A movement is forming in the world of Broadway. Amidst the ridiculous rapping of 18th century statesmen in the unintentionally hilarious " Hamilton: An American Musical," a quiet flame is burning, defiantly building to unrestrained wildfire. "Dear Evan Hansen" is Broadway's latest musical juggernaut and while its popularity is skyrocketing, the teary-eyed masses waiting to thank its stars outside the stage door proves this little-engine-that-could has ambitious plans to take the world by storm.
Debuting in July 2015 as an off-Broadway play, "Dear Evan Hansen" began as a limited run engagement in Washington, DC before being brought to Broadway this past December. The show chronicles the story of depressed, anxiety-ridden Evan Hansen navigating the lonely hallways of his high school. With his mother consistently choosing work over him, and an obnoxious classmate named Jared being the closest friend he has, Evan's world is that of solitude and isolation. Instructed by his therapist to write letters to himself in an attempt to settle his anxieties, Evan's longing to be part of a loving community bursts through his letters and quickly becomes his life purpose. The show's second song "Waving Through a Window" becomes his anthem and the first true introduction to the inner workings of his character. Listen below.
Fellow classmate Connor Murphy also struggles with depression and anxiety. Unlike Evan, however, he takes his anxiety out on others. Bullying anyone that stands in his way, and even threatening his younger sister Zoe, Connor pushes his family away through his hostile behavior. In a freak accident, however, Connor accidentally stumbles across one of Evan's letters. After reading the letter, Connor realizes how harsh his treatment of others has been and decides to commit suicide.
Upon his family's discovery of Connor's body, Evan's letter is found near Connor. Assuming it was a suicide note addressed to an Evan Hansen, the family tracks Evan down in an effort to find some answers. Absolutely wrecked with guilt over this poor family's loss, Evan anxiously exclaims that he and Connor were secretly best friends and had been writing to each other for years. Knowing this lie provides this broken family with a newfound hope that Connor might not have been the horrible monster he was, Evan builds on this lie, spouting wonderful stories of climbing trees and happy memories of sharing ice cream. Connor's parents look at Evan as a second son and welcome him into their family with open arms. Even Connor's sister Zoe--the girl Evan has been infatuated with for years now--grows closer to him. The chaos only escalates, however, when the entire school finds out about Connor and Evan's "friendship." Celebrating Evan as a symbol for love, friendship,and unity, the school becomes more united than ever over the loss of Connor, culminating in the epic conclusion of the first act and the show's unofficial anthem "You Will Be Found." Listen below.
"Dear Evan Hansen" while, admittedly, does rely on emotional manipulation to reach its audiences, there is no denying that this is manipulation that succeeds. "Hansen" is a spectacularly powerful show that is guaranteed to wet even the driest of eyes, but its multi-layered themes of moral ambiguity solidifies "Dear Evan Hansen" as a powerful theater-going experience that not even a billion rap battles between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton could ever hope to emulate.
One of the show's most obvious examples of moral ambiguity is the aforementioned "You Will Be Found." A crowd pleasing powerhouse celebrating the humanity around us with an amazing display of blinding white light enveloping the stage, and a deafening company of characters singing to a weepy audience.
"Even when the dark comes crashing through
Even when you need a friend to carry you
When you're broken on the ground
You will be found."
It's an overwhelmingly powerful sequence guaranteed to melt even the most cynical of hearts. But just as quickly as the stage exploded into euphoria, the mood changes to a suddenly foreboding atmosphere. As "You Will Be Found" concludes, frighteningly sinister violins begin to derail the song as Evan Hansen dramatically realizes he has passed the point of no return long ago. His lie now involves so many that retreat is as unthinkable as it is impossible. It was amidst this intense realization the intermission begins, forcing a shaken audience to ponder the difficult question "Dear Evan Hansen" just asked:
If a truth only further damages an already horrible pain while a lie can construct utopia, is it justifiable to deny that new world the truth of its foundation?
Fortunately, "Dear Evan Hansen" wisely chooses not to answer this question, allowing audiences to interpret its content instead. Evan certainly finds his answer before the curtain closes, but this is not just Evan's story, this is the story of humanity--the abundance of smiles as well as the tears. Evan wants desperately to do the right thing, even if temptation lures him astray. Connor's suicide represents a large sum of tragedies that have the power to unite us all. Zoe is the optimism instilled in us when asked to step up and be brave. We are all Evan, just as we are all Connor, just as we are all Zoe. Obviously "Dear Evan Hansen" doesn't use symbolism such as this to tell its story, but it does use these plot elements to transcend the realm of musical theater fiction and extends into our own world. What begins as a loud, upbeat, visually arousing spectacle ends as a quiet, dimly lit, sobering mirror held up to our faces. Society has as many problems as the people that populate it and "Dear Evan Hansen" uses this wisdom to its advantage.
The show concludes a year after the events audiences have just witnessed. With Evan standing center stage with a spotlight, looking out into the audience, the music kicks in and the rest of the cast stands silhouetted against the backdrop of a setting sun. Evan takes a deep breath and speaks aloud the day's letter:
"Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day... and here's why- because today at least you're you... and... that's enough."
A quiet sense of finality creeps into the room as the cast sings one final song as the lights slowly dim. "Dear Evan Hansen" may be over, but the thoughts it implants into the minds of audiences young and old are far from leaving. The bittersweet feeling of this experience drawing to a close is so haunting, it's no wonder hundreds of fans line up at the stage door to thank the actors for the emotional roller coaster they had just effortlessly performed. To bring to life such a personal story filled with such difficult themes on a nightly basis must be emotionally draining. In an interview with actor Michael Park--Connor's father Larry--he speaks on how demanding this show can be.
"The great thing about being part of such an emotional show is that, in this case in particular, we are all on the same kind of journey together in those moments. It's a very safe place to be. It's one of those things that I gear up for every night and the come down is getting a little easier. I'm not gonna lie, it's getting a little easier, but those emotions are right there on your sleeve. This show brings you to those moments. That song 'You Will Be Found.' What a wonderful message to share with people every night. So, it's really easy having teenagers at home that kind of feel lost every now and then. It's really easy to kind of fall apart as a parent."
"Dear Evan Hansen" is a punch to the soul and its confidence in its production proves it knows exactly what it's doing. Whether it's the light-hearted "Sincerely, Me," the soul-crushing "Words Fail," or the awe-inspiring "You Will Be Found," "Dear Evan Hansen" refuses to tell a simple story in a unique way. "Dear Evan Hansen" insists on telling a highly complex story in a ground-breaking way and its incredible accolades show the decision paid off. Unlike another overnight success that saw historical characters unironically rapping in a distractingly jarring musical genre, "Dear Evan Hansen" is a thought-provoking tale of redemption, temptation, self-destruction, and unwavering love. As young Evan Hansen learns, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and stumbling down the rabbit hole is as easy for him as it is for us all. But instead of concluding Evan's tale of woe with a downer ending, the show thankfully ends on a hopeful note. As Evan looks to the sky one final time, we are reminded that we are enough. Whenever we are lost, we will be found. The final line sung in the show "All I see is sky for forever" is the exact feeling the show wants audiences to leave with. An optimistic love for the world around us and the reminder that we are all part of a greater story. "Dear Evan Hansen" is the important gut punch we need right now and it is more than welcome to stick around.
Well, until 200 years later some "Hamilton" fan is inspired to write a Ska musical based off Isis and is treated with the same critical acclaim.
