Dear Evan Hansen reveals theatre, opening night & cast

The Broadway transfer of the critically acclaimed new musical Dear Evan Hansen will officially open at Broadway's Belasco Theatre on 4 December 2016. Previews are scheduled to begin in November.

Complete casting has also been announced with Emmy Award winner Michael Park (who originated the role of Larry Murphy at Washington D.C.'s Arena Stage) will return for the Broadway production, joining the Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway cast of Ben Platt (Evan Hansen), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Cynthia), Rachel Bay Jones (Heidi), Laura Dreyfuss (Zoe), Mike Faist (Connor), Will Roland (Jared) and Kristolyn Lloyd (Alana).

The new musical features a book by Steven Levenson, music and lyrics by Tony and Emmy nominees Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, and is directed by three-time Tony nominee Michael Greif.

Synopsis: "All his life Evan Hansen has felt invisible. To his peers, to the girl he loves, sometimes even to his own mother. But that was before he wrote the letter - that led to the incident - that started the lie - that ignited a movement - that inspired a community - and changed Evan's status from the ultimate outsider into the somebody everyone wants to know. But how long can Evan keep his secret? And at what price? A tribute to the outsider in us all, Dear Evan Hansen is about someone you know, maybe even someone you are, but more than anything, it's about discovering the person we all long to be - ourselves."

The creative team behind Dear Evan Hansen features choreography by Danny Mefford, musical direction by Ben Cohn, music supervision by Alex Lacamoire, scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and projection design by Peter Nigrini.

Dear Evan Hansen enjoyed tremendous success during the off-Broadway Awards Season, including picking up OBIE Awards for the show's writers - Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul - and for its leading actor Ben Platt, as well as receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.

The NY premiere of Dear Evan Hansen began previews at the Tony Kiser Theatre on 26 March 2016, before an official opening on 1 May and a sold-out limited engagement through to 29 May 2016.

- by Tom Millward