FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR LONDON PREMIERE OF TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL D E A R E V A N H A N S E N WEST END PRODUCTION OPENS AT THE NOËL COWARD THEATRE AUTUMN 2019 SAM TUTTY TO MAKE HIS WEST END DEBUT AS EVAN HANSEN Today, 13 September 2019, Producer Stacey Mindich is delighted to announce the full West End cast for the London premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, which begins performances with an all British cast, including several West End debuts, at the Noël Coward Theatre on 29 October 2019, with opening night on 19 November 2019. Making their West End debuts are Sam Tutty as Evan Hansen, Lucy Anderson as Zoe Murphy, Doug Colling as Connor Murphy and Marcus Harman who will play Evan Hansen at certain performances. They are joined by Rebecca McKinnis as Heidi Hansen, Lauren Ward as Cynthia Murphy, Rupert Young as Larry Murphy, Jack Loxton as Jared Kleinman, Nicole Raquel Dennis as Alana Beck as well as Tricia Adele-Turner, David Breeds, Haydn Cox, Natalie Kassanga, Hannah Lindsey, Mark Peachey, Courtney Stapleton, Alex Thomas-Smith and James Winter. “It’s been a dream of ours to bring Dear Evan Hansen across the pond, and I’m just thrilled that we’ve found the perfect cast to fulfill this dream and introduce this original musical – and it’s very real and very universal themes – to London,” Stacey Mindich said. “In fact, the entire casting process was a joy for the creative team and me, as we met so many amazingly talented actors who were already familiar with the show and its score.” The winner of siX Tony® awards including Best Musical, as well as the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Dear Evan Hansen is directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, features a book by Tony award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composers of The Greatest Showman and La La Land, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new musical about life and the way we live it. Reuniting the original Broadway creative team for this West End production, Dear Evan Hansen is produced by Stacey Mindich and features choreography by Danny Mefford, scenic design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair design by David Brian Brown. Music supervision, orchestrations and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire. Ben Cohn is the Associate Music Supervisor. Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Justin Paul. Casting by Jill Green Casting. Sash Bischoff, Adam Quinn and Danny Sharron are the Associate Directors. Judith Schoenfeld is the Production Supervisor. US General Management 101 Productions, Ltd; UK General Management – Ambassador Theatre Group. Adam Speers is the UK Executive Producer. /more…. -2- Dear Evan Hansen has won the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off- Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards. The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961. The album went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album and recently became only the third cast recording this decade to go gold. A deluxe version of the cast recording, including siX bonus tracks and a pop cover from Katy Perry of ‘Waving Through a Window’ is available digitally. Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre to great critical acclaim on 4 December 2016 where it has broken all box office records and is now in its third year of standing-room- only audiences. A record-breaking US national tour launched in October 2018 and is currently touring North America. BIOGRAPHIES Sam Tutty (Evan Hansen), who studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, recently made his professional stage debut in Once on This Island at the Southwark Playhouse. Lucy Anderson (Zoe Murphy) graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts this summer and is making her professional West End debut in Dear Evan Hansen. Rebecca McKinnis’ (Heidi Hansen) theatre credits include Margaret in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at the Playhouse Theatre, A Small Family Business for the National Theatre, We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre and the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour and O2 Concert. Her television and film credits include The Sound of Music Live and Beauty and the Beast. Lauren Ward’s (Cynthia Murphy) previous theatre credits include Caroline or Change for Chichester Festival Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, The Playhouse (West End), Matilda, The Winter’s Tale and Pericles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Sound of Music at the London Palladium, Philadelphia Story at The Old Vic and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Camelot for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Her New York credits include 1776 for The Roundabout, Follies at the Belasco Theatre, The Heiress and Carousel at Lincoln Centre, and the Original Production of Violet at Playwrights Horizons. On television her credits include Law and Order SVU, Kiss Me First and The Last Day of the Lehman Brothers. Doug Colling (Connor Murphy), who studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, is making his professional stage debut in Dear Evan Hansen. Rupert Young’s (Larry Murphy) previous theatre credits include Plenty at Chichester Festival Theatre, Twelfth Night at the Young Vic, While the Sun Shines at Theatre Royal Bath, High Society at The Old Vic, Never So Good and Afterlife at the National Theatre and Cymbeline and Twelfth Night at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. His film credits include The Secret Garden and Writers Retreat and his television credits include Good Karma Hospital, The White Queen, Shameless, Merlin and Hotel Babylon. Jack Loxton (Jared Kleinman) starred in the role of Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Albert Narracott in War Horse, both for the National Theatre and in the West End. He was last on stage in A Room with a View at the Theatre Royal Bath. His television credits include Vanity Fair and The Coroner. On film he has been seen in The Sense of an Ending. /more… -3- Nicole Raquel Dennis’ (Alana Beck) theatre credits include Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre, Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre and Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre. She was also a contestant on The Voice 2019, mentored by Jennifer Hudson. Marcus Harman’s (Alternate Evan Hansen) theatre credits include Sunday in the Park with George and Parade for the National Youth Music Theatre at The Other Palace. Dear Evan Hansen marks Harman’s professional stage debut. Tricia Adele-Turner’s (Ensemble) theatre credits include Benidorm Live, Dusty and Jackie The Musical all on tour, Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre, We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, Blood Brothers at the PhoeniX Theatre and They’re Playing our Song at the Menier Chocolate Factory. David Breeds’ (Ensemble) theatre credits include the original cast of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s The Girls at the Leeds Grand Theatre and The Lowry. A recipient of a Lionel Bart Foundation Scholarship, Breeds was also finalist for the Stephen Sondheim Student Performer of The Year Award. Haydn Cox (Ensemble) will make his West End debut having recently returned from the World of Musicals, GFD Promotions’ tour of the USA. He is Composer and Lyricist for Amnesiac – a feature film musical currently in pre-production. His singles include ‘Just Let Me Know’, ‘Reflections’ and ‘Prove Me Wrong’. His audience request-driven live piano/vocal shows include Contemporary Keys and Haydn Tonight. Natalie Kassanga (Ensemble) played Diana Ross in Motown The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Previously she was an original cast member of Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and she made her West End debut as Young Nala in The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre. Hannah Lindsey’s (Ensemble) theatre credits include The House on Cold Hill UK tour, Ratpack Live in Las Vegas UK tour and Jesus The Rock Opera at the Dominion Theatre. She frequently performs as the lead female vocalist in Definitive Ratpack as well as with singer/songwriter Sam Bradley. Mark Peachey’s (Ensemble) theatre credits include Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream for Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, Blenheim, Moll Flanders for Mercury Theatre Colchester, A Streetcar Named Desire and Richard III for Leicester Curve Theatre, The Gruffalo at the Duchess Theatre, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt at The Lowry and Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia!, Mr Stink, The Lion King and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all on tour. Courtney Stapleton (Ensemble) was most recently in Six at the Arts Theatre playing the alternate Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr. She made her stage debut in Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre and was previously seen in Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre and on tour internationally, Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre and with Kerry Ellis Live at the London Palladium.