Stephen Christopher Anthony, recently the lead in the North American tour of Dear Evan Hansen, joins the Broadway company of the Tony-winning musical as Evan beginning August 9 at the Music Box Theatre.
Anthony succeeds Zachary Noah Piser, who played his final performance in the title role August 7. Piser, who had been part of the Dear Evan Hansen family since March 2019 and was formerly the Evan alternate, became the first Asian-American actor to play the role full-time when he took over the part May 17.
Sam Primack, who made his Broadway debut as an Evan cover, will take over the role beginning September 6 and continue through the show's final performance September 18.
Semester by Semester: A Look Back at the Evans of Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen
The company also currently includes Talia Simone Robinson, who became the first Black actor to play the role of Zoe Murphy beginning May 1; Jessica Phillips, Ann Sanders, Noah Kieserman, Manoel Felciano, Gaten Matarazzo, and Ciara Alyse Harris, along with Mateo Lizcano, Julian Diaz-Granados, Alex Humphreys, Matthew Edward Kemp, Jane Pfitsch, D’Kaylah Unique Whitley, Asa Somers, Josh Strobl, and Nicole Van Giesen.
Dear Evan Hansen reopened its Broadway production December 11, 2020, following the pandemic shutdown. The hit production features a score by the Tony- and Oscar-winning songwriting team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dogfight, A Christmas Story), a book by Tony winner Steven Levenson (tick, tick...BOOM! movie), choreography by Danny Mefford (Fun Home), and direction by multiple Tony nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal, If/Then).
The musical also features scenic design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and hair design by David Brian Brown. Music supervision, orchestrations, and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire. Ben Cohn is the associate music supervisor. Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Justin Paul. Casting is by Tara Rubin Casting's Kevin Metzger-Timson.
Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen Breaks Music Box Theatre Record
Dear Evan Hansen began previews at the Music Box November 14, 2016, prior to an official opening December 4. The musical was nominated for nine 2017 Tony Awards, winning six: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Ben Platt), Best Featured Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Rachel Bay Jones), and Best Orchestrations.
The London production of Dear Evan Hansen reopened at the Noël Coward Theatre October 26, 2021. The national tour resumed December 7 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Dear Evan Hansen film premiered in September 2021. Platt reprised his Tony-winning performance in the title role opposite Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Danny Pino, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Colton Ryan, and Nik Dodani.
