Steven Levenson Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Dear Evan Hansen entered a world pre-too many things to mention, at a moment of unimaginable innocence compared to the here and now.The musical, with a book by Steven Levenson, and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, had its world premiere at D.C.’s Arena Stage in 2015 and enjoyed a moment practically to itself at the forefront of a nuanced conversation about teens and depression, guns, suicide, and the pervasive influence of social media.The lore is long surrounding Michael Greif’s original production — perhaps most fervently among those who missed it — and the early revelation of seeing Ben Platt perform the title role.That was before Pasek and Paul had cemented their golden rep as the Oscar-winning lyricists of La La Land‘s “City of Stars,” and composers of original songs like “This Is Me” for Hugh Jackman’s blockbuster hit The Greatest Showman.That was before director Greif took Evan Hansen to Broadway and the show earned six Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Actor for Platt.Eras and movements have come and gone since the show helped frame new ways of considering a host of hot-button issues — chiefly teenage mental health — and before shocking real-world events, from Parkland to presidential politics, kept reshaping the conversation at a grueling and violent pace.Dear Evan Hansen now comes back around for a second time with the touring production of Greif’s Broadway staging, three years after its first stop at the Kennedy Center.It long ago shed its original cachet as the edgiest pop culture phenom around about disaffected teens. In fact, years of audience-pleasing commercial success might have smoothed some of the show’s formerly sharp edges.

With his new highly-anticipated film Challengers bowing this weekend, Mike Faist looks to have found a new agent and manager as he as signed with WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners for representation. He will continue to work with former agent Samantha Stoller, who transitioned to management in February.

Katcy Stephan Brian Tyree Henry has joined the cast of Universal’s untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry musical project. The Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominee joins Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in the coming-of-age musical, set in the summer of 1977 at Virginia Beach and inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.

Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) has signed on to star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Halle Bailey in Universal’s untitled coming-of-age musical from director Michel Gondry and producer Pharrell Williams.

Halle Bailey is joining Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry movie!

Halle Bailey (The Color Purple) has been tapped to star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr. and The Holdovers Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Universal Pictures‘ untitled coming-of-age pic from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), Deadline has learned.

Katcy Stephan Halle Bailey is set to join Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry project. Bailey will co-star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. and joins newly-minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in this coming-of-age musical set in the summer of 1977 Virginia Beach inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.

EXCLUSIVE: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) has been set to lead a new, untitled Universal feature project from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), according to multiple sources, who also tell us that 2024 Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) is in talks.

Carole Rothman, co-founder of the renowned New York theater company Second Stage responsible for such acclaimed productions as Dear Evan Hansen, Next To Normal, This Is Our Youth and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is leaving the company she started in 1979.

Hulu is saying so long to Up Here, the musical romantic comedy from Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, after one season.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The musical romantic comedy series “Up Here” has been canceled after just one season at Hulu, Variety has learned. The series’ one and only season debuted on Hulu back on March 24. It was originally ordered to series at the streamer in January 2022.

After debuting the first footage from Paul King’s Wonka at CinemaCon last year, Warner Bros showed off an extended trailer today for the Christmas 2023 release. The origins story stars Timothée Chalamet as the titular candymeister, who lands in a mid-European city (the pic was shot in London) after traveling the world perfecting his craft. “I’m something of a magician, inventor and chocolate maker,” he says.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Streaming March 24, Hulu’s “Up Here” joins the musical comedy pantheon of “Smash,” “Schmigadoon” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” with Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes as the romantic leads. The series is based on a play of the same name from songwriting duo Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, which opened at La Jolla Playhouse in 2015. Set in New York City in 1999, the show follows Lindsay and Miguel as they fall in love and discover their inner critic is their biggest obstacle to finding happiness. Robert (“Wandavision,” “Frozen”) and Kristen (“Frozen,” “Frozen II”), also executive producers, weave a tapestry of 21 new and original ’90s-esque songs as the couple navigate fear, fantasies and chaotic inner voices that second-guess their instinct for love.

Mae Whitman has been acting since she was two years old, but her new Hulu series,, is like nothing she's ever done before.«I've never done a musical. I've never gotten to dance,» she shared with ET on the set of the upcoming musical rom-com.

Her? Yeah, sorry, Mae Whitman, that classic line from “Arrested Development” may just follow you for the rest of your life. The good news is that role really helped launch a great career.

