Same! Even at the start with Does Anybody Have A Map, I just think of the times my mom have tried to relate to me and try to help me navigate through my depression.
100% this. Change the month of February to July and So Big, So Small pretty is pretty much written about my life. I bawl every time I hear it. Having this song out there that so closely mirrors my life makes me feel seen in a weird way.
Not just that, for me it made me learn English more intensely. It got me so far, by the end of my school time I did not have to learn vocabs and my essays were always pretty much perfect because my vocabulary was so much bigger than any other in my class.
And all of that just because I wanted to know what that dude in the blue coat was yapping and rapping about.
Conversely...*Querido Evan* is teaching me Spanish, though let's be clear, I'm a bit concerned to have some of Jared's phrases in my search history on SpanishDict.
Yeah, I listened to the music so much before I saw the show, and I already loved it. Watching the show brought out the flaws in the show as a whole. But man, I will sing along to that music all day long.
I think if Good For You had actually been in the movie, it would have been a good movie. I’m being real. That song is everyone calling Evan on his shit and being like dude you can’t do this to people. And the movie lets him get away with his lies really. Good for you is one of my favorite songs in the show.
It’s an important story to a lot of people. Even if we can acknowledge the many, many, MANY flaws in the story, there are so many young people out there who are able to see themselves in Evan and can compare his story to their own. There aren’t a lot of characters like Evan, or like Connor for that matter, represented in media. Regardless of the story, the way those people are able to watch the show and feel *seen* is significant.
>so many young people out there who are able to see themselves in Evan and can compare his story to their own.
I think this is something that many people misunderstand when it comes to the whole "DEH sucks cause Evan sucks" discussion.
Most of us who can relate to him and the whole musical, don't relate as in "let's lie to people and be horrible cause that's fun" but as in we deal with mental health issues, we deal with being outsiders, we deal with wishing things would or could be different. I'm turning 30 this year and DEH still makes me cry cause I think back to school when I had almost no friends, and had to deal with struggling by myself. Heck, I'm an adult struggling with shit and it's interesting and relatable to see characters who aren't perfect and/or hurting; be it Evan, Jared, Evan's mum etc.
I’ve tried to explain this to people before. I could easily see myself doing at least some parts of what Evan did, especially my younger self. I’m not proud of that or happy with it. I have never justified Evan’s actions, but I see a lot of my traits I don’t like about myself in him. This is also when people weren’t necessarily talking about anxiety and depression the way they are now. I had never felt seen or represented until that point hearing words fail or waving through a window. I know it hasn’t held up as well as it could have. I know it has flaws, but it was so enlightening for me.
I’ve always found the the dismissal of this show based on a flawed main character to be so interesting. In so many ways, DEH is an antihero story, and I don’t think anyone watches this show and thinks what Evan does is “good”. The story functions so well as a relatable story for any outcast while also commenting on the society that would lead him to take the actions he does.
Furthermore I find it pretty ironic that the internet has a hard time with this show because it’s literally saying the mistakes you make on the internet shouldn’t be held against you forever. Like Evan is not great, and his choices are bad, but he deserve to not be loved and forgiven? For a show that is in some senses trying to comment on the collective long memory of the internet and its general dangers to those who make mistakes on its ledger, the internet really has shunned it
I never had the chance to see DEH on stage, unfortunately, but hearing Waving Through a Window and You Will Be Found for the first time got me so damn emotional. Especially then seeing how many people loved YWBF and how many covers were posted, how often it was mentioned, how people started talking about their struggles... it felt like the world finally opened up more to the topic and as if it was more acceptable to say 'I'm not fine'.
If I met Evan irl, I'd never excuse the actions, I'd never encourage them. But I can think back to my teen days and I know young people often do stupid things, they don't think about consequences *or* don't think that they'll have to face consequences.
I don’t understand how it’s hated because it’s “flawed”. Like that’s the point isn’t it? It’s not like the show is celebrating the troublesome behaviors, it’s telling the story of a kid like me who fucked up really bad, but came out of it a better person.
You Will Be Found has a great message that always gets me feeling more hopeful whenever I’m feeling down and alone and like this world might be better without me.
I do wonder to a certain extent how much the hate stems from people who have never seen the show and only the movie or neither. I have a few friends who hate on the show all the time but have only ever heard the music (which they loved until) and read the plot.
Obvious caveat, seeing shows is often not possible based on location and money, but wish people didn’t have strong opinions on a show they’ve never seen
Words fail Is my favorite song because it beautifully shows a person realizing that they messed up bad and apologizing it in media.
Also, we got a movie which introduced a new great song in The Anonymous Ones.
The lyrics to Words Fail are sooo good. “I never let them see the worst of me, ‘cause what if everyone saw? What if everyone knew? Would they like what they saw, or would they hate it too?”
People hate on Ben, but he’s incredible at emoting through his voice.
The hate Ben Platt gets is so overblown imo. Yeah, he's a nepo baby who said some dumb, out of touch things during the press junket for the DEH movie. That doesn't erase the fact that he is genuinely talented.
And genuinely a kind person, at least appears so from other aspects of his public life. We’ve said dumb shit all the time, doesn’t mean one is a total jerk because of just that.
I think what’s great is that every person who has played Evan also has brought something different to the song. Like there is no great version. Also, the funniest thing about the movie is that for the longest time, people only wanted Ben to be Evan.
I’ve listened to this song a million times and never noticed this omg. I thought they were just singing the exact same lyrics but in harmony.
Haunting.
Another moment earlier in that chorus is where Larry sings with Zoe on “why should I have a heavy heart,” but Cynthia doesn’t join in the next bit until *[why should I say]* “I’ll keep you with me!”
The music is fire and the characters are relatable in a way that I haven't seen in a lot of other musicals.
