I haven’t see the movie ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ but reviews were not great and it was a box office failure. From what I read, nepotism in casting and a superficial interpretation of the original storyline meant the translation to movie missed the point. That said, the stage show hits the mark.
Dear Evan Hansen covers a sensitive topic ‘suicide’. When I heard this was a musical I myself wondered how they could turn such a dark topic into song, but it works.
The show itself uses the subject of ‘suicide’ to tell a wider story about vulnerability and forgiveness. It is a story about healing following the hurt.
Evan Hansen is a socially awkward teenager, a loner, from a single family home raised by his mother.
Evan meets mixed up Connor, a struggling, paranoid and hostile teenager who interprets Hansen’s awkwardness as dismissive and attacks him.
Meanwhile Hansen’s therapy is to write a letter to himself ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ which Connor later takes from him. Soon after, Connor takes his life and his parents find the letter and incorrectly assume Connor and Evan were friends.
This starts the lie Evan has to play out because it heals Connor’s parents but spirals to a complete rewrite of the facts.
Beau Woodbridge is a convincing Evan and Harry Targett is Connor. These must be two difficult roles for young actors to play as the personas are so real in the age brackets.
Connor’s parents, played by Natalie O’Donnell (Cynthia) and Martin Crewes (Larry) inadvertently perpetuate the lie to the point where a foundation is created raising money for charity in Connor’s name.
The moral question becomes ‘do you continue a lie if its outcome is positive or own up to the truth at the expensive of those who could be helped by the outcome of the lie”.
That question is what makes this a great production. The premise challenges the beliefs and morals of the audience themselves sending them away to think.
The character Connor continues throughout the show as a moral guidance.
The show is based on a book by Steven Levenson with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
The songs weave the storyline. The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2022 but there are no real standout songs like a major hit musical tends to have. The song ‘The Anonymous Ones’ was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2021 Hollywood Music In Media Awards but did not win.
I will go back and check out the movie. It is streaming on 7plus in Australia (which in itself should send alarm bells if the major steaming services aren’t touching it).
MELBOURNE
NOW PLAYING TO 16 FEBRUARY
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE,
ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE
https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2024/musical/dear-evan-hansen
CANBERRA
FROM 27 FEBRUARY
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
https://canberratheatrecentre.n.qtix.com.au/tickets/series/ctcdearevanhansen25
ADELAIDE
FROM 3 APRIL
HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE
https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=DEAREVAN25
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