User:AmberKishihara/sandbox
| Dear Evan Hansen | |
|---|---|
| Music | Benj Pasek Justin Paul |
| Lyrics | Benj Pasek Justin Paul |
| Book | Steven Levenson |
| Premiere | July 10, 2015: Arena Stage, Washington |
| Productions | 2015 Washington 2016 Off-Broadway 2016 Broadway 2018 US Tour 2019 West End |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical Tony Award for Best Original Score Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics Obie Award for Musical Theatre Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Production Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical Laurence Olivier Award for Best Original Score or New Orchestrations |
Dear Evan Hansen[edit]
Dear Evan Hansen is a musical. The music and lyrics were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.[1] There is also a book based on the musical, written by Steven Levenson. Its debut was in July 2015 at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.. It opened on Broadway in December 2016 at the Music Box Theatre. The musical was nominated for nine awards and won six at the 71st Tony Awards. Among the six were the Best Musical and the Best Score awards.
Plot[edit]
Act One[edit]
The main character is Evan Hansen, a senior in high school with social anxiety and a broken arm. He writes a letter to himself, which is what his therapist recommended him to do. It's the first day of school, and his mom, Heidi, suggests that he ask the people there to sign his cast. The focus shifts to the Murphy family: Cynthia and Larry, and their two kids, Connor and Zoe. Cynthia thinks her family is falling apart, Heidi wants to know how to better connect with her son ("Anybody Have A Map?").
At school, Evan meets with Alana and Jared. Neither of them sign his cast. Evan then crosses paths with Connor, who pushes Evan to the ground because he thinks Evan is making fun of him. Connor's sister, Zoe, comes to Evan and apologizes for her brother's actions. Evan has a crush on Zoe, but his awkwardness keeps him from saying the things he wants to say to Zoe. He wonders if he will always be an outcast. ("Waving Through a Window")
Evan writes another letter to himself. He talks about Zoe and how all his hope is in her, because only she brings him happiness ("Waving Through a Window (Reprise #1)"). He runs into Connor again, who signs his cast. Connor sees Evan's letter and thinks that Evan is making fun of him again, at the mention of Zoe. Connor storms away with the letter. Evan relates his interaction with Connor to Jared and worries about his letter ("Waving Through a Window (Reprise #2)").
Days later, Evan is called into the principal's office, where he meets Cynthia and Larry Murphy. They tell him that Connor has committed suicide. They had found his letter in Connor's pocket. They think that it is Connor's suicide letter to Evan. They see his name on Evan's cast and think that they were friends. Evan, flustered and anxious, does not deny the wrong assumptions.
Evan goes to the Murphy's house for dinner. Jared had told him to go along with it, even though Evan barely knew Connor. Evan is uncomfortable and doesn't know what to say, so he lies. He tells the Murphys that he and Connor were best friends, and that they used to email each other through secret accounts. He makes up a story about how he broke his arm, saying that Connor was with him when he fell from a tree at an abandoned apple orchard the Murphys used to go to ("For Forever").
To support the lies Evan made, Jared helps him create fake email conversations as proof of Evan and Connor's friendship ("Sincerely, Me"). Evan shows the emails to the Murphys. Cynthia is overjoyed that her son had a close friend. Larry is hurt that Connor didn't appreciate his family. Zoe doesn't want to mourn for her brother's death ("Requiem"). She asks Evan why she was mentioned in Evan's letter, which she think is Connor's. Evan lies and tells Zoe the reasons he loves her, disguising them as reasons Connor had given him ("If I Could Tell Her").
Evan, Alana, and Jared found "The Connor Project" to keep the memory of Connor alive. The Murphys support the idea ("Disappear"). Evan gives an inspirational speech during the launch of The Connor Project. It goes viral. Zoe thanks Evan for the impact he made ("You Will Be Found").
Act Two[edit]
Alana and Evan want to raise $50,000 to reopen the apple orchard. Evan is spending time with Zoe and her family, and neglects his own family, Jared, and his responsibilities with The Connor Project ("Sincerely, Me (Reprise)"). Larry tells Evan about his relationship with Connor and gives him a baseball glove ("To Break In A Glove"). Zoe tells Evan that she wants their relationship to be about the two of them and not about Connor ("Only Us").