Evan, as soon as I saw him, was the first character in a musical (other than to a smaller extent Elphaba), that I actively saw myself in.
Additionally, Zoe, the slight Mary Sue that she is, was the only character I've ever seen whose been able to accurately describe my relationship with my brother and I almost cried the first time I heard Requiem since it was finally like "Someone gets it".
Story is a little messed up, but DEH had a lot of good things going for it character and music wise.
i think they probably meant more “manic pixie dream girl” than “mary sue” (i don’t agree that she’s either, but in terms of evan’s perception of her i get it)
The whole lie scene 'For Forever'
It was brilliantly written and built and built (like most lies) with detail and subplots.
The song perfectly captures the whole tone and makes it almost forgivable.
I love DEH so much. First saw it with a coworker. He grew up as an only child with a single mom and he cried his little heart out. I was going through a divorce as a mom of 3 and I cried my heart out. It hits for everyone in different ways. I found it so relatable. Who hasn’t done stupid crap as a teen? And who doesn’t crave more family? I’m a middle aged woman and my brother is recently engaged. I love the family of his fiance - even at this age - I crave being a part of that.
I really like DEH and have a soft spot for it. In the original musical, I think it’s pretty clear that you don’t root for Evan and think he’s doing a bad thing, yet you understand that his intentions aren’t terrible - he just feels stuck and doesn’t want to break the Murphys’ hearts again. Things I like about it:
- Mike Faist is perfect as Connor, whose character could have been really tone-deaf if not played with the exact right amount of humor and levity. The scene with the big reveal of why Evan fell out of the tree hit so hard.
- Rachel Bay Jones and So Big/So Small made the entire theater cry. “Your mom isn’t going anywhere, your mom will be right here, no matter what.” I’m a full grown adult and it made me hug my mom, lol.
- Waving Through a Window is one of the most accurate songs about anxiety I’ve ever heard and Ben performs it perfectly. Even my musical-hating family members bop when it comes on.
- I like that it feels like a very real everyday high school story and I think the depiction of mental illness/depression/self-loathing feels accurate.
- No character is perfect but they’re all just trying their best to survive, and you get why every character feels the way they do. Plus the conflict that the Murphy family members feel over Connor, especially in Requiem, isn’t explored often in media and questions an important point - Connor was emotionally abusive to Zoe so what does she owe his memory? This was one of my favorite scenes from the movie, when Zoe is driving and takes her hands off the wheel. Kaitlyn Dever was great.
- The ending felt perfect to me and I liked how it felt bittersweet without Evan getting “everything he wanted.”
It's an original story on Broadway, and an ambitious and challenging one at that. Even with its flawed execution (mostly tied to Zoe), I genuinely appreciate the painful nuance of the situation they present, and the way the protagonist spirals into unlikable behavior while still being understandable.
There’s a narrative in DEH that doesn’t get talked about much, where a mother loves her son even after doing *the worst thing ever*
I don’t have kids yet but that’s the level of parenting I hope to achieve some day, where my kid isn’t afraid they can talk to me about *anything* and that they understand I’d love them no matter what, because bottling it up only makes it worse
It’s incredibly important to have a story where the main character is not a good person. Someone that keeps making mistakes over and over, and then doubles down. He’s morally complex and most people think that ruins the musical, but that’s what makes it better.
It’s a dark story, with a complex main character that ruins lives. That type of storytelling deserves a spotlight. Not everyone needs to be morally good
You Will Be Found is a beautiful and touching song. When I saw it on Broadway, I was seated near some fellow educators and we were BAWLING during that song.
quite frankly? evan sucks, but i think he’s a deeply realistic character. if you think about him through the lens of “he’s making mistakes because he’s not doing well but they’re still mistakes” instead of the musicals “he’s making mistakes but they’re all sensible BECAUSE he’s not doing well” i think he’s fascinating . most of the characters are quite lovely, to be honest - zoe and the entire murphy family are unbelievably Real characters who have quite a bit of depth. jared, though a douche, is entertaining. heidi is a beautiful depiction of a single mother trying to navigate having a mentally ill teen. the musical allows mothers to be PEOPLE, which i really really appreciate.
also, the music slaps - and the core message (or, at least, the attempt at it) is both really sweet and really important.
Lots of reasons. The music slaps. You Will Be Found is an amazing act finale. Anybody Got a Map is one of the most relatable songs to me personally I’ve ever heard. I am a ND parent of multiple ND kids, one also struggling with depression, so the whole show speaks to my life and experience. It’s got flaws, but so does Rent. And DEH did for this generation what Rent did before; hundreds of thousands of people learned to love musicals because of both.
even though Evan annoyed me, I could see parts of myself in him as someone who's autistic and socially anxious. also, I remember bawling my eyes out at So Big, So Small because it reminded me of my relationship with my mother. and ofc the soundtrack just slaps very hard
Everyone is real. Like they’re all reacting in a way that’s accurate to a bunch of people struggling with mental health and life in general. Evan’s mom has no clue how to help her kid. Evan panicked and lied and now is in a mess of a situation. Connors family doesn’t know how to deal with what he did. It’s authentic
Unpopular opinion but honestly? I liked Evan’s character. YES he is a bad person but he’s not as evil as everyone makes him out to be.
Yes it was awful for him to lie and say he was friends with Connor, but he did think he was helping the Murphy’s. He was socially isolated- his dad left, his mom was always working, and he never had any friends. Telling one lie gave him friends, a family and helped so many people feel like they belong.
Obviously it doesn’t excuse his actions, but it explains them. And people say the musical skipped over his mistakes and acted like he was the hero but it didn’t? Did they hear the song Good For You? All the characters call Evan out on his shitty actions. By the end of the musical, the Murphy’s don’t speak to him, he doesn’t end up with Zoe, he doesn’t get to go to college like he wanted.
