1. What's this musical about?
The show centers on high school senior Evan Hansen, who has a social anxiety disorder. He finds himself in a bit of a mess after the death of a classmate.
2. Originally, \"Dear Evan Hansen\" had a different plot.
The musical's songwriter, Justin Paul, revealed in an interview on ABC News' \"Popcorn With Peter Travers\" that the show was originally supposed to be a \"condemnation\" of some people's desire to insert themselves into tragedies.
\"It was a cynical look at that,\" Paul said. \"And [as] we started to write, it became clear to us that it wasn't an interesting musical. There wasn't any heart to that. So we really tried to look at it from a different view, which was, 'What experience does someone have that they're in such a place that when given any opportunity to fib a little bit, [they] say that they had a connection to someone that they didn't have a connection to?'\"
3. Remember this name: Ben Platt.
Platt plays the title role, and because of his stellar performance, he took home his first Tony Award last night for best actor in a musical.
You may recognize his boyish face. He has starred in musical films, including the two \"Pitch Perfect\" movies. He is 23 and said he has been appearing in shows since he was 6. He was featured in a Los Angeles production of \"The Music Man\" alongside Kristin Chenoweth at 9. His Broadway debut was in \"The Book of Mormon.\"
4. Do the songs sound familiar?
If so, it's because Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the lyricists behind \"La La Land,\" penned the music and lyrics for \"Dear Evan Hansen.\" The two shared an Academy Award for best song with Justin Hurwitz for \"City of Stars\" from \"La La Land.\" For \"Evan Hansen,\" the songwriting duo got help from music supervisor and orchestrator Alex Lacamoire. And if you've heard his name before, it may be because he was also behind the smash Broadway hit \"Hamilton.\"
5. If you're not in New York, don't worry.
If you're now dying to see this musical — like the rest of us — don't worry if you're not near New York City. \"Dear Evan Hansen\" announced in May that it will be going on a nationwide tour, starting in Denver in October 2018.
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