Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton on Tuesday were a special guest at the West End Theatre, as they continue to show their support mental health awareness campaign.
The Royal family saw a special performance about an anxiety-ridden boy struggling to connect in a hyperconnected world, a musical performance that has won six Tony Awards after opening on Broadway in 2016.
It has been credited with helping parents and their children discuss some of the mental health awareness difficulties facing so many young people in Britain and the western world.
Inside the foyer of the Noel Coward Theatre in central London, the royal couple chatted about the mental health awareness campaign theme to the play’s author, Steven Levenson, and composers Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.
“Ten years ago, do you think this play would have been here?” William asked.
“I don’t think it would have even existed,” Mr Pasek said.
Organisers declined to say how much the show would raise for the foundation’s mental health awareness campaigns, which include the text messaging helpline Shout, William’s Heads Up campaign to use football to persuade fans to talk about their mental health, and the earlier Heads Together campaign.
In a programme note, William said: “Catherine and I are delighted to join you this evening for a special charity performance of Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward Theatre.
“One of the issues that we care passionately about is mental health and we are pleased that Dear Evan Hansen is helping to start important conversations between parents and teenagers about this important subject.
“Through initiatives including Heads Together and Heads Up, the Royal Foundation is helping tackle the stigma and change the conversation around mental health.”
He added: “We are particularly proud that Shout , a mental health support service launched by the Royal Foundation, is one of four not-for-profit partners of Dear Evan Hansen providing mental health resources to audiences of the show.
“As we look to the future, we will continue to deliver ambitious change and genuine, sustainable solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face – including the environment and ensuring young people get the best possible start in life.”
The musical has been running at the Noel Coward Theatre in St Martin’s Lane since November last year.