SM: Heidi Hansen, yeah, Evan's mom. Because today all you have to do is be yourself. You may know me as the director of the hit off- off- off-Broadway musical, Dear Mark Zuckerberg, but in my spare time I talk tech, and youre listening to Recode Decode, a podcast about tech and medias key players, big ideas in how theyre changing the world we live in. SL: No, Alana is She is desperate to keep a bright smile on and to show everybody how great she is. A fresh, intricately plotted book by Steven . So feeling like I was telling you earlier that Dave is working on a VR version of Othello. Im thrilled Othellos going to get to people, so Im not adverse to that idea. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical.The music and lyrics were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Steven Levenson wrote a book based on the musical). SL: Yes, it improves his life, and what becomes impossible for him to stop is how much it improves other peoples lives. On this episode of Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher, Kara is joined by the producer and book writer of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. Stacey Mindich and Steven Levenson talk about how the show reflects on how social media has changed the nature of community, and why it is still important to get people into a space where they can unplug and see live theater. It didn't make it into the show, it's the note that Evan was originally gonna write to himself. Film adaptation of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical about Evan Hansen, a high school senior with Social Anxiety disorder and his journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate. We want some cause for what theyre learning, the things. Can you talk about that idea of do you think he pays enough for what hes done, or does he have to pay? - The second letter in "Sincerely, Me". 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. Theyre all by the time we meet them at the beginning of the show, they have been through hell already. On the advice of his therapist, he pens supportive letters to himself: "Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day, and here's why. One of our founding members Tom Stevenson gives his rendition of this modern monologue taken from the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen. The thing I feel about the relationship between the show and whats happening in the world is, I remember we had rehearsal the day after the election, and showing up to rehearsal, everyone was so depressed. Then the next few days, it changed. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. It should go everywhere, because I think its real. SM: It is, although I must say, to me, Hamilton is a movement, a phenomenon, something that is SM: It is. DEAR EVAN HANSEN Stripe Collection Navy Pocket Tee Regular price $30.00 USD Regular price $40.00 USD Sale price $30.00 USD Unit price / per . I asked them what they wanted to do, and Benj Pasek told me a story that was just the germ of what happened in Dear Evan Hansen, but it was something that happened in his high school life where a senior, they were all in the senior class, and a senior passed away from drugs. The "Dear Evan Hansen" Trailer Just Dropped, Featuring A Very 27-Year-Old Ben Platt. Now theyre gone. SM: It is the beauty of the show, I think, and the reason why people do want to talk about it when they leave the theater, that you can interpret it the way you want to. It actually took me a couple of years of watching the show every night to really understand her plight. Because today, all you have to do is be yourself. Evan actually tells the truth for a long time, but the family doesnt want to believe it. Why dont we start with you, Stacey? Of course, they still owe one to common, be entertained. This election, fake news everywhere kind of thing, and now the president just uses it as a catch phrase. SM: Theyre an important part of the fabric of the whole thing. The novelization of Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's six-time Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen is compelling and deeply emotional. It's also come under fire for an irresponsible portrayal of mental health . The first performance was in July 2015. A Note to Readers: This article contains significant plot points and spoilers from "Dear Evan Hansen" as they relate to teen mental health. Soon social media posts start popping up all around us some with a warming blue glow and . TikTok isnt really limiting kids time on its app. That's the big, like, that's number one: be yourself. It is a duet sung by Connor's father and Evan, titled "To Break in A Glove." Though it is literally talking about the correct way to break in a baseball glove, it can also be talking about . producer and book writer of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.. . It was a smart way to talk about hard things. Sep 23, 2019 - Explore Abby Gallegos's board "Monologues" on Pinterest. Dear Evan Hansen. It was fascinating to have all that going on at once. And intellig but, just be yourself!! YouTube seems to be. Or even knowing phone numbers, but thats another thing. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. SL: And loneliness, and so we immediately thought in a dramatic sense, Who would be the person who is unable to connect? . They have a son, Connor, who has been trouble for a very long time. I guess it shows the way people are interacting with culture today. Letter #6: Evan Hansen. Riding the wave . Just, uh, you knowbe true to yourself. I think it did happen with Hamilton for sure. Theres something about this story. They might after hearing this.
