Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt responds to upset fans

Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt is responding to fans upset that he doesn’t come to the stage door every night after the Tony Award-winning show.

In a note shared on Twitter, Platt touched on why performing as the title character in the smash hit musical is “wonderful,” but “tough,” meaning he can’t always be present at the stage door following each performance.

“My priority must always be self-care so I can recreate the same quality show each night,” he wrote on Monday. “That’s my job, and what each and every audience member is paying for and deserves. Before you tweet hateful things about how I don’t value our incredible fans when I can’t come to the door, please pause to consider that my responsibility to them is first and foremost to give my all each night. I preserve myself because I value each of them deeply.”

Debuting on Broadway in Dec. 2016, the musical from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul has been a massive hit. At last month’s Tony Awards, Dear Evan Hansen won Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Actor in a Musical for Platt, who was previously best known for starring as Benji in the Pitch Perfect series.

On Twitter, Platt received support for his note, including from costar Laura Dreyfuss and Tony winner Audra McDonald.