MIAMI — The Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen is getting a new life on a South Florida stage.
At Actor’s Playhouse, crews are preparing to bring the hit show to local audiences for the first time through a regional production. Director Stephen Christopher Anthony said the story’s impact comes from its flawed, deeply human characters.
“These characters are complex. They’re messy. They’re imperfect. They make mistakes,” he said.
Anthony, directing the show for the first time, said the message feels especially timely.
“I think now more than ever, it’s so important for us all to gather around the fire, around the campfire, and be human together, and experience what it’s like to live a human experience,” he said.
The production is also a personal milestone. Anthony’s connection to the Coral Gables theater dates back to when he was 10 years old, performing there in The Jungle Book and spending nearly every weekend in the space.
“I fell in love with the theater here. I was here all weekends. I never wanted to leave. This was my home growing up,” he said.
That early passion eventually led the Miami native to Broadway. After multiple productions at Actor’s Playhouse, he realized a career in theater was possible.
“I don’t think it really occurred to me that it was like a job that you could do. That sort of felt untouchable. And having access to it here made me realize, oh, this is like a job that people do in the real world. It made it attainable. I could see it for the first time,” he said.
Anthony later made his Broward debut in The Book of Mormon before pursuing a role in Dear Evan Hansen. He auditioned repeatedly over two years, facing rejection before finally landing in the show.
“I auditioned over the course of like two years, and I kept getting rejected -- I kept going back in,” he said.
He said his determination came from a personal connection to the story.
“I saw myself in the show,” he said.
That persistence paid off. Anthony went on to perform all three young male roles -- Evan, Connor and Jared -- on Broadway, and later starred as Evan on tour. Along the way, he said he saw firsthand how deeply the musical resonated with audiences.
“Over and over, people would come and say, ‘This show saved my life,’ or ‘This show changed my life,’ or ‘This show changed my relationship with my kids or my parents because I walked out with a different understanding of how I needed to communicate,’” he said.
Now, he’s hoping that same connection reaches South Florida audiences as the production opens locally.
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