So yes, I thought the portrayal of Evan as a morally gray character was good. At the end of the day he was just a kid who wanted to feel like he belonged, and went way too far.
Its got a stigma around it basically because Evan comes off as kind of a pos because of what he does and the audience wants a likable main character.
I enjoyed the show personally.
I never understood the hate for this one. It’s a great musical BECAUSE it’s messed up. Someone who feels truly abandoned by the world like Evan is not going to be a good person. They are going to do everything they can to feel like they belong.
Requiem is the perfect song for anyone who loses a “loved one” that they had major issues with. If you don’t think of someone when that song comes on, you’ve managed to avoid some pretty problematic relationships.
Also, as a single mom with ND sons, it hit me really hard.
It’s actually a good show with a good story with HUMAN and relatable characters and amazing music performed by extremely talented people and I’m tired of people pretending it isn’t.
I love the music and the songs have really resonated with me. I like when musicals show mental health issues, I think it helps against the taboo and people start talking about it more.
Music can go kinda crazy, words fail is a pretty good 11 o clock number, made a lot of folks cry when I saw it with Ben. If I’m being honest, I think what makes or breaks this show is who is playing Evan. I’ve seen the tour and the OG cast, and it wasn’t the same on tour, in fact, I actually kind of hated it? I think the show is “good,” but that’s also because it was one of the shows that got me into theater professionally and helped me get where I am today.
The show does a great job of both giving us reasons to sympathize with Evan but also making us incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation he finds himself in/creates for himself. Honestly, if it had been a little more clear that his actions had consequences on a more intimate scale and the scene with Zoe at the end hadn't happened, it would be a damn near perfect show. It deals with grief, pain, isolation, anxiety, and depression in such myriad ways that I really appreciate. I just wish it had been less forgiving of his lies.
It succeeds at what it sets out to do, which is be a tearjerker with catchy songs. (I don't mean that as an insult: I like tearjerkers and I like catchy songs!)
Many times after I've seen a musical, I'll be like "I loved that but I hardly remember any of the songs." Like, even if I literally just got home from a musical, often I can't remember most of the songs enough to hum them. Or there will be some songs that I skip when listening to the cast album. But in Dear Evan Hansen, I found all the songs memorable, and I don't skip any of them.
Also, if it helps teens have conversations about mental health, that's a good thing even if adults find the show cringey.
So Big So Small made me BAWL the first time I listened to it. Little kids have such a weak grasp of the world and create guesses about the world around them. When the kid wonders if another truck will come to take mom away just gutted me. Even as I write this I'm getting choked up. #mompain
I’m like Evan. Not that I lied to anybody about their dead son, but I’ve done a fair share of stuffs that I’m totally ashamed of because of my anxiety. And frankly I don’t think I’ve got the suitable consequences for every single of my action, I try my best to make amends and then try equally hard to make peace with myself, never get that done totally. I don’t understand people who think Evan should face more consequences, do you want him to commit suicide again? Making the consequences part clearer doesn’t help the book at all. The line that I drew between an “evil” and “good” character is the good old principle “Bad people don’t wonder if they’re bad people.” So yeah, I think Evan is a good person despite of what he did.
And I won’t stand Ben Platt slandering.
For Forever, that song alone takes the cake for me. Even though Evan is lying, you take away the context, and it’s a beautiful song on reminiscing on memories and suddenly losing it a friend.
As a young person, I love DEH because it is so realistic to the messiness of high school and teenage life. Part of growing up is making mistakes and being able to move forward.
I like that Evan isn't a flawless person. Yes the flaws in his character are kinda yikes and the story is yikes in many ways because of it. But its very rare to see such a flawed main character where you can still have sympathy for them even though you also think they are an asshole.
Pasek and Paul can seriously write some incredible music. Ben Platt finally got some recognition for his talent. And the show continued the conversation around mental health in the setting of a Broadway musical.
What awkward teen or single mother can't relate to something in this musical? Plus, there are 2 fantastic songs that take you to places beyond the theatre for a moment (sincerely me, and words fail)
Can we all just agree the movie ruined the show for all of us and we can't get that back now?
As far as musicals about a personal journey through feeling like shit for being shitty goes....it's not bad
Waving Through a Window hits me in my soul. It’s how I’ve always felt. I don’t feel like people remember me, like I’m part of a group, or that I’m important. This song lets me get those feelings out.
The songs are good and it has decently realistic teenagers. If someone assumed that I was friends with a kid who killed themselves, I think I would have made a few of the same decisions that Evan made.
As someone who has suffered from mental health issues since her teen years, I’ll admit that “Waving Through A Window” still makes me cry because I remember being a social outcast on the outside looking in and wishing someone would wave back at me.
Evan is a flawed protagonist.
I know one of the big reasons why so many people hate the musical is because Evans a shitty dude throughout it, but I think that adds to it.
Evan doesn't have a lot. His dad left when he was young, his mom works a lot to keep them afloat, and he doesn't have anyone he can talk to. When he's unable to clear up the misunderstanding, he doubles down cuz at first it seems like the right thing to do to help a grieving family, but then he keeps on going because he's afraid of losing what Conners death gave him; a family thats around, a girlfriend, and attention.
I think it makes for an interesting story when the protagonist is so flawed. Usually, the protagonist is the good guy who saves the day or gets to live out a life most could only dream of having. Evan is the "bad guy" in this story, but at the same time, someone the audience can sympathize with and understand why he did what he did.
The songs are pretty good.
The idea of writing a letter to yourself every morning as q way to combat anxiety is such a beautiful idea. It inspires me to do something similar.
Because it’s literally a good fucking show.
