‘Dear Evan Hansen’ comes to Tucson’s Centennial Hall

Anthony Norman plays Evan Hansen and Alaina Anderson is Zoey Murphy in “Dear Evan Hansen,” coming to Centennial Hall Feb. 21. (Photo by Evan Zimmerman)

Grant Hoover from El Inde Arizona
February 18, 2023

Broadway In Tucson is bringing the Tony Award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” to the University of Arizona’s Centennial Hall for a six-day run from Tuesday, Feb. 21, to Sunday, Feb. 26, marking the first time it has been shown professionally in Tucson.

The play, which has won six Tony Awards, a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy, tells the story of an anxious and socially awkward high school student whose letter he has written to himself becomes the center of a very public spectacle after the suicide of a classmate.

“It’s a letter that wasn’t meant to be seen … that turns from there into a lie that was never meant to be told,” Broadway In Tucson’s General Manager Mario Di Vetta said.

“Dear Evan Hansen” is yet another major show traveling to Broadway In Tucson, which over the past two seasons brought in a number of big-name musicals including “The Lion King,” “Hadestown,” “Pretty Woman” and “Hamilton.”

The performance is part of a nationwide tour of “Dear Evan Hansen” that concludes in the summer, when the show will wrap up production. It played on and off Broadway for more than six years, with the final Broadway show taking place at New York City’s Music Box Theatre on Sept. 18, 2022.

In the production coming to Centennial Hall, Anthony Norman plays Evan Hansen and Alaina Anderson is his love interest Zoey Murphy, who is also the sister of the dead classmate.

Composition and lyrics for the soundtrack of “Dear Evan Hansen” are the brainchild of award-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose other credits include the movies “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman.” The musical was written by Steven Levenson, with Michael Greif directing the tour.

Even though it centers around the struggles of angsty teenagers, Di Vetta said “Dear Evan Hansen” has a universal message.

“It’s a story about finding yourself at its core,” he said.

If you go

What: “Dear Evan Hansen”

Presented By: Broadway In Tucson

When: