Dear Evan Hansen's Robert Markus and Stephanie La Rochelle bring the hit Broadway musical to the q studio

Dear Evan Hansen exploded on Broadway and won six Tonys for its groundbreaking discussion of teen suicide, loneliness and the difficulty of creating meaningful connections in the digital era. Now, the hit musical is in Toronto for its first international production — and some reviews are saying that it's even better than the original on Broadway.

The stars of Toronto's Dear Evan Hansen, Robert Markus and Stephanie La Rochelle, joined host Tom Power in the q studio to talk about taking on the lead roles of Evan and Evan's crush, Zoe.

Markus and La Rochelle also performed a few numbers from the show for us. They were joined by Justin Abedin and Dave Gray on guitar. Watch Markus perform Waving Through a Window below.

The Canadian production of Dear Evan Hansen runs at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto until Sunday, July 21.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation and performances.

— Produced by ​Ben Edwards