On January 29 the cast and creative team of Dear Evan Hansen hit the BroadwayCon stage before a two-show day for a panel moderated by SiriusXM Radio鈥檚 Julie James. Actors Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Will Roland, Michael Park, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Mike Faist, and Rachel Bay Jones; composer/lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; writer Steven Levenson; and director Michael Greif reflected on the themes of loneliness and forgiveness embedded in the show. Throughout the discussions of writing the show, creating the vision, and living through iterations over the years, the cast was also able to identify their favorite moments of the show they perform eight times a week:
Rachel Bay Jones
鈥淲ill Roland makes me laugh every single night, every single joke,鈥� said Jones.
Kristolyn Lloyd
鈥淪ometimes I wish I wasn鈥檛 in the show so I could watch it,鈥� said Lloyd. She recalled one night in particular when she exited the stage after her confrontation scene with Ben Platt, which transitions into the climax of the show in the 鈥渄inner scene.鈥� 鈥淛ennifer Laura Thompson said a line, and it stopped me in my tracks.鈥� In that scene, Lloyd could see the 鈥渂reakdown and buildup鈥� of the entire show.
Will Roland
Roland鈥檚 favorite moment of the show actually precedes curtain up. Every night the cast gathers in the wings, stage left, 鈥渢o look each other in the eye.鈥� He gave Platt a special shout out for being 鈥渁 spectacular captain for us鈥� and leading them as a crew.
Michael Park
鈥淲hen Connor pushes Evan at the beginning of the show, that really resonates with me,鈥� said Park, noting it's the first moment he always watches. But, he added, 鈥渨hen Ben is having that moment [at the end of Act 1] with the tie on the floor,鈥� he paused, 鈥渋t just rips me apart as a father and that lost kid in high school.鈥�
Ben Platt
Platt spends the majority of the show onstage, but after the first 35 minutes of the show, he does get a break, and he loves to watch Dreyfuss sing 鈥淩equiem.鈥� According to Thompson, she watches him watch every single night. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of an incredible empowerment,鈥� Platt said. He doesn鈥檛 ever want to miss it.
To close out the panel, James asked the cast about their favorite post-show visits. Jones blurted, 鈥淐arol Burnett!鈥� (Though she鈥檚 still waiting for Keanu Reeves to come.) While Dreyfuss recalled meeting her idol, Carole King: 鈥淪he is my biggest vocal icon, musical icon, in the world.鈥�
