It must be seen to be believed." ADAM FELDMAN, TIME OUT NEW YORK. I think that was really what I took away from it, and its interesting that Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook did a 6,000-word essay about this, essentially saying that the solution to an over-Facebook of the world is more Facebook. But yet he goes along with it, he goes along with the lie. She acts a lot older than she is. Thats why I think its a character. Its like somebody without skin. People bring whatever they have themselves or they know about to him, but hes lonely and isolated. Nobody in this world wants or rather, everybody wants to believe the story that he tells. We have people from the age Well, we werent able to take people, I think, under the age of 18, but these people are from the age of 18 to the age of 80, from all over the country and actually all over the world, and theyre in our show. Then you Snapchat though, that was interesting of course I noticed that, of course its Snapchat. SL: That was our initial Just thinking about the story, we knew that that was the easy obvious way of doing social media and of telling the story would be to poke fun at our using this technology to post as something that were not, but we felt like that was obvious. The new single "Found/Tonight," arranged by Alex . jennyjenrose. Dear Evan Hansen has struck a chord with audiences and critics everywhere, including The Washington Post who says Dear Evan Hansen is, "Theatrical magic.One of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history." The New York Times calls it "a breathtaking knockout of a musical."And NBC Nightly News declares the musical, "an anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond." SL: Yes. SM: The extraordinary thing that happened with this show right from our very first production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., was that people organically found us. SM: I just think its an incredible conversation starter, and when you start talking about these things, all kinds of good can come from it, not just in terms of being mindful, and maybe youre too disconnected from the world by being on your phones, but also, we have issue of loneliness, and people bring what theyre going through to the show, so mental illness, suicide prevention. They have their 28th anniversary revivals of that. YouTube seems to be. Evan was the beginning of our story. Then there are those moments where it goes quiet, which is those are generally the emotional moments in the show. This is in the song "Sincerely, Me". If you have the good fortune to become successful, you do become something more, but the essence of it is sitting in that theater. Of course, they still owe one to common, be entertained. That may be something else I would pay money for, but for me SL: But its different. What begins as a little white lie becomes a way of comforting this family. I was a journalist first. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. On Broadway. Do you imagine a future where that doesnt have to be what we do, like tape it and make it? At the behest of his therapist, Evan, an anxiety-ridden 17-year-old high schooler, writes a pop-psychology pep talk in the form of a . A speech Evan writes about Connor then goes viral. I think that is the beauty of Stevens writing. Theres not a night where I dont shed a tear sometimes at a song, Im surprised, that never made me cry before. SM: Its actually so much simpler then that. Jared is also our truth teller. Sometimes, lessons were learned, and youre like, Oh.. But they want to continue the relationship. Silence. The gauzy white glow of the screen illuminates the face of Evan Hansen, sitting at a desk with a hard cast on. Thank you so much for making it. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Do you not put stuff online? Do you know what I mean, like thats what we got. START. SL: Never send an email when youre angry has been the best lesson. SM: Think about this, Steven, if they do a revival of this show in 25 years, they could do it in a retro way with no projections. SL: No. Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a high school student suffering from extreme social anxiety whose desperate desire for acceptance leads him into a web of lies following the tragic death of a . Today is going to be a good day, and here's why; because today, no matter what else you are you. He has social anxiety, which shapes his personality throughout the musical. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Is it this one square mile abroad or whatever? Its not what I would have done when I was a kid. They look happy as ever. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Also, don't worry if . Heres whats actually happening. SL: Thats been a constant negotiation with how specific do we want the technology. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never . Its fascinating. But also confident that's important and . We felt like we actually hadnt seen a lot of theater doing that. His life is compounded by the fact that he has social anxiety, although I think we have found that people look at him and bring their own problems to him. SL: Then there are a lot of expressionistic approaches to the internet, which is like fractured images and text. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. his left arm, facing the screen, alone. If you go on Instagram, youll see all sorts of drawings and poems and songs. The ensemble cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani . I mean, of course its the heart of Any show with heart does resonate, and obviously, it becomes a phenomenon. Now, that mosaic as we call it in our key art is all 100 percent our fans faces. SL: Exactly. Why do you think this resonated? That problem, its the plot point. If you haven't seen it, let me attempt to briefly summarize the show's somewhat unbelievable plot. Talk about how you got to Dear Evan Hansen which, by the way, I dont want to call it the Hamilton of this season, but it kind of is. But once she gets on the blog, she blossoms. One of our founding members Tom Stevenson gives his rendition of this modern monologue taken from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen. We were just talking about that idea. Whats the worst social media thing youve done? SM: We dont have a current plan to do that. Oh very much, so no matter what you do People bringing, its like an old Seinfeld episode, remember? Ben Platt, playing an anxious teenager . How long does it ? Today in the red chairs are Stacey Mindich and Steven Levenson, the producer and book writer of Dear Evan Hansen. Its a musical about a high school student with social anxiety disorder struggling to connect with people around him, including his crush, Zoe, and her social outcast brother Connor. What happens? 21 terms. It's also come under fire for an irresponsible portrayal of mental health . I think whats interesting about the fake news is clearly, facts dont work to dispel it. SM: Waving Through a Window is the telephone song from Bye Bye Birdie, without a doubt. I think she is an incredible depiction of contemporary motherhood, whether you're a single mom or not, busy, under pressure, trying . SL: There is something about Hamilton being a prime example of, there is something so old-fashioned about it, and yet something that is drawing people to it that I think has to do with seeing actors right there in front of you, seeing them sweat, seeing them spit, feeling like you were having this visceral experience in this room, and theres something quite special and intimate about that. Your show, which you cant get tickets to or someone in Kansas cant see it, some lonely teenager, its a very different thing that you could instead of reaching How many people fit in your theater every night? You didnt have the answer, which was, I was like, Remember when you didnt have the answer, and you just argue, you get drunk, and that was it? That was the entire thing. "Dear Evan Hansen" is a high school musical, but one in which the loneliness and pain of teen life is front and center, and the sense of isolation intensified in today's social media world. Evan Hansen, through Val Emmich's ( The Reminders) skillful interpretation, is a complex, well-developed character whose struggles with depression and anxiety read painfully true. SL: He is Evans family friend in quotes, which according to Jared means theyre not really friends. Chloe? Its about a high school student with a social anxiety disorder and a problem with the internet. Youll have it. It means, Do your homework, brush your teeth. Getting back to how you do theater, do you feel good about theater now that people ? SL: Yes, Rent was very big for all three of us. And interesting. SL: It feels like what all those fake news things are hitting on is a true emotion that people are feeling. I thought it was going to be an attack on technology, which I dont mind by the way, but it was really smart. It led to offline, which was interesting. And interesting. Thats a very good play, or a delicate flower. When I was talking to Jeffrey Seller, and he said that he thought that online had so much to do, the conversation thats just continued on and on and on about this show. I can only tell you the funny story that we all just do things too quickly, and we make silly mistakes all the time. Thats what I really appreciate is it wasnt an attack. SL: Sarah Ruhl, the playwright, had a play called Dead Mans Cell Phone, where she had a line where she said, The only two places that are safe from cellphones now are theaters and churches.. People want to feel something. That requires a series of readings, workshops and developmental productions outside of Broadway to really see what you have and to learn from audiences and all of that. Right. They might after hearing this. I recommend it. As Steven said earlier, they write to us in droves. Dear Evan Hansen. Dear Evan Hansen poster. SM: Its so universal, because I think we all feel that way. