New York City
The songwriters behind ”Dear Evan Hansen” made their Broadway debuts with a musicalized holiday classic.
"You'll shoot your eye out." It's the phrase that launched Ralphie, from A Christmas Story, into a Wizard of Oz-like mental break with reality, and in a way, it's also the phrase that launched the career of Dear Evan Hansen songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The duo (who had already enjoyed an acclaimed off-Broadway debut with Dogfight) arrived on the Broadway scene in 2012 with a musical adaptation of the beloved 1983 film.
The show, which netted Pasek and Paul Tony nominations for Best Original Score, stayed true to the spirit of the movie while taking some amusing liberties. For instance, in the Broadway version, the expanded "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" fantasy sequence and musical number features a host of tap-dancing children and a sultry, flapper-esque Miss Shields. Watch the cast perform at the 2013 Tony Awards below: