While James couldn’t make the reunion after “two stomach viruses,” he not only sent in a video, but also his wife and six children — who joined the cast to sing Paula Cole’s theme song on stage.
Dawson’s Creek fans were transported back to Capeside on Tuesday night, after the show’s cast reunited for in NYC for an event to benefit F Cancer.
Unfortunately, the show’s star, James Van Der Beek — who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in November 2024 — wasn’t able to attend, citing “two stomach viruses” for his absence.
In his place, Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to play Dawson Leery as the show’s stars — including Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps — did a live reading of the WB show’s pilot.
Van Der Beek, however, did send in a special video message, thanking fans for showing up and introducing his understudy to those in attendance.
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“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together. I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast in person,” he told the crowd.
“And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight,” he continued. “From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you … you are the best fans in the world.”
“Obviously, on Dawson’s Creek, I had no understudy, but this is Broadway, and I needed one. So we figured we’d try to find somebody who had never understudied in this theater before,” he joked, introducing Miranda, whose Hamilton was staged at the same Richard Roger’s Theater.
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Hamilton’s Renée Elise Goldsberry narrated the event, which also featured a cameo appearance from the one and only Steven Spielberg — who, fans of the show will remember, was an idol of Dawson’s, an aspiring filmmaker.
“Dawson, you made it. Maybe someday, I will get to have a Dawson’s closet,” Spielberg quipped in the short video.
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At the end of the evening, Goldsberry also led the cast in a performance of Paula Cole’s infamous “I Don’t Want to Wait,” the show’s theme song. Joining everyone on stage was Van Der Beek’s wife Kimberly, as well as the couple’s six children: four daughters, Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and two sons, Joshua and Jeremiah.
After the show, Philipps took to her Instagram Story to share a message to fans as well, reflecting on James’ absence and the presence of his family at the event.
“Tonight was really incredible and very special. And obviously James not being there was heartbreaking for a million different reasons,” she began, posting from bed. “But I was so glad that Kimberly and all the kids were able to be there and his dad was there and his sister and Kimberly’s family and her closest friends and it was just really beautiful and James it getting lots of videos and FaceTimes and texts and things.”
“We just love them so much and we love everybody that supported. Thank you,” she added.
