Part One, Pathological Liar who waves through Windows: The Musical (AKA Dear Evan Hansen)

Dear readers, this article is the first of many articles yet to come about the same subject. As a journalist, you will probably be seeing my name in many different types of projects. However, the reason I am currently focusing on the topic of Broadway may surprise you. Broadway holds a very important place in most of our hearts, even if it’s small, it’s always there. Everyone has that childhood movie or soundtrack that they remember playing in the background of their lives. Some are even lucky enough to have seen a production themselves, but regardless we have that special place for it.

A Production for Everyone

There is a production for each and every person out there, including different topics like history, rap, comedy, sports, fashion, high school, college, romance, action and many more. Musicals are not the only element of Broadway, plays, and stand-up comedy are also a very important element of Broadway. The most common misconception of broadway is that people think it’s all happy singing and dancing. This is far from reality, most Broadway productions end in a very sad tone, and some don’t even have a concrete ending at all.

Emotions!

The purpose of these productions are to instill emotion in people, they will make you cry, dance, be empathetic, and sometimes even make you relate to the characters on a personal level. It’s like a blockbuster movie, but right in front of you. Indeed it is a difficult decision to make when choosing what production to watch. But don’t worry, I’m here to review these great productions and make the decision a bit easier. Although for the first article I will start by reviewing Dear Evan Hansen, I do want my readers to recommend some other musicals for my upcoming reviews. So email your ideas to [email protected].

Hope you enjoy!

Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical about a young troubled teenage boy who learns the hard way, that even one little lie can turn into an entire social war against you. Evan Hansen, the main character of the musical, falls into a conflict that had nothing to do with him, but soon could not get out of.

The Conflict

The conflict involved the disappearance of a schoolmate of his, that he barely knew, but of the boy, except for the incorrect knowledge that Evan Hansen had anything to do with him. The family was desperate for any information on their missing child, and Evan Hansen could see that. This is when Evan Hansen decides to make up this lie that him and his classmate named “Connor Murphy,” were actually friends when really they barely knew each other. Evan was already troubled, being an extremely antisocial kid his entire life, he never really had any friends. And having a fake one didn’t seem that bad to him. This “news” immediately excited Connor’s family and brought Evan closer and closer.

The Lies

This required Evan to make up more and more lies, just to keep his story straight. At one point, the Murphy’s ask for the emails that Connor and Evan were exchanging. This took the lie a step further when Evan asks a family friend named Jared to help him with the situation. And I know what you are thinking, why didn’t Evan just stop this and tell the truth? Here’s why, Connor’s family was quickly becoming Evan’s family, and since Evan didn’t really have a father or a mother that was always there, he didn’t want to lose that connection. The story continues, with Connor still missing, and Evan making fundraisers, websites, and clubs just dedicated to the loss of Connor. Evan even makes a speech that goes viral on the internet, stating that nobody should be forgotten and that Connor is only one of the many people who experienced this. Although this act was pure of kindness, the fame all went to Connor’s head. He now believed that his new friends were not as influential as he was and that he didn’t need them. He even went as far as confronting his mom about not being there all the time, which he knew was not her fault.

A Lie that Was Meant for Good

The problem was that all of this was occurring because of a lie, a lie that was meant for good, but escalated into something so big, that the truth was not an option in his mind. Evan later admitted his lie, and apologized to Connor’s family, his friends, and his mom, but left a huge dent in each relationship. Connor’s family could have revealed Evan’s secret, but they decided not to. Evan may not have been sending out the message in the right way. However, his intentions were pure and were meant for the greater good. 

Everyone Matters

Evan Hansen went from having no confidence to gaining more confidence than he could handle. However, his journey helped him evolve into an overall better person. His attitude was more on the positive side, he was nicer to everyone and appreciated life more. The purpose of this story was to show that you don’t need to be popular in order to be appreciated. This story shows that no one should be disregarded and that everyone matters. That’s one of the reasons I chose this particular production for my first review. I wanted to show my readers that everyone is important, and that popularity is no obstacle.

Laughter and Tears

What other people think is not important, it’s what you think about yourself, that’s important. I have been lucky enough to see this production twice, and every time I see it gets better. Everyone, including me, cried during the emotional scenes and laughed during the comedic scenes. The emotions I was feeling took me for a continuous roller coaster ride, and still, affect me today. The story obviously affected me a lot and made the experience an unforgettable one. This production definitely has a special place in my heart, however, I need to address a forever discussed debate.

Who is the best Evan Hansen, Ben Platt, Michael Lee Brown, Taylor Trench or Noah Galvin?

Answer: Michael Lee Brown

Reason: Although Michael Lee Brown only got to perform as Evan Hansen during matinees, (afternoon showtimes), he completely perfected the role of Evan. When I would see clips of Ben Platt perform or Taylor Trench perform, they were both very precise and effective with their acting. However, when I saw Noah Galvin perform he did not convince me that he was Evan Hansen, I just could not see it. Now, the reason I chose Michael Lee Brown over all of the previous actors who have played Evan Hansen, is because of his powerful voice, and incredible emotion and energy he brought into the show. This is my personal opinion, but in reality, they are all very good actors and singers, it’s just that personally, Michael Lee Brown stood out to me.

Overall, Dear Evan Hansen will always have a place in the hearts of all people who have gotten a chance to watch it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you are as excited as I am for the next part of this series.