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Dawson’s Creek fans were transported back to Capeside on Monday night, after the show’s cast reunited for in NYC for an event to benefit F Cancer<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the show’s star, James Van Der Beek<\/strong><\/a> — who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in November 2024 — wasn’t able to attend, citing “two stomach viruses” for his absence.<\/p>\n In his place, Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in to play Dawson Leery as the show’s stars — including Michelle Williams<\/strong><\/a>, Joshua Jackson<\/strong><\/a>, Katie Holmes<\/strong><\/a>, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe and Busy Philipps<\/strong><\/a> — did a live reading of the WB show’s pilot.<\/p>\n Van Der Beek, however, did send in a special video message, thanking fans for showing up and introducing his understudy to those in attendance.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n “Obviously, on\u00a0Dawson’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.<\/p>\n