The 2017 "Best Musical" Tony Award went to Broadway show called "Dear Evan Hansen" written by Steven Levenson and composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. This musical centers around a high school senior named Evan Hansen (originally played by Ben Platt but is now played by Noah Galvin) who suffers from anxiety and depression. Evan's therapist suggests that he write letters to himself to help boost his confidence (hence the name "Dear Evan Hansen").
So, Evan goes to write one letter in the media center at school. However, when Evan goes to print out his letter, fellow classmate Connor Murphy (played by Mike Faist) finds it first. He reads it and discovers Evan's crush on his younger sister, Zoe Murphy (played by Laura Dreyfuss). Connor takes the letter and walks off leaving Evan worried over what he will do with the letter. A few days go by with no sign of Connor or the letter. But shortly, Evan is called to the principal's office where he finds Connor's parents (Jennifer Laura Thompson and Michael Park) to question the letter they found in their son's pocket- the same letter Evan wrote to himself that Connor took.
The parents then notice Evan's broken arm and the one person who signed it- Connor (so they could "both pretend they had friends" which Connor stated after he was the only one to sign Evan's cast). Filled with anxiety, Evan impulsively tells the Murphy's that he and Connor were best friends- which sends him down a road filled with lies.
So what is the big deal about this musical filled with lying and deceiving? " Dear Evan Hansen" shines a light on something society is faced with today: mental illness and suicide awareness. Jared (played by Will Roland), Alana (played by Kristolyn Lloyd), and Evan all start a suicide prevention group called The Connor Project to raise suicide awareness and to send the message that you are not alone and that if you feel alone, there are people who want to help you.
The musical also shows how far people are willing to go in order for the internet to believe them. Connor and Evan were not friends at all. But, Evan makes it look like they were by making fake emails between the two to prove his made up story. The false story can lead the person into living a fake life- as Evan was with the Murphy family. Lastly, it proves just how damaging one lie can be, as the one lie caused so many people to be hurt in the end.
Social media plays a huge part in this musical. Alana wants to use social media to make the Connor Project widely known and in turn crosses a boundary with Evan by posting the note that was claimed to be Connor's suicide note (when in reality, it was just a letter Evan wrote to himself). After Alana posted the letter, so much backlash struck the Murphy family. People used social media to send hate to the Murphy's and blamed them for Connor's suicide. So while social media did help get The Connor Project's message that "you are not alone", it also hurt many people in the aftermath.
The show also illustrates the struggles many parents have with raising children in an era with social media. Parents want to protect their children from the dangers of the internet. The first song of the show, "Anybody Have A Map" articulates two parents (Evan's mom played by Rachel Bay Jones and Connor's mom) both struggling with how to parent and connect with their children. But no matter the struggles, parents love their children endlessly and will always be there for them no matter what (cue So Big/So Small).
The impact "Dear Evan Hansen" will leave on you is remarkable- I never thought one show could have such a huge influence on me. It is so different than any other Broadway show. This musical touches on many things that people sadly suffer from today, which is very different from some of the musicals that are playing now. If you have the opportunity to see this show, I highly recommend it.
