I had the absolute pleasure of seeing "Dear Evan Hansen" on Broadway during previews last week and it is something special. Words fail to describe how amazing this show is and it's not hyperbole to say that I think it fundamentally changed me. The show follows Ben Platt, aka Benji from Pitch Perfect, as the eponymous Evan Hansen. Evan is a socially awkward and anxious teen who suddenly becomes popular because of a lie he told surrounding one of his classmate's death. He begins to grow close with the classmate's sister and parents, but at what cost? The sister is played by Laura Dreyfuss, who was a season 6 newbie on Glee, and she is also wonderful.
This musical is perfect for the time in which it was created. The set has screens with internet posts, videos, and text conversations as Evan tries to navigate through a world where the internet is at the forefront of every teen's life. It seems a little busy at times with all of the posts scrolling through in the background, but the busyness is exactly how our generation uses media. It's always short clips and sensory overload to fulfill our short attention spans.
Ben Platt as Evan is going to win big at the Tonys 2017. He is nothing short of phenomenal. He plays the awkwardness and anxiety of Evan so well that I, as a person who also has anxiety, was getting second hand nervous for him as he rambled and apologized and talked way too fast. Ben's acting choices are stellar. Even something as simple as the way he sat on his bed showed thought. He only sat cross legged in the average way once and my eyes were immediately drawn to how he splayed his legs in a frenzied uncommon way. Add that to the extra blinking and nail biting and nervous laughter and you can see Evan as a fleshed out character. The role of Evan is emotionally taxing and there are definitely many tears and Ben sells it. I don't quite know how this cast performs every night like that, but it's greatly appreciated.
While the show is gut wrenching and all too real at times, it is also genuinely funny too. Evan's friend Jared has a lot of great comedic moments and the song "Sincerely, Me" featuring Evan, Jared, and Connor (the classmate who dies) is a catchy, hilarious song sung before the rest of the show rips out your heart and stomps it in the best possible way.
Not only is the cast brilliant, but they also have a fantastic score with which to work. The songwriting team of Pasek and Paul created songs that are modern pop pieces that wouldn't be entirely out of place on the radio. (They also wrote the lyrics for the movie "La La Land" starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, so I am excited to continue enjoying their work). "Waving Through a Window" is the song that is at the forefront of the musical as it was the first one to be released to the public and only one of three that are searchable on the internet for the time being. I already had the song on repeat before seeing the show, but watching Ben sing it so passionately was an experience in and of itself. It speaks to the loneliness everyone feels at some point and makes you want to root for him to make real connections with people. "Only Us" is the other song that's been released and it is a duet between Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss. All they want is to be able to be an "us" without the rest of the world judging them because they are the friend and sister of "the dead kid." It's a beautiful song.
If you don't see another musical this next year, make sure you go see "Dear Evan Hansen." #YouWillBeFound
Below are the songs "Waving Through a Window" and "Only Us." Enjoy!
Me with Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss at stage door. They were both incredibly sweet and gracious. Ben made that face on purpose lol