In the first trailer for Hulu’s musical comedy series “Up Here,” Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes are young New Yorkers who meet and immediately click … if only they could both silence the voices in their heads telling them they’re doing everything wrong. The series, from “Hamilton” director/producer Thomas Kail, is written by Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson (“tick, tick … BOOM!,” “Dear Evan Hansen”) and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (NBC’s “The Carmichael Show”) It is set to premiere March 24 on Hulu.Whitman, who starred in NBC’s “Good Girls” from 2018 to 2021 and “Parenthood” from 2010 to 2015.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeReach Michael on Twitter @franklinavenue or email [email protected] Humanitas has revealed the nominees for this year’s Humanitas Prizes, which recognize “television and film writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced way.” The award is given out in nine categories, including comedy, drama and limited series.This year’s nominees include “Maid,” “This Is Us,” “Queen Sugar,” “Pachinko,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Somebody Somewhere” and “Black-ish.” Winners will be announced at an in-person awards luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 9, 2022.“The Humanitas Prizes were created to recognize writers whose work explores the beauty and complexity of the human experience and the 2022 nominees do just that,” said Michelle Franke, Humanitas Executive Director. “Ranging in scope, style, and perspective, these stories underscore our bonds, our history and responsibility to each other in the present as well as possibilities for the future.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeHumanitas has revealed the nominees for this year’s Humanitas Prizes, which recognize “television and film writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced way.” The award is given out in nine categories, including comedy, drama and limited series.This year’s nominees include “Maid,” “This Is Us,” “Queen Sugar,” “Pachinko,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Somebody Somewhere” and “Black-ish.” Winners will be announced at an in-person awards luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on September 9, 2022.“The Humanitas Prizes were created to recognize writers whose work explores the beauty and complexity of the human experience and the 2022 nominees do just that,” said Michelle Franke, Humanitas Executive Director. “Ranging in scope, style, and perspective, these stories underscore our bonds, our history and responsibility to each other in the present as well as possibilities for the future.

Wilson Chapman editorSteve Fickinger, the Broadway producer who won a Tony for “Dear Evan Hansen,” died suddenly on Friday in Laguna Beach, Calif., representatives confirmed to Variety. He was 62.Born in Winnetka, Ill., Fickinger began his career at Disney as a temp mail room worker, and worked his way up to become director of creative development for Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he oversaw the production of animated films including “Mulan,” “Tarzan” and “Lilo and Stitch.”He later transitioned to the Disney Theatrical Group, where he served as V.P.

Carlos Valdes will star opposite Mae Whitman in Hulu’s upcoming series “Up Here,” the streamer announced today ahead of the start of production. Valdes, who is best known for his seven-season role in The CW’s “The Flash” and most recently co-starred in Starz’s “Gaslit,” will play Miguel in the original romantic comedy musical from Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television and Old 320 Sycamore Productions. “Up Here” is an original series set in New York City in the waning days of 1999.

Carlos Valdes (Gaslit, The Flash) is set to lead Hulu‘s musical romantic comedy series Up Here alongside previously announced Mae Whitman.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Dear Evan Hansen” won’t be playing on Broadway “for forever.”The show, about a socially awkward high schooler who tells a spiraling lie, is ending its run in September, five years after winning the Tony for best musical.By the time the production closes on Sept. 18, “Dear Evan Hansen” will have played 1,678 regular performances and 21 preview performances. The number of regular performances would have been considerably higher, but the show shut down for 21 months starting in 2020 because of COVID-19.

Dear Evan Hansen, the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning musical, will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, September 18, nearly six years after opening at the Music Box Theatre, producers announced today.

EXCLUSIVE: Former Good Girls star Mae Whitman has been tapped as the female lead in Up Here, Hulu’s musical romantic comedy series from Tick, Tick… Boom! and Dear Evan Hansen writer Steven Levenson, The Carmichael Show‘s Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Hamilton director Thomas Kail; and the Frozen and WandaVision songwriting duo of Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