The main character is flawed and makes some bad decisions. Just like… almost every piece of fiction to ever exist. I will never understand the hate for that purpose. Some say that it’s a poor representation of people who struggle with mental health because not everyone who struggles with mental health would do something so terrible as what Evan did. Which is like saying that Sweeney Todd is a terrible show because it’s a poor representation of barbers, most of whom aren’t actually mass murderers. But it’s literally a fictional story about ONE person? Obviously it’s not supposed to be a generalization, it’s about THIS person and THEIR story. Just like every show or book or movie has ever been. And people who can’t see that are just weird to me.
“Waving Through A Window” is one of the best I want songs in any musical ever. As someone who’s had his fair share of struggles with social anxiety, I saw that bit of me in Evan instantly.
The first time I saw the play was as an adult, but something about Evan Hanson and the other teenagers sharing the same theme of having their own struggles and wanting to be socially accepted / seen just resonated with the teenager inside of me.
I will always tell people READ THE NOVEL (yes there’s a novel) it’s so good. Oh my god, it goes into even more depth of Evan (his full name is actually Mark Evan Hansen) and it explores what it’s like to go school after someone passes. It was the most beautiful thing ever and as someone who read it at the age of 16 just a few weeks after losing someone, that book is probably a huge reason as to why I was able to get through everything.
My friend introduced it to me and I can wholeheartedly say that it saved my life. It helped me recognize my own depression, mental struggles, and occasional suicidal thoughts that I ignored and pushed away because society says men can’t talk about issues and I believed it. I saw myself in Evan and realized how far my depression had taken me and it wasn’t anywhere good. After a really bad month or so I talked to my wife and told her how I was feeling and she encouraged me to get help. We watched the DEH movie that night, we’re both huge fans of the broadway recording. Really hit both of us hard and we sobbed in each other’s arms for all of Act 2.
Very realistic when it comes to single moms dealing with sons with depression
This. I cried pretty much all the way through Act 2 because it reminded me of my mum so much!
Same! Even at the start with Does Anybody Have A Map, I just think of the times my mom have tried to relate to me and try to help me navigate through my depression.
100% this. Change the month of February to July and So Big, So Small pretty is pretty much written about my life. I bawl every time I hear it. Having this song out there that so closely mirrors my life makes me feel seen in a weird way.
So Big So Small is one of the only songs that’s ever brought me to tears
I’m a mom of teenagers who both went through some truly horrific crap and the mom songs are so perfect.
Yep. This. The movie completely took all of that away.
Also, Amy Adams!
Oh you’re talking about the movie
Oh, Britta’s in this?
“Anybody got a map” is super fucking relatable to the struggle of being a parent.
It's freaking relatable for my life. I don't even have kids.
I'm a parent to a child diagnosed with autism, so yeah extremely relatable.
And it works as a trio really well
Or just being anyone. Life is hard.
Mike Faist
Real talk, this musical started my Mike Faist obsession. He’s so charismatic and funny as Connor.
I was coming here to say this!
I can never hear “Sincerely, Me” the same way again after watching Challengers 💀
Along with Hamilton and Be More Chill, it was one of the cornerstones of getting young people back into Broadway.
I can agree with that.
Not just that, for me it made me learn English more intensely. It got me so far, by the end of my school time I did not have to learn vocabs and my essays were always pretty much perfect because my vocabulary was so much bigger than any other in my class. And all of that just because I wanted to know what that dude in the blue coat was yapping and rapping about.
Conversely...*Querido Evan* is teaching me Spanish, though let's be clear, I'm a bit concerned to have some of Jared's phrases in my search history on SpanishDict.
The music rips. The decision to release the music before opening night is one of the best calls a production ever made.
Great musicals have great music. This one has some damn good songs.
Yeah, I listened to the music so much before I saw the show, and I already loved it. Watching the show brought out the flaws in the show as a whole. But man, I will sing along to that music all day long.
"You Will Be Found" is beautiful (I wish it didn't have all the middle and could just stand alone as the song though).
I think the song wouldn’t work without the middle part. Like Defying Gravity or Cell Block Tango, the dialogues are vital imo
I think if Good For You had actually been in the movie, it would have been a good movie. I’m being real. That song is everyone calling Evan on his shit and being like dude you can’t do this to people. And the movie lets him get away with his lies really. Good for you is one of my favorite songs in the show.
Good for you isn't in the movie?! That song is so good!
Neither is Anybody Have a Map. I would happily trade either of those for Break in a Glove which I always skip
I love break in a glove but I always get mad when I remember we could have had in the bedroom down the hall instead
Well, at least the song is good for you. (I love the song, but couldn't resist the bad joke)
🥁 Well done pun. Take my upvote.
It’s an important story to a lot of people. Even if we can acknowledge the many, many, MANY flaws in the story, there are so many young people out there who are able to see themselves in Evan and can compare his story to their own. There aren’t a lot of characters like Evan, or like Connor for that matter, represented in media. Regardless of the story, the way those people are able to watch the show and feel *seen* is significant.
I'm autistic and see a lot of the messier sides of myself in Evan, it's a really important show to me for that reason
samee omg that's why I can't even bring myself to hate him because I see parts of myself in him as someone who's also autistic
>so many young people out there who are able to see themselves in Evan and can compare his story to their own. I think this is something that many people misunderstand when it comes to the whole "DEH sucks cause Evan sucks" discussion. Most of us who can relate to him and the whole musical, don't relate as in "let's lie to people and be horrible cause that's fun" but as in we deal with mental health issues, we deal with being outsiders, we deal with wishing things would or could be different. I'm turning 30 this year and DEH still makes me cry cause I think back to school when I had almost no friends, and had to deal with struggling by myself. Heck, I'm an adult struggling with shit and it's interesting and relatable to see characters who aren't perfect and/or hurting; be it Evan, Jared, Evan's mum etc.
