel like they have.
Filled with interviews with the cast and crew, original behind-the-scenes photography, a deeper look into Evan's fictional world and the visual world of the show, unreleased lyrics, and of course the libretto, as well as reflections on the creators own formative memories from their adolescence as it relates to the show's themes, and important examinations of how we present ourselves online and mental health, DEAR EVAN HANSEN will be a beautifully produced, thoughtful, and uplifting book.
Steven Levenson's plays include The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin (Roundabout Theatre Company, Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award), Core Values (Ars Nova, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Play), The Language of Trees (Roundabout), Seven Minutes in Heaven (Colt Coeur; Emerging America Festival/Huntington Theater Company). A graduate of Brown University and former Artist in Residence at Ars Nova, he has received new play commissions from Roundabout, Lincoln Center, MCC, and Ars Nova. He is currently a writer and producer on Showtime's Masters of Sex, and he is a founding member of Colt Coeur and an alumnus of MCC's Playwrights Coalition and Ars Nova's Play Group.
Benj Pasek & Justin Paul wrote the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen. In 2017, they won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for their lyrics in "City of Stars" from La La Land. Their musical Dogfight had its world premiere at Second Stage Theatre, where it won the Lortel Award for Best New Musical. Other theater credits include A Christmas Story, The Musical on Broadway, which received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations for Outstanding New Broadway Musical; James and the Giant Peach; and Edges. TV credits include Smash, Sesame Street, and Johnny and the Sprites. Upcoming film projects include The Greatest Showman, Trolls, Medusa, and Tom and Jerry Return to Oz. Honors include the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre (American Academy of Arts and Letters), the ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award, and the Jonathan Larson Award. Both are BFA Musical Theatre graduates of the University of Michigan and members of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.