If you weren’t one of the lucky fans to experience Capeside on Broadway, Us Weekly is taking you inside the 2025 Dawson’s Creek reunion.
Michelle Williams, who played Jen Lindley on the beloved WB show, organized a one-night-only reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot to raise money for F Cancer as former costar James Van Der Beek battles stage III colon cancer. After a stomach virus forced Van Der Beek, 48, to stay home, Lin Manuel-Miranda stepped in to play Dawson alongside Williams, Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter) and more. From the moment that three of the core four hit the stage at Richard Rodgers Theatre on Monday, September 22, it was clear it was going to be a special night.
James Van Der Beek Appears Via Video — Twice!
The night began with a series of throwback photos and videos of the cast playing on the screen before Williams, Holmes and Jackson came out and the crowd — largely millennial women who had flown in from all over the country — erupted in applause. Van Der Beek subsequently appeared to express his disappointment that he couldn’t be there.
“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 castmates, my beautiful cast in person,” he said. “And I just want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. 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. Thank you for coming. It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here.”
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Van Der Beek then introduced his “understudy” Miranda.
After Miranda came out, the full group — Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps — joined.
Van Der Beek appeared for a second time to introduce a performance by Norm Lewis, explaining that while Dawson was a film nerd, he is a “theater geek.” Van Der Beek said that The Phantom of the Opera actually served as some inspiration for him as Dawson — especially when Joey picked Pacey in season 3.
“Now, nobody in their right mind would ever draw a parallel between the two, but one very big similarity between Dawson and The Phantom of the Opera is that when both of them were faced with the reality that the woman they loved truly loved somebody else, they said, ‘Go to him. Go to him now before I change my mind,’” he said before joking, “Of course only one resulted in a crying face meme.”
Lewis subsequently sang “The Music of the Night” from the Broadway show.
‘Dawson’s Creek’ Cast Can’t Stop Laughing at Pilot Script
Honestly, no one was having more fun than the cast of Dawson’s Creek as they made their way through the pilot. Jackson, in particular, was laughing hysterically at several lines from the show, beginning with the way Holmes channelled her inner Joey Potter by putting her hands on her hips and delivering a line about Dawson’s “long fingers.” He continued to be giddy over other sexual innuendos in the episode, like Joey asking Jen, “Are you a size queen?”
While every cast member got their due when they read their first line, the screams may have been the loudest for Jackson himself, with a close follow by Peil, a.k.a. Grams.
Who Meredith Monroe and Kerr Smith Played at the Pilot Reading
Since Monore’s Andie and Smith’s Jack didn’t join until season 2, they played other characters on Monday. Monroe earned laughs as Nellie Oleson (the Christian cheerleader whose dad owns the video store, portrayed by Nicole Nieth on the show) and Kerr took on three roles: Bodie (Joey’s sister’s boyfriend), Bob (Gail’s coanchor with whom she is having an affair) and Dawson’s film teacher.
Busy Philipps Steals the Show
Fans know that Philipps also didn’t join the show until later, appearing as Joey’s college roommate Audrey for season 5 and 6. During Monday’s event, she played Tamara Jacobs, the English teacher who ends up taking Pacey’s virginity. The chemistry between Jackson and Philipps was certainly there — the twosome didn’t hold back for Pacey and Tamara’s kiss, going for it before the narrator had a chance to introduce the moment — and Philipps found the perfect balance between scandal and humor for the role.
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Katie Holmes’ Sweet Moments With Michelle Williams — And Joshua Jackson
Several times throughout the reading, Holmes grabbed Williams’ hand after a scene. The two women also embraced for a big hug during the curtain call. Joey and Pacey shippers, meanwhile, should be happy to know that Holmes and Jackson held hands several times during the evening, with Holmes even resting her head on Jackson during the final bows.
A Cameo From Steven Spielberg
As Dawson’s hero, Steven Spielberg is mentioned several times in the pilot (and throughout the series) — and the iconic director sent in a video for Monday’s event. “Dawson, you made it,” he said in part. “Maybe someday, I will get to have a Dawson’s closet.”
James Van Der Beek’s Family Joins ‘I Don’t Want to Wait’ Sing-along
Broadway’s Renée Elise Goldsberry served as the night’s narrator and led the group in a sing-along to the teen drama’s theme song, Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait.” The moment was made that much sweeter by Van Der Beek’s family joining for the final moments. (Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, also spoke to fans in line at the theater before and after the show, recording videos for her husband.) Before leaving the stage, the entire cast embraced in various hugs, and Holmes danced it out to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” with Philipps and Repeta (onscreen sister Bessie).
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