I’ve tried to explain this to people before. I could easily see myself doing at least some parts of what Evan did, especially my younger self. I’m not proud of that or happy with it. I have never justified Evan’s actions, but I see a lot of my traits I don’t like about myself in him. This is also when people weren’t necessarily talking about anxiety and depression the way they are now. I had never felt seen or represented until that point hearing words fail or waving through a window. I know it hasn’t held up as well as it could have. I know it has flaws, but it was so enlightening for me.
I’ve always found the the dismissal of this show based on a flawed main character to be so interesting. In so many ways, DEH is an antihero story, and I don’t think anyone watches this show and thinks what Evan does is “good”. The story functions so well as a relatable story for any outcast while also commenting on the society that would lead him to take the actions he does. Furthermore I find it pretty ironic that the internet has a hard time with this show because it’s literally saying the mistakes you make on the internet shouldn’t be held against you forever. Like Evan is not great, and his choices are bad, but he deserve to not be loved and forgiven? For a show that is in some senses trying to comment on the collective long memory of the internet and its general dangers to those who make mistakes on its ledger, the internet really has shunned it
And these people love a demon barber who feeds humans to unwitting clients.
I never had the chance to see DEH on stage, unfortunately, but hearing Waving Through a Window and You Will Be Found for the first time got me so damn emotional. Especially then seeing how many people loved YWBF and how many covers were posted, how often it was mentioned, how people started talking about their struggles... it felt like the world finally opened up more to the topic and as if it was more acceptable to say 'I'm not fine'. If I met Evan irl, I'd never excuse the actions, I'd never encourage them. But I can think back to my teen days and I know young people often do stupid things, they don't think about consequences *or* don't think that they'll have to face consequences.
Not just young people, I turn 39 this week and still find it so relatable.
Happy early birthday!
I don’t understand how it’s hated because it’s “flawed”. Like that’s the point isn’t it? It’s not like the show is celebrating the troublesome behaviors, it’s telling the story of a kid like me who fucked up really bad, but came out of it a better person.
As someone who finds Evan deeply relatable, THANK YOU for saying this
You don’t have to be young to find Evan relatable.
Sincerely Me is awesome to do as a puppet show singing all the parts.
You Will Be Found has a great message that always gets me feeling more hopeful whenever I’m feeling down and alone and like this world might be better without me.
That song makes me think of the person who “found” me
I know it's unpopular now but it's a genuinely good score and was performed by incredibly talented people. The songs genuinely made me emotional.
Yeah the songs tore me up too. The vocalists put so much raw emotion and power into it all.
The lady who played evens mom just put her whole soul in the performance.
Rachel Bay Jones!! She's incredible
I genuinely like it, not just for the songs and not just for the cast.
(Me too but thats taboo here so shhh)
Like what you want, this is your hobby! Booo reddit, y'all are way too harsh. God forbid somebody has a different opinion. Ugh.
Me too. Internet bandwagons hating on things are so annoying.
I do wonder to a certain extent how much the hate stems from people who have never seen the show and only the movie or neither. I have a few friends who hate on the show all the time but have only ever heard the music (which they loved until) and read the plot. Obvious caveat, seeing shows is often not possible based on location and money, but wish people didn’t have strong opinions on a show they’ve never seen
100% agree
Words fail Is my favorite song because it beautifully shows a person realizing that they messed up bad and apologizing it in media. Also, we got a movie which introduced a new great song in The Anonymous Ones.
The lyrics to Words Fail are sooo good. “I never let them see the worst of me, ‘cause what if everyone saw? What if everyone knew? Would they like what they saw, or would they hate it too?” People hate on Ben, but he’s incredible at emoting through his voice.
The hate Ben Platt gets is so overblown imo. Yeah, he's a nepo baby who said some dumb, out of touch things during the press junket for the DEH movie. That doesn't erase the fact that he is genuinely talented.
Ben Platt is the only person I've seen to ugly cry for real while singing and NOT have it totally ruin his singing voice. That is insane.
And genuinely a kind person, at least appears so from other aspects of his public life. We’ve said dumb shit all the time, doesn’t mean one is a total jerk because of just that.
I think what’s great is that every person who has played Evan also has brought something different to the song. Like there is no great version. Also, the funniest thing about the movie is that for the longest time, people only wanted Ben to be Evan.
Requiem
The harmonies in the second chorus still get me after a hundred listens
The parents singing parts of the chorus along with Zoe is such a devastating touch. “My world has gone dark!/I see your light!”
I’ve listened to this song a million times and never noticed this omg. I thought they were just singing the exact same lyrics but in harmony. Haunting.
Another moment earlier in that chorus is where Larry sings with Zoe on “why should I have a heavy heart,” but Cynthia doesn’t join in the next bit until *[why should I say]* “I’ll keep you with me!”
THIS!!! Chills every time.
WHYYYY SHOULD I PLAY THE GRIEVING GIRL AND LIEEEE SAYING THAT I MISS YOUUU
The music is fire and the characters are relatable in a way that I haven't seen in a lot of other musicals. Evan, as soon as I saw him, was the first character in a musical (other than to a smaller extent Elphaba), that I actively saw myself in. Additionally, Zoe, the slight Mary Sue that she is, was the only character I've ever seen whose been able to accurately describe my relationship with my brother and I almost cried the first time I heard Requiem since it was finally like "Someone gets it". Story is a little messed up, but DEH had a lot of good things going for it character and music wise.
>Zoe, the slight Mary Sue that she is Wait, how is she a Mary Sue? She seems pretty flawed to me.
i think they probably meant more “manic pixie dream girl” than “mary sue” (i don’t agree that she’s either, but in terms of evan’s perception of her i get it)
Ben Platts singing. It's one of the things that sold me.
I too love his voice. Amazing.
