It was late 2016 at the Music Box Theatre. People were sobbing—like, loud, ugly-crying sobbing—into their Playbills. Most of that was thanks to a kid in a blue striped polo shirt. When the broadway cast dear evan hansen first stepped onto that stage, nobody quite knew that a story about a lonely kid with a broken arm and a massive lie would become a global juggernaut.
Ben Platt was the face of it, obviously. But the chemistry of that original eight-person ensemble was lightning in a bottle. It’s rare for a show to feel so lived-in right from the jump. You had the desperate, overworked mom. The grieving, distant parents. The snarky "family friend." It felt real. Honestly, maybe too real for some of us.
The OG Lineup: The 2016 Starters
Let’s talk about the people who actually built the house. The original broadway cast dear evan hansen was a mix of Broadway veterans and absolute newcomers who overnight became the biggest names in theater.
- Ben Platt (Evan Hansen): He didn't just play the role; he inhabited it. The twitching, the shallow breathing, the way he could belt while crying? It won him a Tony and basically made him a household name.
- Rachel Bay Jones (Heidi Hansen): She played Evan’s mom. Her performance of "So Big/So Small" is still widely considered one of the most heartbreaking moments in modern musical history. She took home a Tony for it, too.
- Mike Faist (Connor Murphy): Before he was Riff in Spielberg’s West Side Story, he was the "ghost" of Connor. He brought a weird, edgy energy that made you wish we’d seen more of the real Connor.
- Laura Dreyfuss (Zoe Murphy): The girl next door but with a lot of baggage. Her voice was pure silk, especially in "Requiem."
- Will Roland (Jared Kleinman): He provided the much-needed comic relief. You've probably seen him in Be More Chill or Billions since then.
The rest of the Murphys were played by Michael Park (Larry) and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Cynthia). They stayed with the show for a long time—years, actually. It gave the production a weird sense of stability while the "kids" in the cast kept rotating out. Rounding them out was Kristolyn Lloyd as Alana, the overachiever who just wanted to be seen.
What Happened After Ben Platt Left?
Replacing a legend is a nightmare. How do you follow up a performance that people are calling "historic"? The producers didn't just look for clones; they looked for different "flavors" of Evan.
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Noah Galvin was the first to take over the polo. He was a bit more sardonic, a bit more biting. Then came Taylor Trensch, who leaned hard into the vulnerability. One of the coolest things about this show's history is that the "Evans" became a sort of brotherhood. Fun fact: Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and Taylor Trensch are all part of the same extended social circle, and Platt and Galvin are actually engaged. It’s a small world in the theater.
Then you had Andrew Barth Feldman. He was a literal teenager—the first actual high schooler to play Evan on Broadway. He won the Jimmy Awards (high school musical theater Oscars) and got cast almost immediately. Seeing a 16-year-old play a 17-year-old added a layer of "oh no, please be okay" that the older actors couldn't quite replicate.
Diversity and New Voices in the Cast
By the time 2020 and 2021 rolled around, the broadway cast dear evan hansen started to look a bit different. Jordan Fisher took over the role, bringing a massive pop-star energy and a huge fan base from Hamilton and Dancing with the Stars. He was the first Black actor to play Evan full-time on Broadway.
Shortly after the pandemic reopening, Zachary Noah Piser made history as the first Asian-American actor to play the role full-time. It mattered. Seeing different faces in that blue shirt proved the story wasn't just about one specific kid; it was about the universal feeling of being on the outside looking in.
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The Murphy family changed too. Talia Simone Robinson became the first Black actress to play Zoe Murphy, and Ann Sanders took over as Cynthia. The show’s DNA stayed the same, but the representation finally started to catch up with the audience.
The Final Bow: Who Closed the Show?
All good things, right? The show officially closed its doors at the Music Box Theatre on September 18, 2022. It was a massive event.
The closing broadway cast dear evan hansen was led by Sam Primack. He had been an understudy and an alternate for years—basically the guy waiting in the wings who finally got his moment. He was joined by:
- Gaten Matarazzo (yes, the kid from Stranger Things) as Jared.
- Jessica Phillips as Heidi Hansen.
- Manoel Felciano as Larry Murphy.
On that final night, the stage was crowded with alumni. Jordan Fisher was there. Mike Faist was there. Even though Ben Platt couldn't make it (he was on tour), the energy was electric. They had played 1,678 regular performances.
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Why the Cast Matters More Than the Script
Look, the book of Dear Evan Hansen is controversial. People argue about whether Evan is a villain or just a kid who made a mistake. But the reason it worked for six years is the cast.
The actors had to sell the lie. If the audience didn't believe Heidi’s love for her son, or Zoe’s complicated grief, the whole show would have collapsed like a house of cards. The "Virtual Community" (the recorded voices you hear during the social media montages) even featured huge names like Jenn Colella and Gerard Canonico. Every piece of the puzzle was curated to make you feel something.
How to Keep Up With the Alumni
If you're missing the show, the good news is the broadway cast dear evan hansen is everywhere now.
- Watch the movies: Mike Faist is a genuine movie star now (Challengers, West Side Story). Ben Platt is doing everything from The Politician to Theater Camp.
- Check out new shows: Will Roland and Kristolyn Lloyd are constants in the NYC theater scene.
- Listen to the "new" cast recording: While the OG album is the gold standard, there are tons of live recordings and "You Will Be Found" covers featuring the later casts that are worth a listen.
The show might be dark on Broadway, but its impact on the "DEH" family—and the fans who felt seen by it—isn't going anywhere. If you're looking for that same vibe, keep an eye on the national tours or the regional productions that are starting to pop up now that the rights are becoming available.
To dig deeper into the specific performers who took over each role, you can check out the official Broadway archives or the Playbill Vault. They keep a meticulous day-by-day record of every understudy who ever donned the cast.