New Jersey’s Gaten Matarazzo is returning to Broadway in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’

“Good for you,” Gaten Matarazzo! The 19-year-old who was raised in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey is going back to Broadway.

Matarazzo got his start over a decade ago performing in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "Les Misérables." He’ll now be joining the cast of "Dear Evan Hansen" in the role of Evan’s family friend, Jared Kleinman.

That makes it quite an exciting month for the Jersey boy! The Netflix series "Stranger Things" in which he stars as Dustin Henderson is returning for its fourth and final season on May 27.

Matarazzo “will be found” at the Music Box Theatre starting July 19. That same day the musical’s company will welcome back Ann Sanders as Cynthia Murphy, Noah Kieserman as Connor Murphy, and Ciara Alyse Harris as Alana Beck.

“Words could never express how truly honored I am to be a part of this company,” Matarazzo said in a statement. “This show has taught me so much about myself and to be able to participate in any capacity, let alone on Broadway, makes me want to melt. I am ecstatic to be back on stage and eternally grateful for the opportunity.”

"Dear Evan Hansen" tells the story of a socially anxious teenager who “invents an important role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn,” as described by Wikipedia.

The musical swept the 2017 Tony Awards, winning Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical (Ben Platt), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role (Rachel Bay Jones), and Best Orchestrations.

I, for one, am especially excited to see how Matarazzo performs the Act I number “Sincerely, Me,” where I'm sure his comedic skills will shine.

Welcome back to the stage, Gaten, break a leg!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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