In early 2017, I sat down in the front row of the Music Box Theatre in New York City. I was there for a Saturday matinee of a new musical called Dear Evan Hansen. I didn't know much about the show other than the fact that it played to audience and critical acclaim during a limited run at Second Stage Off-Broadway. I had gotten my tickets almost as soon as the Broadway on sale started, so I was able to get GREAT seats before the box office demand drove the ticket prices through the rafters. I settled in for the show completely unaware that I was about to be gutted.

I won't give any spoilers. However, I will tell you that I was emotionally unprepared for the finale of Act One. I was just feet away from Ben Platt, the show's Tony Award-winning 'Evan Hansen,' as he stood center stage and wept through the triumphant "You Will Be Found."

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When the lights came up, I was in tears. Sobbing. Nearly every other person in the audience was too. I remember using my winter gloves as a tissue while telling the women in the row behind me, "Well, that was devastating."  I had ugly-cried for the last seven minutes. I needed intermission to catch my breath and shove my heart back into my chest. It had been ripped out.

The touring company of Dear Evan Hansen is coming to the RiverPark Center in downtown Owensboro and I cannot stress this enough. GO! The show is fantastic. It strikes a chord with every single person who has struggled with identity and self-worth. That's all of us, right? At least to some degree. It's impossible to see Dear Evan Hansen and not relate to the show's over-arching theme.

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found

If you'd like the chance to win tickets to the show, we have five pairs of grabs. All you have to do to be in the running is fill out this simple registration form.

A winner will be announced and contacted each weekday morning from Monday, December 2nd through Friday, December 6th.

Dear Evan Hansen will take the stage at the RiverPark Center in downtown Owensboro on Sunday, December 15th. For tickets and additional information about RiverPark's 2024-2025 schedule of shows and events, CLICK HERE!

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