August 23, 2022
Angelina Jolie paid a quick visit to Philadelphia this weekend with one of her children to see the critically-acclaimed musical “Dear Evan Hansen” at the Forrest Theater.
The actress and her 14-year-old daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt were at the venue on Saturday, where they met the cast and took backstage photos with the show’s star, Anthony Norman.
Vivienne already saw the show in Los Angeles, but she enjoyed it so much that Jolie decided to fly to Philly to catch it again, People reported.
In the pictures posted on Monday, the teen can be seen holding a cast worn by Norman during the show.
👋👋👋 waving back at Angelina and Vivianne this weekend in Philly pic.twitter.com/Np9h3zR89E
— Dear Evan Hansen (@DearEvanHansen) August 22, 2022
"Dear Evan Hansen" follows a lonely teen who has social anxiety and a broken arm. Based on a twist of fate and a letter that was never meant to be read, he finally has a chance to fit in – but only if he's willing to live a lie.
The musical was written by Steven Levenson, directed by Michael Greif and was scored by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Pasek, who is an Ardmore native, based the story in part on his experience attending Friends' Central School in Lower Merion.
Since debuting in 2016, the show has won six Tony Awards and the original Broadway cast recording won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The play was made into a film in 2021.
The North American tour was supposed to stop in Philly in 2020, but it was postponed by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Dear Evan Hansen" will be playing at Forrest Theater through Sunday. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online.
Jolie came to Philly after more details came to light about a 2016 incident where her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, allegedly assaulted her and one of her children on a private plane, Entertainment Weekly reported. An FBI report says Pitt allegedly grabbed Jolie by the shoulders and violently shook her while accusing her of “ruining” their family following a two-week trip in California.
The FBI dropped its investigation into the child abuse claims, which prompted Jolie to anonymously petition for the report to be released, NBC reported. Details in the report line up with what Jolie has said about Pitt during the couple’s divorce proceedings.
The couple's 2016 separation spawned a messy custody battle which has still not been resolved. They first met in 2003 and raised six children together over the course of their relationship.