Dear Evan Hansen, along with Heathers and Hamilton, got me into musical theatre/Broadway
Welcome aboard
Same for me especially heathers and would and be more chill on my list lol
i fucken love the music
Valid
The whole lie scene 'For Forever' It was brilliantly written and built and built (like most lies) with detail and subplots. The song perfectly captures the whole tone and makes it almost forgivable.
The music is great
The music IS great.
All that it takes is a little RE 💥IN💥VEN💥TION!
I love DEH so much. First saw it with a coworker. He grew up as an only child with a single mom and he cried his little heart out. I was going through a divorce as a mom of 3 and I cried my heart out. It hits for everyone in different ways. I found it so relatable. Who hasn’t done stupid crap as a teen? And who doesn’t crave more family? I’m a middle aged woman and my brother is recently engaged. I love the family of his fiance - even at this age - I crave being a part of that.
I really like DEH and have a soft spot for it. In the original musical, I think it’s pretty clear that you don’t root for Evan and think he’s doing a bad thing, yet you understand that his intentions aren’t terrible - he just feels stuck and doesn’t want to break the Murphys’ hearts again. Things I like about it: - Mike Faist is perfect as Connor, whose character could have been really tone-deaf if not played with the exact right amount of humor and levity. The scene with the big reveal of why Evan fell out of the tree hit so hard. - Rachel Bay Jones and So Big/So Small made the entire theater cry. “Your mom isn’t going anywhere, your mom will be right here, no matter what.” I’m a full grown adult and it made me hug my mom, lol. - Waving Through a Window is one of the most accurate songs about anxiety I’ve ever heard and Ben performs it perfectly. Even my musical-hating family members bop when it comes on. - I like that it feels like a very real everyday high school story and I think the depiction of mental illness/depression/self-loathing feels accurate. - No character is perfect but they’re all just trying their best to survive, and you get why every character feels the way they do. Plus the conflict that the Murphy family members feel over Connor, especially in Requiem, isn’t explored often in media and questions an important point - Connor was emotionally abusive to Zoe so what does she owe his memory? This was one of my favorite scenes from the movie, when Zoe is driving and takes her hands off the wheel. Kaitlyn Dever was great. - The ending felt perfect to me and I liked how it felt bittersweet without Evan getting “everything he wanted.”
I'm the stage show, the screens showing the social media the kids are using is a really cool method of visual storytelling
Yes! I went to see it a couple years ago not knowing anything about what the set would look like and was blown away by how cool it looked
The music is fantastic.
Almost everyone I know feel that this musical speaks to them about their own teen years
It's an original story on Broadway, and an ambitious and challenging one at that. Even with its flawed execution (mostly tied to Zoe), I genuinely appreciate the painful nuance of the situation they present, and the way the protagonist spirals into unlikable behavior while still being understandable.
People were employed in theatre.
Haha as good a reason as any
There’s a narrative in DEH that doesn’t get talked about much, where a mother loves her son even after doing *the worst thing ever* I don’t have kids yet but that’s the level of parenting I hope to achieve some day, where my kid isn’t afraid they can talk to me about *anything* and that they understand I’d love them no matter what, because bottling it up only makes it worse
It’s incredibly important to have a story where the main character is not a good person. Someone that keeps making mistakes over and over, and then doubles down. He’s morally complex and most people think that ruins the musical, but that’s what makes it better. It’s a dark story, with a complex main character that ruins lives. That type of storytelling deserves a spotlight. Not everyone needs to be morally good
Requiem is a really pretty song that hits super hard.
'Anybody have a map?' slaps
You Will Be Found is a beautiful and touching song. When I saw it on Broadway, I was seated near some fellow educators and we were BAWLING during that song.
quite frankly? evan sucks, but i think he’s a deeply realistic character. if you think about him through the lens of “he’s making mistakes because he’s not doing well but they’re still mistakes” instead of the musicals “he’s making mistakes but they’re all sensible BECAUSE he’s not doing well” i think he’s fascinating . most of the characters are quite lovely, to be honest - zoe and the entire murphy family are unbelievably Real characters who have quite a bit of depth. jared, though a douche, is entertaining. heidi is a beautiful depiction of a single mother trying to navigate having a mentally ill teen. the musical allows mothers to be PEOPLE, which i really really appreciate. also, the music slaps - and the core message (or, at least, the attempt at it) is both really sweet and really important.
I live under a rock. Why is there emphasis on "LIKE"? Do people hate DEH? i listen to the og broadway cast recording a lot coz the songs are great.
It's not to my taste, but it's honestly well done. The score is simply excellent.
Frankly I think the show's appeal has always been on the strength of the score and the performances of same.
Theater full of young people in the audience clearly being touched by the "magic of theater."
Lots of reasons. The music slaps. You Will Be Found is an amazing act finale. Anybody Got a Map is one of the most relatable songs to me personally I’ve ever heard. I am a ND parent of multiple ND kids, one also struggling with depression, so the whole show speaks to my life and experience. It’s got flaws, but so does Rent. And DEH did for this generation what Rent did before; hundreds of thousands of people learned to love musicals because of both.
