Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen
Poster for Dear Evan Hansen
Music	Benj Pasek Justin Paul
Lyrics	Benj Pasek Justin Paul
Book	Steven Levenson
Premiere	July 10, 2015: Arena Stage
Productions	2015 Arena Stage 2016 Off-Broadway 2016 Broadway
Awards	2016 Obie Award for Musical Theatre 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics

Dear Evan Hansen is an original musical written by Pasek and Paul, with the book by Steven Levenson.^[1]

The musical had its world premiere at Arena Stage in July 2015, and opened Off-Broadway in March 2016 in previews. The focus of the musical is the teen "Evan Hansen", who becomes involved in a family tragedy of another teen. The musical is set to open on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in November 2016.

Background and development

Dear Evan Hansen is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.^[2] The musical has its origins in an incident that took place during Pasek's high school years. The musical "takes the notion of a teenager, ... Evan Hansen, who invents an important role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn."^[3]

Productions

Dear Evan Hansen premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., running from July 10 to August 23, 2015.^[4] The musical was directed by Michael Greif with orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, the set designed by David Korins and the projection design by Peter Nigrini. The cast featured Ben Platt in the title role, a high school senior with social anxiety disorder who finds himself amid the turmoil that follows a classmate's suicide.

The musical opened Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theater on March 26, 2016 in previews, officially on May 1. The cast featured Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Mike Faist, Rachel Bay Jones, Will Roland and Jennifer Laura Thompson repeating their roles from the Arena Stage production. New cast members were John Dossett and Kristolyn Lloyd. Michael Greif again directed, with choreography by Danny Mefford.^[5][6][7][8] The Off-Broadway engagement closed on May 29, 2016.

The show premiered on Broadway on November 14, 2016 in previews, officially on December 4. ^[9] After originally announcing that performances would take place at the Belasco Theatre, in mid-September 2016, producers announced that the show would instead be performed at the Music Box Theatre. Michael Park, who originated the role of Larry in the Arena Stage production, will return for the Broadway production (replacing John Dossett who went on to the musical War Paint). All other cast members from the Second Stage production are returning for the Broadway engagement.^{[10][11] [12]}

Following in the footsteps of writers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (who are considered to be leaders of the so-called "YouTube Musical Theatre Writers" - that is young writers who use YouTube and other platforms to promote their work), the show is notable for its use of social media. This includes encouraging the spread and cover of songs (ex. "Waving Through a Window" with the hashtag #SongOfSummer), the wide-streaming of multiple songs prior to the Broadway performances, and the use of a "Digital Board of Advisers" which includes the likes of executives at Mashable, Amazon, and the United Talent Agency.

Characters and original cast

The characters and original cast:

Synopsis

High school student Connor dies by suicide. Connor's parents, Cynthia and Larry, find a note apparently from Connor to Evan Hansen, a senior at the same high school. The note actually was written by Evan himself in an exercise suggested by his therapist to help Evan overcome his socially awkward personality and anxiety. Evan's mother Heidi works long hours as a nurse and also attends school, and his father left the family years ago. Although the two young men did not know each other, Evan decides to attempt to help Connor's parents in their grief by pretending to have been a close friend of his and writing fake e-mails to reinforce his claim. Zoë, Connor's sister, and Evan's "dream girl", is grateful to Evan for helping her parents.

According to the official website, the synopsis reads "All his life Evan Hansen has felt invisible. To his peers, to the girl he loves, sometimes even to his own mother. But that was before he wrote the letter – that led to the incident – that started the lie – that ignited a movement – that inspired a community – and changed Evan's status from the ultimate outsider into the somebody everyone wants to know. But how long can Evan keep his secret? And at what price?"^[15]

Musical numbers

Arena Stage Production

Second Stage Production

Critical response

Derek Mong, in his review of the musical at the Arena Stage, wrote that all of the elements of the musical combine to make the musical "great", and credited the "all-star cast... inventive set design by David Korins...that transforms a small stage into a platform for the most intimate living room where a mother and son share a heart-to-heart to the physical abyss of internet cyberspace... book by Steven Levenson... lyrics and music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul... heartfelt lyrics with universal appeal joined by the perfect, oftentimes acoustic, accompaniment that can change the mood from somber to celebratory to sinister in a single bar of music."^[16]

Barbara Mackay in reviewing the Arena Stage production for TheatreMania wrote: "Levenson, Pasek, and Paul set themselves two high, untraditional bars in Evan Hansen: exploring a community's grief and examining a lonely protagonist who desperately wants to connect with that community... Ben Platt is outstanding as Evan... Since the success of the musical depends entirely on whether Evan's solitary nature appears funny or weird, Evan's ability to laugh at himself and make the audience laugh is crucial. Platt is charming as he eternally twists his shirt tails and hangs his head... Although the themes of grief and loneliness are serious, the musical is anything but somber. It addresses challenging facts of life. But from start to finish, when Evan leaves his room and finds an authentic life outside it, Dear Evan Hansen contains far more joy than sadness."^[17]

Susan Davidson, in her review of the Arena Stage production for CurtainUp, noted : "...it helps to suspend the disbelief that sullen, anti-social teenagers can change quickly. Surely that's a process requiring time-released hormonal adjustments. It is hard to accept that a long-admired- from-afar girl can change Evan's outlook on life so rapidly or that Connor's teenage disequilibrium leads him to do what he does. Coming through loud and clear, however, is the fact that what starts as deceit can be blown totally out of proportion by the Internet where lies are disseminated with lightening speed leaving plenty of victims in their wake...The music is pleasant, not terribly original but good enough to get toes tapping. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's ballads stand out, particularly Heidi's "So Big, So Small," Evan's "Words Fail" and Zoe and Evan's young sweethearts duet "Only Us.""^[18]

Charles Isherwood, in his review of the Second Stage production for The New York Times, noted : "The songs, by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“Dogfight,” “A Christmas Story”), strike the same complex notes, with shapely, heartfelt lyrics that expose the tensions and conflicts that Connor’s death and Evan’s involvement cause in both families. The music, played by a small but excellent band on a platform upstage, is appealingly unstrident pop-rock, with generous doses of acoustic guitar, keyboards and strings. It’s the finest, most emotionally resonant score yet from this promising young songwriting team." ^[19]

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Off-Broadway Internet Database
• Broadway Internet Database
• Dear Evan Hansen Official Website