(Jewish Group) Broadway's new 'Evan Hansen' is an Asian-American Jew
In a different world, Asian Jewish actor Zachary Noah Piser would’ve become an Olympic swimmer.
“Before the age where everyone started growing, I was like, becoming an Olympic swimmer is my journey. This is my path like 100%,” Zachary told me when we spoke recently. “And then as soon as everyone started hitting puberty, I was like, OK, I cannot be an Olympic swimmer because I am three feet shorter than most Olympic swimmers.”
Instead, Zachary found an equally incredible path: he has taken over the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway full-time, becoming the first Asian American actor to do so. Before this, Zachary was an original cast member of the international premiere of “Dear Evan Hansen” in Canada.
I had the opportunity to chat with Zachary over Zoom about feeling Evan Hansen at a molecular level and being “Jasian,” or Jewish Asian — a term he jokingly asserts he coined.
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