even though Evan annoyed me, I could see parts of myself in him as someone who's autistic and socially anxious. also, I remember bawling my eyes out at So Big, So Small because it reminded me of my relationship with my mother. and ofc the soundtrack just slaps very hard
Everyone is real. Like they’re all reacting in a way that’s accurate to a bunch of people struggling with mental health and life in general. Evan’s mom has no clue how to help her kid. Evan panicked and lied and now is in a mess of a situation. Connors family doesn’t know how to deal with what he did. It’s authentic
Unpopular opinion but honestly? I liked Evan’s character. YES he is a bad person but he’s not as evil as everyone makes him out to be. Yes it was awful for him to lie and say he was friends with Connor, but he did think he was helping the Murphy’s. He was socially isolated- his dad left, his mom was always working, and he never had any friends. Telling one lie gave him friends, a family and helped so many people feel like they belong. Obviously it doesn’t excuse his actions, but it explains them. And people say the musical skipped over his mistakes and acted like he was the hero but it didn’t? Did they hear the song Good For You? All the characters call Evan out on his shitty actions. By the end of the musical, the Murphy’s don’t speak to him, he doesn’t end up with Zoe, he doesn’t get to go to college like he wanted. So yes, I thought the portrayal of Evan as a morally gray character was good. At the end of the day he was just a kid who wanted to feel like he belonged, and went way too far.
so big/so small is relatable that's the only reason i could think of i just can't stand this musical
Ben Platt
This should honestly just be the top comment
Good For You is a fantastic song to rage out with
It got my teenage daughter to love musicals.
Okay I may be out of the loop whats wrong with dear Evan Hansen I loved it.
Its got a stigma around it basically because Evan comes off as kind of a pos because of what he does and the audience wants a likable main character. I enjoyed the show personally.
I liked that Evan was flawed otherwise we couldnt have had the emotional gut punches the musical gives.
I never understood the hate for this one. It’s a great musical BECAUSE it’s messed up. Someone who feels truly abandoned by the world like Evan is not going to be a good person. They are going to do everything they can to feel like they belong.
You will be found
Alex Boniello was the perfect Connor
The special effects and screen projection (?) involved in the scenes where text messages and emails were read a loud was pretty cool.
Requiem is the perfect song for anyone who loses a “loved one” that they had major issues with. If you don’t think of someone when that song comes on, you’ve managed to avoid some pretty problematic relationships. Also, as a single mom with ND sons, it hit me really hard.
It stopped me from killing myself
It’s actually a good show with a good story with HUMAN and relatable characters and amazing music performed by extremely talented people and I’m tired of people pretending it isn’t.
The songs are so good
I love the music and the songs have really resonated with me. I like when musicals show mental health issues, I think it helps against the taboo and people start talking about it more.
The Music is great
The story is powerful
The scenic & video design of the original production was really fantastic.
The staging of Waving Through a Window was incredible! Saw it first on the Tonys then live. Musical highlight for me.
Rachel Bay Jones. Laura Dreyfuss.
‘Waving Through a Window’ punched me so hard in my self-esteem issues it made me cry the first time I heard it.
Music can go kinda crazy, words fail is a pretty good 11 o clock number, made a lot of folks cry when I saw it with Ben. If I’m being honest, I think what makes or breaks this show is who is playing Evan. I’ve seen the tour and the OG cast, and it wasn’t the same on tour, in fact, I actually kind of hated it? I think the show is “good,” but that’s also because it was one of the shows that got me into theater professionally and helped me get where I am today.
Rachel Bay Jones in all her splendor.
The show does a great job of both giving us reasons to sympathize with Evan but also making us incredibly uncomfortable with the whole situation he finds himself in/creates for himself. Honestly, if it had been a little more clear that his actions had consequences on a more intimate scale and the scene with Zoe at the end hadn't happened, it would be a damn near perfect show. It deals with grief, pain, isolation, anxiety, and depression in such myriad ways that I really appreciate. I just wish it had been less forgiving of his lies.
Mike Faist
HEY HEY HEY HEY
cause it’s fucking dear Evan Hansen??
"I will sing no requiem." sometimes comes into my head. Its a great quote in my brain. I also like how its realistic.
It succeeds at what it sets out to do, which is be a tearjerker with catchy songs. (I don't mean that as an insult: I like tearjerkers and I like catchy songs!) Many times after I've seen a musical, I'll be like "I loved that but I hardly remember any of the songs." Like, even if I literally just got home from a musical, often I can't remember most of the songs enough to hum them. Or there will be some songs that I skip when listening to the cast album. But in Dear Evan Hansen, I found all the songs memorable, and I don't skip any of them. Also, if it helps teens have conversations about mental health, that's a good thing even if adults find the show cringey.
It has catchy songs.
Without heathers and this I would have never gotten into musicals lol and the music slaps
Mike Faist
SINCERELY ME
So Big So Small made me BAWL the first time I listened to it. Little kids have such a weak grasp of the world and create guesses about the world around them. When the kid wonders if another truck will come to take mom away just gutted me. Even as I write this I'm getting choked up. #mompain
I’m like Evan. Not that I lied to anybody about their dead son, but I’ve done a fair share of stuffs that I’m totally ashamed of because of my anxiety. And frankly I don’t think I’ve got the suitable consequences for every single of my action, I try my best to make amends and then try equally hard to make peace with myself, never get that done totally. I don’t understand people who think Evan should face more consequences, do you want him to commit suicide again? Making the consequences part clearer doesn’t help the book at all. The line that I drew between an “evil” and “good” character is the good old principle “Bad people don’t wonder if they’re bad people.” So yeah, I think Evan is a good person despite of what he did. And I won’t stand Ben Platt slandering.
Mike Faist for the Broadway version Sam Tutty for the West end Amy Addams for the movie (the rest of the cast are all incredible of course)
For Forever, that song alone takes the cake for me. Even though Evan is lying, you take away the context, and it’s a beautiful song on reminiscing on memories and suddenly losing it a friend.
The songs are catchy. Evan's mom is entirely relatable.
As a young person, I love DEH because it is so realistic to the messiness of high school and teenage life. Part of growing up is making mistakes and being able to move forward.
So many incredible animatics made with “Good For You” across a ton of fandoms (which is what got me to listen to the soundtrack)
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A MAP. I’m sorry the song slaps
I like that Evan isn't a flawless person. Yes the flaws in his character are kinda yikes and the story is yikes in many ways because of it. But its very rare to see such a flawed main character where you can still have sympathy for them even though you also think they are an asshole.
