ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- The Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen is taking the stage at Elmira’s Clemens Center this week. It brings with it an emotional story about loneliness, connection, and the lies we tell ourselves to feel less alone.

The musical follows Evan, a high school student who feels invisible, struggling to connect with classmates and even his mother. That isolation leads to a lie that spirals out of control after a classmate, Connor Murphy, dies by suicide.

“Dear Evan Hansen, it’s the story of a high schooler who feels a little bit on the outside,” explains cast member Caitlyn Sams, Cast member playing Cynthia Murphy, playing character Larry Murphy. “He’s not really connecting with his peers at school. He’s having a tough time connecting with his mom at home, so he feels pretty alone.”

Evan says he was close friends with Connor, a lie that comforts Connor’s grieving family and gives Evan a sense of belonging he’s never had at home.

“We become a part of his life,” said Jeff Brooks, who plays Connor’s father in the touring production. “They find in Evan, the son that they never felt they had in Connor… and it all comes to a head in the second act.”

While the show deals with heavy themes including mental health, grief, and suicide, its core message is one of empathy and hope.

“Hopefully, what people walk away from the theater seeing is that we are all together in that struggle,” added Sams. "Even when you can’t feel or see the connections you’re making, they are there.”

Dear Evan Hansen has been praised for sparking tough conversations around the emotional struggles young people face and encouraging audiences to check in on the people around them.

The show runs at the Clemens Center on Monday, April 21st and Tuesday, April 22nd. Tickets for the show can be found here. 

The Clemens Center is at 207 Clemens Center Pkwy, Elmira, NY 14901.