Heidi finds out about the lies Evan has made. Evan fights with her and tells her that he likes being with the Murphy family. He says that Heidi is never there for him, while the Murphys are. Alana finds that some things in the fake emails (which she thinks are real) don't match up. Jared threatens to expose Evan's lies ("Good For You"). Evan decides that he needs to tell the Murphys the truth. An imaginary Connor tries to talk him out of it. He tells Evan about all that he will lose ("For Forever (Reprise)").
Evan shows Alana his letter and says that it is Connor's suicide note. Alan posts it online and it goes viral. People begin condemning the Murphy family, saying that they were the cause of Connor's suicide ("You Will Be Found (Reprise)"). Evan tells the Murphys the truth about the lies he made and deals with the consequences ("Words Fail"). His mother sees the posted letter and knows that it was Evan's letter. He admits that his fall from the tree was a suicide attempt. She apologizes to him for not seeing his hurt. She promises that she will always be there for him when he needs her ("So Big, So Small").
A year later, Evan meets with Zoe in the apple orchard, which had been reopened. He apologizes for everything, and she forgives him. Evan mentally writes one last letter to himself, reflecting about the impact he had on his community. He finally accepts himself ("Finale").
Roles and principal casts[edit]
Cast[edit]
| Character | May Reading (2014) |
July Reading (2014) |
September Reading (2014) |
March Workshop & Washington, D.C. (2015) |
Off-Broadway (2016) |
Original Broadway Cast (2016) |
Original US Tour Cast (2018) |
Original West End Cast (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Hansen[2] | Ben Platt | Ben Levi Ross | Sam Tutty | |||||
| Heidi Hansen[2] | Rachel Bay Jones | Jessica Phillips | Rebecca McKinnis | |||||
| Zoe Murphy[2] | Barrett Wilbert Weed | Laura Dreyfuss | Maggie McKenna | Lucy Anderson | ||||
| Cynthia Murphy[2] | Jennifer Laura Thompson | Christiane Noll | Lauren Ward | |||||
| Larry Murphy[2] | Michael Park | John Dossett | Michael Park | Aaron Lazar | Rupert Young | |||
| Connor Murphy[2] | Will Pullen | Mike Faist | Marrick Smith | Doug Colling | ||||
| Alana Beck[2] | Erin Wilhelmi | Emily Walton | Kristolyn Lloyd | Alexis Molnar | Kristolyn Lloyd | Phoebe Koyabe | Nicole Raquel Dennis | |
| Jared Kleinman[2] | Alex Wyse | Will Roland | Jared Goldsmith | Jack Loxton | ||||
Notable Broadway cast replacements[edit]
- Evan Hansen: Noah Galvin,[3] Taylor Trensch,[3] Andrew Barth Feldman,[4] Jordan Fisher[5]
- Zoe Murphy: Mallory Bechtel[6]
- Heidi Hansen: Lisa Brescia,[7] Jessica Phillips
- Connor Murphy: Alex Boniello[8]
Characters[edit]
- Evan Hansen – A high school senior with social anxiety.
- Heidi Hansen – Evan's mother, a nurse's aide who attends night school.
- Zoe Murphy – Connor's younger sister and Evan's longtime crush.
- Cynthia Murphy – Connor and Zoe's stay-at-home mother.
- Larry Murphy – Connor and Zoe's father.
- Connor Murphy – A high school senior who is a social outcast and a frequent drug user.
- Alana Beck – Evan's melodramatic classmate.
- Jared Kleinman – Evan's sarcastic friend.
Musical numbers[edit]
|
|
*Not included on the Original Broadway Cast Recording
References[edit]
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (May 1, 2016). "Review: 'Dear Evan Hansen' Puts a Twist on Teenage Angst". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stage Tube. "How Evan Was Found: A Detailed History of DEAR EVAN HANSEN". Broadway World. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ a b Deb, Sopan (August 22, 2017). "'Dear Evan Hansen' Names Replacements for Ben Platt". The New York Times.
- ^ Paulson, Michael (2019-01-16). "He's 16 Going On Stardom: Meet Broadway's Next 'Evan Hansen'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
- ^ "DWTS Champ Jordan Fisher to Play Title Role in Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen: See the First Photo". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 31, 2018). "Mallory Bechtel Joins Cast of Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen July 31". Playbill. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan; Gans, Andrew (August 7, 2018). "Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen Welcomes Wicked and Mamma Mia! Alum Lisa Brescia August 7". Playbill. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ "Alex Boniello Joins DEAR EVAN HANSEN, Mike Faist and Will Roland to Play Final Performances". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.