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why: because because today, all you have to do is just be yourself. She is a child that has grown up out of the spotlight because her brother took up so much of the oxygen. Its quite extraordinary. I think what took so long from launch to the Music Box Theatre was actually eight years but it was crafting of what we call our underlying rights. Were talking right now to Stacey Mindich and Steve Levenson, the producer and book writer of the hit show on Broadway, Dear Evan Hansen. When we get back, well talk about where theater is going as we move forward in the digital age. Stephen Chbosky's adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, based on the Broadway show of the same name, features a beautiful soundtrack.The 2021 movie cut several songs from the Broadway show and added a few new ones, but overall, the musical's tone is not affected by these changes. You dont know theyre happy. Then a week later, two of them divorced. SL: Larry and Cynthia and Zoe, who is their daughter and Connors sister, are all really And Evan Hansen probably more who really SL: Yes exactly. Technology is the oxygen of the world now. He has a single mom who is trying her best, but not perhaps succeeding. SL: Yes, and Cynthia is still, I think, struggling and fighting and searching for a way to get through to him, whereas Larry has by the time the show started just written him off, and so has Zoe. Im like, I told you.. Letter #6: Evan Hansen. 22. Where else do you actually have to put your phone away? Riding the wave . And intellig but, just be yourself!! Then at the same time, when you have this going, this fake news and where it leads to, how do we get back to community? . Youll have it in your eyes. Is that your name? There is feeling like Its disturbing how real it feels. Evan Hansen. Talk about the other characters, the mothers, both parents. SM: That was never meant to be literal, because we hope the show will live for many years, and these things may become dinosaurs. You will never regret having slept on it. That is an event. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. That song is about isolation and about being on the outside looking in, which a lot of musicals are about really, but this one had a really big element of what social media does to us, and that was a very big plot point in the play. Despite its Broadway credentials, "Dear Evan Hansen" hits screens faced with an inherent tension: Can its songs and cast, led by Ben Platt reprising his Tony-winning role, overcome the . Shes always trying to help people. DEAR EVAN HANSEN is "the most vital and important musical of a generation" (Daily Mail, Baz Bamigboye) with "a raw, relevant and exhilarating score" (BBC Radio London, Jonathan Phang) from the songwriters of The Greatest Showman and La La Land.. A timely and timeless new musical about struggling to connect in a hyperconnected world, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the winner of 3 Olivier Awards . When Dear Evan Hansen premiered on Broadway in 2016, it drew near-universal praise from New York's theater critics. Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing and changing us. Filled with a murderer's row of talented musical actors all chewing into meaty roles while singing their hearts out, Dear Evan Hansen is an ode to sincerity . The only thing I knew about Dear Evan Hansen before this point was that the main character had a broken arm. Rent was one of those choices, and Angels in America I would say, probably, are two shows that the conversation had to continue after. He is, within his opening monologue, portrayed beautifully and poignantly as somebody who is literally on the outside looking in as you can imagine on social media, but also in life. Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Over the last several years, people have grown a little tired of that I think, and theres a real hunger for art thats sincere and that is heart-filled. Thats why people get frustrated. Phone numbers were never meant to protect or identify us, but we use them to do that all the time. SM: Heidi Hansen, yeah, Evans mom. Or even knowing phone numbers, but thats another thing. Whereas if you adapt a musical into a film, or adapt it into a TV series or a VR, then it becomes that. They dont ever have to say to the mother, Hi, its Danny. It is. SL: Absolutely. SM: Well, its good to hear you say that. Being as authentic as possible, realistic, organic, the way that you can depict things on the stage, the projections we have on our show are not something you would have seen in a show even two or three years ago. Maybe that does feel retro, but its something that people are missing. Letter #5: Connor Murphy to Evan Hansen. I hope it goes Is it coming to San Francisco? SM: Terrible, terrible, but no, were in a tiny theater really, and we very much want people to come and see us. You had the memories of when you saw it, when you didnt feel acquainted, but you couldnt revive those feelings. Jared is often the voice of the audience, pointing out what were thinking, so he serves a really interesting and useful purpose. Dear Evan Hansen is a 2021 American coming-of-age musical film directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Steven Levenson, based on the stage musical of the same name by Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. This show is really depicting the way we live in America now, the way we are at our breakfast tables with our families. Dear Evan Hansen Monologue. Giving a speech at Connor's memorial assembly, Evan soon shoots to fame, the Connor Project growing after his speech is put online, many people empathizing with Evan's words. Dear Evan Hansen:It turns out, this wa. He finds a family with them. The authors adapted the novel from the original Broadway musical of the same name, which they also wrote. This is fake news, either of you. Ive met Alana a hundred times. I do think, though, that the weird thing about social media is weve all become high schoolers now.