Pasek and Paul wrote the music and lyrics to their musical '' Dear Evan Hansen . '' The musical , inspired by the death of a fellow student while Pasek was in high school , features a book by Steven Levenson . Directed by Michael Greif and starring Ben Platt , it premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington , D.C. on July 30 , 2015 . It made its Off-Broadway debut in March 2016 at the Second Stage Theatre , and on Broadway on November 14 , 2016 , opening three weeks later at the Music Box Theatre . At the 71st Tony Awards , it was nominated for nine awards including Best Musical , Best Score , Best Book of a Musical , and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt . It won six awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score for the duo . At the 2018 Grammy Awards , '' Dear Evan Hansen '' won Best Musical Theater Album . The musical received the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a 2016 Obie Award for Musical Theatre
2018 Grammy Awards
60th Annual Grammy Awards
Pasek and Paul