5 Minutes
On September 22, the cast of Dawson's Creek reunited on a Broadway stage for an evening that mixed nostalgia, star power and real emotion. The Richard Rodgers Theater became a temporary Capeside as original series regulars — Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps — returned to read the show's 1998 pilot. The event was part theatrical reading, part benefit, and part love letter to a series that defined 1990s teen drama.
Renée Elise Goldsberry served as narrator for the evening, guiding the audience through that first episode, while Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to cover the role James Van Der Beek could not fill in person because of illness. Miranda's presence underscored how Dawson's Creek has threaded itself into the broader cultural landscape: a ’90s TV touchstone still able to draw top-tier Broadway talent two decades on.
The reunion had a clear philanthropic aim — to raise funds for F Cancer and to support James Van Der Beek, who is currently fighting colorectal cancer. Van Der Beek joined the audience via two deeply felt video messages. In his first clip he expressed regret at not being able to embrace the cast in person: "I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my cast mates," he said, visibly moved. After the reading, he returned on-screen with a wry reflection comparing Dawson's heartbreak to Phantom of the Opera, then introduced Norm Lewis for a stirring performance of "The Music of the Night."
Another unexpected highlight came from a cinematic giant: Steven Spielberg — referenced on the series as Dawson's hero — appeared in a pre-recorded message. His warm, offbeat congratulations earned laughs and a few tears: "Dawson, you made it," he said, riffing on the show's inside jokes and legacy.
The evening kept building: Goldsberry invited the audience to film as she began singing Paula Cole's theme song "I Don't Want to Wait," and one by one the original cast and Van Der Beek's family joined in. Van Der Beek's daughters took solo lines; his wife Kimberly and their children later joined onstage for a tender family moment. The reunion wasn't a slick nostalgia tour; it felt like a communal embrace.
Behind the scenes, Michelle Williams is credited with initiating the reunion. According to producers, she recruited Hamilton director Thomas Kail and Greg Berlanti to help pull the project together, with Jason Moore directing the staged reading. That collaborative creative energy — TV, film and Broadway — mirrored the series' own hybrid appeal: intimate soap opera emotion with cinematic ambitions.
Why this matters now: Dawson's Creek helped define the modern TV teen drama with introspective writing and characters who felt literate and self-aware. Its influence can be traced through subsequent teen series from The O.C. to Euphoria, and the reunion highlighted the continued appetite for revisiting formative shows in live formats. Fan communities responded enthusiastically on social media, sharing clips and memories that made the night feel like a national event for 1990s TV aficionados.
"Reunions like this do more than satisfy nostalgia — they validate how certain TV shows become cultural touchstones," says cinema historian Marco Jensen. "Seeing the original cast reconvene on Broadway emphasizes television's increasing crossover with theater and live events. It’s both a celebration and a reminder of TV's emotional reach."
The evening balanced levity and gravity: celebrity cameos and musical performances sat alongside candid reflections on illness and family. For anyone who grew up in Capeside, the night offered a chance to hear familiar lines, see beloved faces and witness a community rallying around one of its central figures. It was, in short, the kind of reunion that honored both the show and the people who made it possible.
Source: variety
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