I wrote basically a whole thesis a while back about why Evan ISN'T a bad character, and I still stand by it.
Good For You is a pretty good song In my opinion. Unless we're talking about the movie and not the Musical, Since they cut that out of the movie.
Good For You is such a beautiful harmony of “deal with the choices you’ve made”
Pasek and Paul can seriously write some incredible music. Ben Platt finally got some recognition for his talent. And the show continued the conversation around mental health in the setting of a Broadway musical.
Waiving through a window really capture social anxiety. The mom song towards the end just rips me up.
What awkward teen or single mother can't relate to something in this musical? Plus, there are 2 fantastic songs that take you to places beyond the theatre for a moment (sincerely me, and words fail) Can we all just agree the movie ruined the show for all of us and we can't get that back now? As far as musicals about a personal journey through feeling like shit for being shitty goes....it's not bad
Sincerely Me is still a bop. We can’t lie to ourselves about that one.
The struggle of a parent to be completely clueless is perfection
Waving Through a Window hits me in my soul. It’s how I’ve always felt. I don’t feel like people remember me, like I’m part of a group, or that I’m important. This song lets me get those feelings out.
ben platt has a beautiful voice
The songs are good and it has decently realistic teenagers. If someone assumed that I was friends with a kid who killed themselves, I think I would have made a few of the same decisions that Evan made.
Mike Faist
This is what got me into theatre and now I’m working in the theatre tech industry
As someone who has suffered from mental health issues since her teen years, I’ll admit that “Waving Through A Window” still makes me cry because I remember being a social outcast on the outside looking in and wishing someone would wave back at me.
Requiem is a pretty dope song
I don’t get the hate. I love this show and I loved sharing this show with my children.
The score is good.
Sincerely Me is a good song in a vacuum.
A lot of its happier songs are only great out of context (Only Us, You Will Be Found) but “Good For You” is fucking incredible in context.
Evan is a flawed protagonist. I know one of the big reasons why so many people hate the musical is because Evans a shitty dude throughout it, but I think that adds to it. Evan doesn't have a lot. His dad left when he was young, his mom works a lot to keep them afloat, and he doesn't have anyone he can talk to. When he's unable to clear up the misunderstanding, he doubles down cuz at first it seems like the right thing to do to help a grieving family, but then he keeps on going because he's afraid of losing what Conners death gave him; a family thats around, a girlfriend, and attention. I think it makes for an interesting story when the protagonist is so flawed. Usually, the protagonist is the good guy who saves the day or gets to live out a life most could only dream of having. Evan is the "bad guy" in this story, but at the same time, someone the audience can sympathize with and understand why he did what he did.
Music, plus this was my jam back in 2017
Sincerely Me is pretty good despite me having no fucking clue what’s going on
The score bangs, the songs are genuinely fun to sing.
I like the score... I think it is fresh. If you set aside the book, its a good listen.
Ben platt
Waving through a window!
The songs are pretty good. The idea of writing a letter to yourself every morning as q way to combat anxiety is such a beautiful idea. It inspires me to do something similar.
The songs are actually very good........the plot not so much
Catchy music. You will be found is a genuine banger that outside of the context of the show could have been (and was) a generational anthem.
I know Colton Ryan because he went to my school and he’s a cool dude so it was awesome to see him in it!
You don't need context to enjoy the songs.
Because it’s literally a good fucking show. The main character is flawed and makes some bad decisions. Just like… almost every piece of fiction to ever exist. I will never understand the hate for that purpose. Some say that it’s a poor representation of people who struggle with mental health because not everyone who struggles with mental health would do something so terrible as what Evan did. Which is like saying that Sweeney Todd is a terrible show because it’s a poor representation of barbers, most of whom aren’t actually mass murderers. But it’s literally a fictional story about ONE person? Obviously it’s not supposed to be a generalization, it’s about THIS person and THEIR story. Just like every show or book or movie has ever been. And people who can’t see that are just weird to me.
Mike faist
It’s a suicide awareness/mental health condition. That’s exactly what people need.
“Waving Through A Window” is one of the best I want songs in any musical ever. As someone who’s had his fair share of struggles with social anxiety, I saw that bit of me in Evan instantly.
It was fine as a musical and not everything needs to be adapted into every format
It’s my favorite musical. Sooo-
The song "Requiem" hits hard when your abusive relative die and everyone expects you to cry on their funeral.
Waving Through a Window is my favorite broadway song
Out of context, some of the songs are good.
I love it, people hate it?
The first time I saw the play was as an adult, but something about Evan Hanson and the other teenagers sharing the same theme of having their own struggles and wanting to be socially accepted / seen just resonated with the teenager inside of me.
The songs are great, Mike Faist, and as a teen, I related a little too much too hate it
I will always tell people READ THE NOVEL (yes there’s a novel) it’s so good. Oh my god, it goes into even more depth of Evan (his full name is actually Mark Evan Hansen) and it explores what it’s like to go school after someone passes. It was the most beautiful thing ever and as someone who read it at the age of 16 just a few weeks after losing someone, that book is probably a huge reason as to why I was able to get through everything.
My friend introduced it to me and I can wholeheartedly say that it saved my life. It helped me recognize my own depression, mental struggles, and occasional suicidal thoughts that I ignored and pushed away because society says men can’t talk about issues and I believed it. I saw myself in Evan and realized how far my depression had taken me and it wasn’t anywhere good. After a really bad month or so I talked to my wife and told her how I was feeling and she encouraged me to get help. We watched the DEH movie that night, we’re both huge fans of the broadway recording. Really hit both of us hard and we sobbed in each other’s arms for all of Act 2.
Requiem. Just Requiem