For any Broadway/Theatre fanatic out there has probably heard of the new hit Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen" which had it's opening night back in mid-December. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see the show yet, but I have had the soundtrack on repeat since it became available on Spotify at the beginning of February. I fell in love with the show while coming across a video of one of the show's song on my recommended section on YouTube and I'm so glad I clicked on that video. I fell in love with the first few lyrics that were sung by the beautiful Laura Dreyfuss and Ben Platt who play Evan Hansen and Zoe in the show.
For those who know nothing of the show or have no yet heard the soundtrack, I highly recommend listening to it on Spotify, YouTube, Itunes etc. The music and lyrics are beautifully written by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, both of whom have worked on music and lyrics for the new movies "La La Land", the television show "SMASH", and the musical "Dogfight". Even though I have not been able to see the show yet, being the theatre nerd that I am, had to do some research on what the show was all about. When I first heard of the show, there was no solid synopsis anywhere online, so I knew I had to dig a little deeper. After much-needed research on the show, I found out that the show surrounds the life of Evan Hansen, a boy with social anxiety disorder who gets mixed up in the death of his best friend Connor. The show exemplifies the power of social media and how powerful it can be to the people of the millennial generation.
Many different topics are brought up in this show, like social anxiety, depression, suicide etc. While none of these topics like to be discussed and is highly unlikely to be mentioned in a musical in Broadway, but over time, society has come to a point where mental illnesses like the ones mentioned above, are so common, but just hidden away. It is so important to talk about issues that surround mental health and the effects of it. To relate it back to the show, for a senior in high school to suffer from an illness like social anxiety. High school, while it may seem easy to people who no longer attend it, don't realize the pressure the school system, teachers, faculty, and staff, put on the students. Forcing students to speak up in class or present something in front of their peers, is every student's, who suffer from anxiety, especially social anxiety, biggest fear.
Unfortunately, giving away spoilers, Evan's best friend, Connor ends up committing suicide. This event sets the rest of the story, Evan decides to put a project in Connor's name to keep his memory alive and let people know that no one in the world is alone and suicide is not the answer. This part of the entire show sends a very strong message and is specifically directed towards kids who are still in high school and are still teenagers. While these issues can happen to anyone at any age, statistically, these issues are more likely to happen to start happening around middle school and/or high school.
Speaking from experience, having a show like
"Dear Evan Hansen" is comforting. As someone who suffers from anxiety, social anxiety, and depression, music is a source of comfort to me, especially Broadway soundtracks. Theatre was the first place I ever felt comfortable enough to be myself, and ever since I found it, I have not been able to give it up and my passion and love for it continuously grows. After listening to this show, and hearing how relateable it is, made me realize how important mental health is in the world of theatre.
Mental health has always been an important topic to me and I hope in the future the stigma behind it starts to go away. If artists like Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, continue to write, sculpt, draw, sing, etc. surrouding mental health, it will be a topic that just becomes a "norm" in our society and people won't be so afraid to hide behind their issues. More ad more people are starting to talk about these issues, and it is a conversation that needs to keep growing.