**WINNER.Original Screenplay“Being the Ricardos,” written by Aaron Sorkin“Don’t Look Up,” screenplay by Adam McKay, story by Adam McKay & David Sirota“The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun,” screenplay by Wes Anderson, story by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola & Hugo Guinness & Jason Schwartzman“King Richard,” written by Zach Baylin“Licorice Pizza,” written by Paul Thomas AndersonAdapted Screenplay** WINNER “CODA”, screenplay by Siân Heder, based on the original motion picture “La Famille Belier” directed by Eric Lartigau, written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain“Dune,” screenplay by Jon Spaihtsand Denis Villeneuveand Eric Roth, based on the novel “Dune” written by Frank Herbert“Nightmare Alley,” screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Kim Morgan, based on the novel by William Lindsay Gresham“tick…tick…BOOM!,” screenplay by Steven Levenson, based on the play by Jonathan Larson“West Side Story,” screenplay by Tony Kushner, based on the stage play, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, play conceived, directed and choreographed by Jerome RobbinsDocumentary Screenplay“Becoming Cousteau,”written by Mark Monroe & Pax Wasserman** WINNER “Exposing Muybridge,” written by Marc Shaffer“Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres,”written by Suzanne Joe KaiDrama Series“The Handmaid’s Tale,” written by Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Jacey Heldrich, John Herrera, Bruce Miller, Aly Monroe, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman “Loki,” written by Bisha K.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, FeaturesAfter another politically and socially turbulent year, the Writers Guild of America is ready to celebrate the best that its members have to offer, while reflecting on the ever-changing social and entertainment landscape.The WGA’s annual awards event, a joint venture between WGAW and WGAWE, will be held on Sunday, March 20th, and similar to last year, will be handled as a virtual event. With COVID still firmly lingering in the space of the populace, the guild’s priorities have naturally shifted in ways that couldn’t have been anticipated, while still staying true to its collective core values.This year’s WGA film award nominees represent a roster of high-caliber talent.

Clayton Davis “Tick, Tick … Boom!” star Alexandra Shipp has joined the live-action “Barbie” film from Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.Though plot details are being kept under wraps, the film is written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and based on the popular Mattel toy. Shipp’s role is currently unknown, along with other co-stars America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon, along with Simu Liu and Ariana Greenblatt. Warner Bros.

Hulu has given an eight-episode series order to Up Here, a musical romantic comedy from Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson (tick, tick… BOOM!), Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (The Carmichael Show, My Name Is Earl), Tony-winning Hamilton director Thomas Kail and Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen, WandaVision). 20th Television and Kail’s Old 320 Sycamore Productions co-produce the series, which is currently casting with production set to begin this summer in New York.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterHulu has ordered the musical romantic comedy series “Up Here,” with an all-star lineup set behind the camera.Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the songwriters of “Frozen” and “Frozen 2,” Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for “Dear Evan Hansen,” and veteran TV writer Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (“New Girl,” “My Name Is Earl”) will all serve as writers and executive producers on the series.Levenson will also serve as showrunner, while the Anderson-Lopez and Lopez will write original songs for the series. Thomas Kail, who previously directed Broadway shows like “Hamilton” and “In the Heights,” will direct and executive produce under his Old 320 Sycamore Productions banner.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorIn “Tick, Tick, …Boom!” the song “Therapy” is performed by Jonathan Larson, played by Andrew Garfield and Karessa played by Vanessa Hudgens. The number intercuts mid-argument between Larson and girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp), as they fight over Jonathan’s reluctance to understand that he has been shutting Susan out of his life as his musical’s workshop gets closer.Director Lin-Manuel Miranda says the song, a Fosse-style inspired moment, is a charming number that pokes fun at counselor therapy speak, and the best way to tell your partner you’re ticked off at them.

David Henry Hwang Guest ColumnistFor Variety‘s Writers on Writers, David Henry Hwang pays tribute to “Tick, Tick … Boom!” (screenplay by Steven Levenson; based on the musical by Jonathan Larson).Movies about writers are notoriously difficult, since the central action of the protagonist is largely cerebral.

Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp and Vanessa Hudgens are kicking off the 2021 AFI Festival!

HollyGOOD after watching Netflix’s new trailer for the upcoming movie musical tick, tick…BOOM!tick, tick…BOOM! stars Andrew Garfield in the lead role and also features Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, and Joshua Henry.

On paper, an empathetic film depicting teenagers who live with mental health issues finding their way out of their high school years, which can truly be hell, seems like something we might need right now. Unfortunately, Stephen Chbosky’s adaptation of the Tony-awarding-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen” is not that movie.

Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Netflix drama musical tick, tick…Boom! has been released.The film is adapted from the autobiographical musical by Rent creator Jonathan Larson. Andrew Garfield plays Larson in the film.

Also Read: Julianne Moore Joins 'Dear Evan Hansen' Film Adaptation at UniversalStephen Chbosky (“Wonder,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) is directing “Dear Evan Hansen.” Steven Levenson, who wrote the book for the stage musical, wrote the script. Marc Platt (“La La Land”) and Adam Siegel will produce for their Universal-based banner Marc Platt Productions.