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The New ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Star on His Jewish Asian Identity

Zachary Noah Piser’s childhood rabbi flew in for his Broadway debut

by
Tablet Studios
June 24, 2022
Courtesy Dear Evan Hansen
Zachary Noah Piser in 'Dear Evan Hansen'Courtesy Dear Evan Hansen
Courtesy Dear Evan Hansen
Zachary Noah Piser in 'Dear Evan Hansen'Courtesy Dear Evan Hansen

This week on Unorthodox, we talk to Zachary Noah Piser, the new star of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. (He’ll be the final actor to play the role of Evan Hansen on Broadway, since the show is ending its run this fall.)

Piser is Jewish and Asian—or, as he puts it, “Jasian.” He describes growing up in “a very intersectional, multicultural household” in the San Francisco Bay Area, going to Hebrew school during the week and Chinese school on weekends.

Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland, California, who performed Piser’s bar mitzvah, traveled to New York for his 2016 Broadway debut in Wicked—and will be in New York again soon to see Dear Evan Hansen.

Listen to the interview with Zachary Noah Piser:

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‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Star Zachary Noah Piser on his Jewish Asian Identity
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‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Star Zachary Noah Piser on his Jewish Asian Identity

Listen to the full episode:

Tablet Magazine
Unorthodox
Stage Hand
Ep. 322: The new Jewish star of Broadway’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ plus how the Krakow JCC is helping Ukrainian refugees, talking to LGBTQ Jews, and more
June 23, 2022
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Get more Unorthodox here.

Tablet Studios is the premier destination for smart and entertaining Jewish audio content. Our podcasts include Unorthodox, What Really Matters, Take One, and the limited-run series Gatecrashers, Adventures with Dead Jews, Radioactive: The Father Coughlin Story, The Franchise, Hebrew School, and 49 Days to Stretch My Soul.