Review: Dear Evan Hansen

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Dear Evan Hansen.
Dear Evan Hansen has been on my 'theatre wish-list' for quite some time now, however due to the popularity of the show tickets have been difficult to get. For every show that I saw during my recent stay in New York City, I booked the tickets on the day of the performance, however Dear Evan Hansen was the one exception to the norm. Due to its popularity, I decided it would be best to book Dear Evan Hansen in advance, allowing me to finally see it! I am glad to report that the wait was worth it.

Dear Evan Hansen follows 17 year old Evan, who has always felt invisible. Invisible to his peers, the girl he loves and sometimes even to his own mother. But that all before he wrote 'the letter', which led to the 'incident', that started the lie, which soon ignited a movement which inspired a community and changed Evan's status from the ultimate outsider into the somebody everyone wants to know. But how long can Evan keep his secret and at what price? It is a very powerful and moving story that covers a wide range of exceedingly important topics, particularly those that face the younger generation. Some of the issues featured within the play include depression, anxiety, suicide, dysfunctional families and social media. All of these subjects are portrayed both realistically and thoughtfully; the book, by Steven Levenson is exceptionally well written. I imagine that almost every audience member will relate with the characters of Dear Evan Hansen in one way or another. Additionally, I am also certain that everybody who watches this show will take away something different from it; there are dozens upon dozens of messages that this musical gives its audience. The story of Dear Evan Hansen is truly and utterly beautiful.

The angelic score of Dear Evan Hansen was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who earned the Tony Award for 'Best Original Score' in 2017 for their ingenious music and lyrics. The score contains some very poignant ballads, as well as some utterly heartfelt lyrics. Among my favourite lyrics are those to the song 'You Will Be Found', where Evan sings 'Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you. And when you're broken on the ground... you will be found". 'You Will Be Found' is one of the best musical numbers of the show, along with ' Waving Through a Window', 'For Forever' and 'Disappear'. 

Taylor Trensch recently took over the role of Evan Hansen, however on Wednesday matinees an alternate performs the role, and as a result I had the delight of seeing Michael Lee Brown in the role. Brown is excellent in the role, displaying barrels of raw emotion throughout the duration of the show. As Evan Hansen's crush Zoe Murphy is Mallory Bechtel, who stepped into this role on July 31st. For the role of Zoe, Bechtel has created a good characterisation, clearly displaying the vulnerability of the character. In the role of Heidi Hansen is Broadway veteran Lisa Brescia, who joined the cast on August 7th. Brescia excels as Heidi, and similar to Brown she too displays large amounts of raw emotion. The highlight of her performance comes during the number of 'So Big/So Small', which was heartbreakingly beautiful. A special mention must also be given to Alex Boniello as Connor Murphy, who I personally felt stole the show. Boniello perfectly captures the pain and suffering that Connor faces. The struggles that Conner faces are clear, and yet Boniello still does so subtly.

The featured star of Dear Evan Hansen is, drum roll please... ALEX BONIELLO!

Alex Boniello is my chosen featured star due to the way he tactfully dealt with the struggles that Connor Murphy faces throughout Dear Evan Hansen. The character is deeply disturbed with a glimmer of sadness, which Boniello captured perfectly.

Now for my final verdict on Dear Evan Hansen. I give Dear Evan Hansen...

Dear Evan Hansen boasts a very well-written book, a beautiful score and a tremendous cast; it is more than deserving of its four star rating.

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer