As the third quarter approached and another SAMO due date began to creep up on me, I knew I had to begin thinking about what I wanted to go out into the world and experience. Since I am heavily involved in our school’s theatre program, I was lucky enough to tag along with my theatre friends and see the Tony Award-winning musical, “Dear Evan Hansen” at the James M. Nederlander Theatre downtown. I had seen it previously two years ago in New York but was ecstatic to see it again because it’s my all-time favorite musical.  Because we went with such a large group, I was beyond lucky enough to get a balcony ticket for $45. My family also tagged along to come to see it with me.

One of my favorite things about live theatre is the true ambiance and environment that comes with it. Immediately while turning the corner onto Randolph Street, the bright blue marquee caught my eye. As I began to take my seat, I was hit with many of the sights and sounds that come with seeing a live theatre performance: the chatter of the audience members, the orchestra tuning. Because “Dear Evan Hansen” is very centered around social media and the effect that it can have on our generation, there are sounds of text/call alerts as well as the iconic sound of an iPhone keyboard being typed on.

The beautiful, bright blue marquee for “Dear Evan Hansen”

The show opens with Evan Hansen, a 17-year-old with a severe social anxiety disorder, sitting on his bed typing a letter to himself as recommended by his therapist. His mom encourages him to write these letters, and we then learn that she is rarely home because her job as a nurse is so demanding. Throughout the letter, he touches on his social anxiety and the kind of baggage that comes with having a social disorder. He talks about how he is in love with a girl named Zoe Murphy, who is a year younger than him, but because he is so shy, he has never been brave enough to talk to her. We also see that Evan is in a cast, and claims that he broke his arm after falling off of a tree at his job at a national park.

Evan runs into Connor Murphy, Zoe’s brother. Connor is an outcast, doesn’t have any friends and is constantly made fun of. He notices Evan’s cast and that no one has signed it, so he writes “CONNOR” across the whole width. Later, Evan is in the computer lab printing out one of the letters he wrote to himself when Connor picks it up to bring it to him. However, Connor reads the letter, he sees the name “Zoe” and starts to freak out because he thinks it’s creepy. He then takes the letter and runs off.

The intricate yet simple set

In the next scene, Evan gets called down to the principal’s office and enters the room to see Connor and Zoe’s parents sitting down. Evan and the audience are informed that Connor had killed himself the night before and that the only thing left that they have of him is the letter that he took. Since the letter says “Dear Evan Hansen…”, his parents are inclined to think that Connor actually wrote the letter to Evan himself. Evan tries to explain that he was the one who wrote the letter and not Connor, but then they see that Connor signed Evan’s cast, and they begin to think that they were friends. Because Evan has severe social anxiety and starts to stress out, he blurts out that he and Connor were actually best friends.

As the plot progresses, Evan teams up with Jared and a girl named Alana that goes to school with them to create “The Connor Project”. The intention is to use social media as a platform to keep Connor’s memory alive by asking for donations, increasing awareness about the effect that mental health can have on everybody, and showing people that they are not alone in their struggles; that they will be found.

“Extraordinarily and thrillingly contemporary”

Moving into Act 2, a relationship finally blooms between Evan and Zoe, as Evan is spending nearly every night at the Murphy’s and begins to see them as his real family since his mother is never home to take care of him. However, as the relationship progresses, Evan begins to recognize how truly deep of a hole he has dug. He realizes that the awareness raised from “The Connor Project” is important but lying to a family for this long about a son they just lost starts to become too difficult for him.

In the end, Evan sings a song called “Words Fail” to the Murphy family, where he tells them the truth about the fake friendship, fake emails, and essentially fake life that he had created. Evan was faced with a difficult and ethically challenging choice to make. He could either keep the lie going in hopes of providing continuous closure and a family he always wished for, or he could tell the truth but know that it would break Connor’s family’s heart.

Me and my sister, Emily, standing in front of the eye-catching marquee

I also felt a great sense of disturbance while watching this musical. Maybe it’s because it’s raw, or real, or relatable. Whatever the reason may be, my will to be disturbed was high. Finally, this musical is heavily related to the topic of empathy. The most important thing that I take from this award-winning musical is that you truly never know what people around you are experiencing.

“On another and higher level, it can be related so the listener becomes virtually part of the experience, intensely feels the hurt and pain and despair, and yes, even the hope. The listener can be transformed, as far as words will take him, into the skin or the teller,” (1).

– Sheldon Binn, “The Fire Next Time”

When reading the quote listed above, I immediately thought of how it felt to be an audience member of “Dear Evan Hansen”. Many people in that audience might not know first hand or even second hand what it is like to feel what every character in that musical feels. However, sitting there and becoming engulfed in the story helps the audience to “become virtually part of the experience, intensely feel the hurt and pain and despair, and yes, even the hope,” (The Fire Next Time). It gives them the reality and empathy that they might not get anywhere else.

“Dear Evan Hansen” is an incredible advocate for mental health awareness, and proof that no one deserves to be forgotten or disappear. It shows that no one is truly alone, and there is always someone to lend a helping hand even when it doesn’t seem like it or even when it seems like there is no hope left in the world. In a generation like my own, mental health disorders are becoming increasingly more common, but it’s through shows like these where I believe in my heart that the stigma around mental illness will soon end and significant change will be made.

You Will Be Found.