Jersey Arts Podcast · ArtPride New Jersey

Broadway's Back at the State Theatre: 'Dear Evan Hansen' Takes the Stage

·28 min·5 clips

Gina Marie Rodriguez opens by welcoming listeners to the Jersey Arts Podcast and introducing Dear Evan Hansen as the latest touring production coming through New Brunswick. She describes the musical as a six-time Tony Award winner and points out that its songs come from Benjamin Pasich and Justin Paul. She also gives listeners a heads-up that the conversation will touch on child loss and death by suicide, and asks people to listen with care. The episode then shifts into a conversation with cast members Brie Cade and Caitlin Sams. Rodriguez keeps the tone conversational and plainspoken. She asks the actors to talk about what the musical asks of them and what it asks of the audience. The discussion moves through the show’s emotional terrain without losing its warmth. The performers reflect on family, empathy, and the difficulty of trying to support the people you love. That gives the episode a personal edge that fits the material. The conversation also shows how the story reaches people in different ways. Dear Evan Hansen follows a lonely high school student who feels like he is on the outside looking in, and it explores the chance to fit in and what follows from that. The episode treats that premise as the starting point for a bigger discussion about connection and self-understanding. Rodriguez keeps returning to the idea that the show is poignant, funny, and powerful at the same time. The interview gives space to the cast instead of pushing them into short, polished answers. Cade and Sams are able to explain how the material lands from inside the production. Rodriguez listens closely and follows their answers toward the next idea. The result feels less like a promotional segment and more like a careful arts conversation. It also leaves room for listeners who are already familiar with the show and for people encountering it through the tour for the first time. The episode ends with practical details for the State Theater engagement. Rodriguez reminds listeners that the tour will stop in New Brunswick from March 28 through March 30. She directs people to stnj.org for tickets and more information. She also points listeners to jerseyarts.com for a transcript, related links, and more arts coverage from New Jersey. The closing keeps the episode tied to the local arts calendar while still honoring the larger themes of the show.

As heard by us

A thoughtful touring-theater conversation that treats Dear Evan Hansen as a poignant, funny, and powerful musical.

The Jersey Arts Podcast presents Dear Evan Hansen as a poignant, funny, and powerful musical that has resonated since its Broadway premiere in 2016.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a warm theater interview about Dear Evan Hansen's New Brunswick stop and the emotional weight behind it?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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