Broadway tour of "Dear Evan Hansen" at the Ordway Center

The second Broadway tour to come to the Ordway in as many weeks (and the second tear-jerker), Dear Evan Hansen is back in town for one week only! The 2017 Tony Award-winning musical was last seen at the Orpheum in 2019, and seeing the show again last night I was reminded just how good it is. When it premiered in 2017 it was so modern and relevant and almost revolutionary in the way it depicted the effects of social media on young people. Now, eight years later, some of the specifics of the technology have changed (Tik Tok and Snapchat and who knows what else have replaced Facebook and Twitter), but what hasn't changed is the power of social media to both join us together, and to further bullying and abuse. This musical also deals with mental health issues and suicide among our youth, which is still a very concerning problem. The power of musical theater is that it can bring awareness of these issues to the general public, as well as reach struggling individuals in a visceral way, and maybe help them to feel less alone, to reach out for help, to live for the promise of a better day. You, too, can be found at the Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul through March 16.

"Dear Evan Hansen" Broadway Tour at the Orpheum Theatre

Two and a half years after debuting on Broadway (where it's still playing), the six-time Tony-winning smash hit musical Dear Evan Hansen has arrived in Minnesota. For the next two weeks, Evan and friends will be found at the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. I was lucky enough to see the show on Broadway, starring Ben Platt in an unforgettable performance that won him Tony, and was totally enraptured by this thoroughly modern musical. Two years later the show and this touring cast are still fantastic (even if the Orpheum is too big of a venue for this intimate of a story). The small-cast non-flashy musical deals with pretty serious issues like suicide, mental illness, grief, and the dangers of social media, although not without humor and a fantastic Pasek and Paul score. Most importantly, it delivers a message of connection and hope that this world needs.

NYC 2017 Trip: "Dear Evan Hansen" at the Music Box

Show*: 3

Title: Dear Evan Hansen

Location: The Music Box

Written By: Steven Levenson (book), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (music and lyrics)

Summary: A brilliant new, original, and thoroughly modern musical about grief, loneliness, the pain of growing up, and finding connection in the social media age.