‘Dear Evan Hansen’ filmmakers refine a hit Broadway musical

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people will get a chance to know the shy teenager Evan Hansen this month, but Ben Platt is waving farewell. The actor and singer who originated the role of the teen in 2015 and led the stage musical “Dear Evan Hansen” to its world debut in Washington, D.C., before taking Evan off-Broadway and then to Broadway is now unveiling the character on film. He says it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to get back in and “say one final goodbye.” “Dear Evan Hansen” centers on the awkward Evan who inadvertently becomes a social media sensation, with disastrous consequences. The movie is not a filmed version of the stage musical but a full cinematic rethinking.