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arts entertainmentPerforming Arts

Popular musical coming-of-age story ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ makes a stop in Fair Park

Dallas Summer Musicals presents a show that deals with heavy themes faced by today’s teenagers

A Broadway sensation that won six 2017 Tony Awards and a 2018 Grammy has arrived in Dallas.

The musical Dear Evan Hansen is a coming-of-age story about a teenager with social anxiety and was made famous by Ben Platt, the original Evan Hansen and now the star of the Netflix show The Politician. The show’s music and lyrics come from Tony, Grammy and Academy award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul of La La Land and The Greatest Showman.

Stephen Christopher Anthony as "Evan Hansen" in the North American touring company of "Dear...
Stephen Christopher Anthony as "Evan Hansen" in the North American touring company of "Dear Evan Hansen."(Matthew Murphy)
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Dear Evan Hansen is a completely original musical,” says Stacey Mindich, the show’s producer. “It’s not based off a movie, TV show or book. It’s also a contemporary piece that deals with many topics and themes, including social media, relationships and human connection in today’s modern age.”

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The show, which The Washington Post called “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history,” has an active online fan base, especially among young people.

The show gets its title from the letters Evan Hansen was instructed to write to himself by his therapist. Perhaps one of the reasons this story has struck a chord with young audiences is the way it deals with mental illness in high school.

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Stephen Christopher Anthony as "Evan Hansen" and Jessica E. Sherman as "Heidi Hansen" in the...
Stephen Christopher Anthony as "Evan Hansen" and Jessica E. Sherman as "Heidi Hansen" in the North American touring company of "Dear Evan Hansen."(Matthew Murphy)

“We found very early on in the show’s life, starting at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., that parents were coming to see the show on a date night and would actually return and bring their kids. At that same time, young people were coming to see the show and would come back to see it again with their parents,” Mindich says.

This sense of multigenerational community is something the cast and crew have observed in every city they visit. “If you are a parent or if you are a child, then there’s something in this show for you, and perhaps it’s even a platform to talk to each other,” Mindich says. “And in that way, it’s really a show for everyone.”

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Nov. 26-Dec. 8 at Fair Park Music Hall, 909 First Ave., Dallas. $45-$160. dallassummermusicals.org.