If you have found yourself literally spellbound by the witches in Wicked or wanting to “carry the banner” after listening to the soundtrack of Newsies, then you can probably identify as an avid watcher of the Tony Awards. The annual broadcast of the Tony Awards recognizes the onstage and offstage excellence that contributes to musical theater by awarding notable actors, actresses, lyricists, composers, and other professions that keep every show running smoothly. In light of the most recent Tonys, which occurred on June 11th, 2017, I wanted to address the Broadway breakout show Dear Evan Hansen after seeing its onstage successes.
Plenty of renowned artists, such as Bette Midler and Gavin Creel, won Tonys on this star-studded night. However, the cast and crew of Dear Evan Hansen took the theater by storm by receiving awards such as “Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical”, “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical”, “Best Original Score”, and the ultimate honor of “Best Musical”. While a majority of viewers believed that all of these awards were well-deserved, there was a surprising amount of naysayers who believed that Dear Evan Hansen is overhyped and not deserving of its success. If anyone takes a few minutes out of their day to delve into the songs and storyline of Dear Evan Hansen, though, they will find much more than a mediocre musical. The show artistically fabricates a story about the human desire to feel connected and to belong, while also highlighting the dangerous consequences of taking drastic measures to achieve that connection.
The synopsis of Dear Evan Hansen is something that can quickly and easily be searched online. Understanding the complexities of each character is something that takes much more difficult, albeit rewarding, work. The plot of the show is centered around socially anxious Evan Hansen and a lie constructed on his fragile “relationship” with the hot-headed Connor Murphy. After Connor commits suicide, Cynthia (Connor’s mother) believes that Evan and Connor were best friends based on a letter that was found in Connor’s pocket from Evan. Evan does not have the heart or the social skills to say that the letter was actually written as a therapy exercise, which had nothing to do with Connor. Evan becomes incapable of denying Cynthia’s request of one last chance at truly knowing her son.
However, the rest of the Murphy family has conflicting emotions at the memory of Connor resurfacing, and these are all shown in the beautiful ballad of “Requiem”. Zoe Murphy (Connor’s sister) can only remember Connor’s brutality towards her, and she sings notable lines such as “Why should I play the grieving girl/And lie saying that I miss you?... I will sing no requiem tonight”. Larry Murphy (Connor’s father) sings the lyrics “I gave you the world, you threw it away/Leaving these broken pieces behind you... So I can sing no requiem”. While Zoe and Larry both refuse to honor Connor’s memory because of the destruction he left in his wake, Cynthia takes a radically different approach. Cynthia sings the lines “Within these words, I finally find you/And now that I know that you are still here/I will sing no requiem tonight” to show that she does not need to honor Connor’s memory because he is still metaphorically there. Dear Evan Hansen uses this illuminating song to analyze loss from all angles, reassuring viewers that all of their emotions are valid and that the world is not as black and white as it may seem.
Dear Evan Hansen deals with difficult topics such as social anxiety, suicide, turbulent family relationships, and deception, but it is still nothing short of inspirational. There are so many lines that can resonate to anyone who has ever felt alone or hopeless, no matter how old they are. Some of my personal favorite lines include “When you’re falling in a forest and there’s nobody around/Do you ever really crash, or even make a sound?”, “We could be alright for forever this way”, “‘Cause I've learned to slam on the brake/Before I even turn the key/Before I make the mistake/Before I lead with the worst of me/I never let them see the worst of me...”, “No matter what, I’ll be here/When it all feels so big, ‘til it all feels so small...”, and “Dear Evan Hansen: Today is going to be a good day, and here's why- because today, today at least you're you, and that's enough”.
All of these lyrics have contributed to Dear Evan Hansen’s critical success because they show that no matter how lost and alone somebody feels, they will eventually be found by the ones who love them most. I believe that these sentiments were best stated in the spoken dialogue of the song “You Will Be Found”. As Connor’s story garners attention from social media, a background voice is heard saying “I know someone who really needed to hear this today, so thank you, Evan Hansen, for doing what you're doing”.
