JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Another Tony-winning Broadway show is coming to Jacksonville at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets for "Dear Evan Hansen" are available now from the FSCJ Artist Series, with eight performances from Jan. 25 through 30. It's an emotional story with a multi-generational impact, said performer Ciara Alyse Harris, who plays the role of Alana Beck.
"For a show that is all about high schoolers, and teens sort of navigating the world, it is a multi-generational audience," Harris said. "It is a human experience. It's the human story."
"Dear Evan Hansen" tells the story of the 17-year-old title character and a lie he tells that spirals out of control, said Sam Primack, who performs as Alternate Evan Hansen and an understudy for two of the other characters.
"At its core, the show really is about our need to connect," Primack said. "And in this sort of age of social media, and honestly, in a time where we are all are feeling extremely disconnected ... the show sort of tells a story about a group of teenagers just trying, and a group of parents and teenagers just trying to connect with each other. And I think that's something that we can all really relate to nowadays."
Primack said Hansen is a difficult and complex character who deals with anxiety and depression.
"There's a real stigma that we're not able to sort of talk about those things," Primack said. "And the show does a really great job. And, you know, the company as a whole does a really wonderful job of sort of trying to break down a lot of those barriers."
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Harris said her character reflects a problem that faces a lot of people, not only teenagers.
"I think she represents the overachiever student who will do everything she can to stay connected and to feel wanted and needed and to have friends," she said. "The core of her being is like, I need to connect, and I need to feel seen. And that character kind of represents everything that happens to someone like that. And like the lengths that they will go to, to feel that way."
Harris said despite the musical format, the play tells a story that resonates with audience members even after they leave the theater.
"A lot of people feel like musicals never really get to this kind of place, or people can't relate to a musical setting," she said. "And I think that's one of my favorite reactions that people have, especially people who don't like musicals, or don't do theater, and then they end up leaving crying or having these conversations with their family."
Theatrical critics agree.
The Washington Post calls the production "one of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history." The New York Times calls it "a breathtaking knockout of a musical.” And NBC Nightly News declares the musical "an inspiring anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond."
Harris and Primack said they and the rest of the cast take precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19, including testing daily, wearing masks at all times until they hit the stage and receiving their vaccine boosters. The effort is worth it to be able to witness the impact the show has on its audience, they said.
"There's nothing like being in a room with people who are sort of learning a lesson, sharing a story together," Primack said. "And people are really responding to the show in a way that they haven't before. It's, it's amazing."
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The show times are below:
- Tuesday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, January 28 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, January 29 at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, January 29 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, January 30 at 1:30 p.m.
- Sunday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at FSCJArtistSeries.org or by calling 904-632-5000. Group tickets for 10 or more are available by calling 904-632-5050 or emailing groupsales@fscjartistseries.org for more information.
Masks must be worn at all times inside the Times-Union Center. For information about the FSCJ Artist Series and Times-Union Center's safety and security protocols, click here.