Dabbing my eyes and fixing the mascara around my eyes, I slowly walked out of Bass Concert Hall in Austin Texas on a cold December night in 2019. I had just witnessed Dear Evan Hansen, live, starring Sam Primack as the titular character, and he had captured the role in such a way that had me captivated, unable to look away, and completely immersed in the show. A year later, I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to interview him and talk to him about the show.
Sam, a Phoenix native, has previously been in Catch Me If You Can, The Addams Family, Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and he also was a Jimmy Award finalist in 2017. Among other Jimmy Award finalists are Andrew Barth Feldman and Renee Rapp of Dear Evan Hansen and Mean Girls on Broadway, respectively. Check out what Sam has to say here:
Kate Covell: First and foremost, I saw you in Austin, Texas, and you truly brought Evan to life and made me cry! But if I’m correct, you are a triple cover for Evan/Connor/Jared, right? Which of these roles do you enjoy playing the most? Who do you identify more closely with? Why?
Sam Primack: Wow, thank you! That really means so much! Yes, I am the Evan alternate, which means that I was playing Evan twice a week, but just for extra coverage I still cover the two others. Although I am definitely the most like Jared in my real life, I do have to say that my favorite is Evan because of all the complexity that comes with playing him.
KC: Does it take a toll on your mental health to be in such a heavy show? Are there things that you do to make sure you don’t get emotionally exhausted during the show’s run? Do you need to do certain things to get into character?
SP: I never realized how difficult the show would be to do until I did it a number of times. It was extremely hard to get to those places emotionally, but the more I did the show, the more it was in my body and I didn’t have to think about it too much. I have a whole hour long routine that I created that puts me in the right mind frame and warms up my voice and my body so I don’t hurt myself doing the show. But I will say that one of my favorite parts of the show is exiting a very serious scene and coming offstage and laughing and joking with my cast members and then going right back on to scream and cry again. The tour cast is [sic] some of the funniest people I know and we all had a great time, so that made it easier.
KC: What message do you think the show gives? Alternatively, is there anything in particular that you personally think we, the audience, should take away from the show?
SP: I think the show now has an entirely different meaning than it did when it started. After months of isolation, I think everybody knows how it feels to be alone. People are hurting right now all over the country and all over the world, and I think the message of “you are not alone” is one that people really need to hear right now.
KC: What’s your favorite number/moment to perform in Dear Evan Hansen? It can be a song, a scene, a specific line.
SP: My favorite song to perform is probably For Forever. It is the most incredible song to sing, and being in that spotlight being able to sing this beautiful song is something I miss incredibly right now.
KC: What was it like making your Evan Hansen Broadway debut? Did your first show go as planned/were you nervous at all?
SP: It. Was. CRAZY. It was one of the craziest days of my life. I still remember it vividly. I had been rehearsing for the show for about 4-5 months before I went on, so I was just excited to do it. Then, we know I was going to go on a couple weeks before it happened, so I was able to tell all of my friends. There ended up being over 100 friends and family from all different parts of my life who came and supported me and it was just really amazing.
KC: Have you ever had any funny bloopers or mishaps onstage that you’re willing to share?
SP: Oh definitely. There are a couple I shouldn’t probably talk about, but I will say that there were a couple funny line mishaps. On my first Broadway performance as Jared, I totally messed up one of the lines in Sincerely, Me, and the amazing Andrew Barth Feldman came to my rescue.
KC: Do you believe that Dear Evan Hansen has raised mental health awareness and potentially helped you or others to be more understanding of mental illness?
SP: The most unexpected part of this whole journey for me has been the fan reaction online and in person. I have had countless people come to me and tell me that seeing the show may have saved their life and that they were going through similar things Evan has gone through, and to see it portrayed so well on the stage is very comforting to a lot of people. It has been an honor to be able to tell Evan’s story and I try to represent the message and the heart of the show as much as I can.
KC: This isn’t really a question but you’re an extremely talented guy, and I so appreciate you taking time our of your day to answer these questions for me! Anything you’d like to add to those who will read this article?
SP: Wow, that really means a lot. I can’t wait for the day I get to put on the polo again and break my arm and sing all of those songs and cry with my friends, but I know it’s going to be a while. Being able to do things like this and talk about the show is comforting and helpful for all of us, and it’s amazing to be able to do things like this. Thank you for asking me to do this!
KC: Thank you so much, Sam!