Where else do you actually have to put your phone away? He wanted to write something about his generation. He has just done incredible work, and its so exhaustive and so detailed. There is haptic touch. A little perseverance and a little uphill climb." I believe this quote can relate to many things. Do you not do that? Watching the big lie of Dear Evan Hansen spiral out of control is a tense . The breathtaking Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the . My lesson here that will change my life forever was that this kind of word of mouth, you cannot manufacture. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. That is cool. I think she is an incredible depiction of contemporary motherhood, whether you're a single mom or not, busy, under pressure, trying . It was interesting because the schools are trying to struggle with these things too once things become apparent. When Dear Evan Hansen premiered on Broadway in 2016, it drew near-universal praise from New York's theater critics. People always say to me, Just take an hour. 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. SM: Again, thats good to hear. SL: Exactly. SL: Partly because we see the shows so many times, so we get really granular, and its like, Oh, thats not quite right.. Absolutely. They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. Were all paying for that. Today is going to be a good day, and here's why; because today, no matter what else you are you. I can only tell you the funny story that we all just do things too quickly, and we make silly mistakes all the time. It will be its own thing. SM: I think if we want people to relate to the show, then the idea really is that I always said, If every mother in that audience doesnt ultimately want to hug Evan, then were not doing the right thing. We want everyone to essentially be kind and feel a warmth about our show. Within a couple of months, we found Steven, who had the right voice to create a musical that the three of them really wanted to be as authentic as possible. But the lies are precisely what happened. They dont ever have to say to the mother, Hi, its Danny. Were here talking with Stacey Mindich and Steven Levenson, the producer and book writer of Dear Evan Hansen, the hit musical about a high school student with social anxiety disorder and social media problems. But also confident; thats super important. "Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you and when you are broken on the ground, you will be found." -You Will Be Found, 'Dear Evan Hansen'. They may have started finding us because Ben Platt was about to come out in the second Pitch Perfect movie, or because Pasek and Paul had a following of millennials who were very adept at social media. Theres a moment where he says those were private, those letters, and she has no idea what he even means by that. The teens are doing revenge porn like Evan. So you heard TikToks being banned. I do think, though, that the weird thing about social media is weve all become high schoolers now. Jared is often the voice of the audience, pointing out what were thinking, so he serves a really interesting and useful purpose. Hes the most awkward 17-year-old ever, Im going to have to tell you. In 2020, the Oscars stage saw a "swirling cyclone" of Swarovski Crystals thanks to Jason Sherwood, production designer for the 92nd Academy Awards. Just weaponize. Thats all I mean. Whats it like to create theater in this age, in this age of digital? Good to know. Its the experience.. Evan attempts to find the acceptance and love he has been lacking in his life. SL: They must be cyclical, but it feels like there are a few things going on, but one of them being the pervasive irony and sarcasm, for lack of a better word. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Whats important now when youre doing that as youre moving to Broadway? 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. SL: Yes. SL: Thats a really good question. 5 terms. Hashtag youre not alone. Letter #5: Connor Murphy to Evan Hansen. I heard this interesting statistic the other week, which feels related somehow, that young people are buying more books. Is that your name? I want to finish up on what do you hope where to go, where it happens, because you definitely, youre very current. SL: Yes, Rent was very big for all three of us. SM: Well, its good to hear you say that. SL: He is Evans family friend in quotes, which according to Jared means theyre not really friends. Theres been some shows that have been real touchdowns, like Hamilton and some others that have been really Theres a new, I cant remember the latest one, but theres a bunch that Maybe its The Grand Hotel, one that seems fantastic in some ways. I hope more people will listen to this and come. Theres not a night where I dont shed a tear sometimes at a song, Im surprised, that never made me cry before. Approachable. SM: The song literally says you are not alone.. jennyjenrose. It means, Do your homework, brush your teeth. You can read some of the highlights from the interview at that link, or listen to it in the audio player below. She has a lot of wisdom from all of those years of pain and family therapy, a jaundiced view of the world. What happens? This is a very current show, and also just like you said, a traditional story of loneliness. My very last question which I ask everybody, and maybe here well do it a little differently. They put new pictures, theres all these things. SM: I have to tell you that I literally went on Instagram to post about a month ago, and I was getting 21 likes here there basically from people who know me really well, and then one day, Laura Dreyfuss whos in our show liked one of my pictures, and I understood everything. Or something like a Snapchat, of course the filters would be tasteless, like, Hey, lets make everyones face funny.. They werent sweaty until you started worrying that they were sweaty, which made them sweaty, so you put them under the hand dryer in the bathroom. You dont actively participate in the world, but thats how you comment. SL: It feels like there must be a middle ground, because I do feel like ultimately what is going to separate theater from everything else is not the content. When I first heard the song Anybody Have a Map? which was our third or fourth opening number to the show. It was at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C..It opened on Broadway in December 2016 at the Music Box Theatre.It won six awards at the 71st Tony Awards.Two of them were the Best Musical and . Thats what I really appreciate is it wasnt an attack. We give them a heads up. Benj was astounded that basically his whole class identified with it, wrote their college essays about it. I saw it recently, and its about isolation. That was me in high school. Maybe they didnt tell the lie. "You Will Be Found" is the tenth and final song in Act One of Dear Evan Hansen. The more interesting thing was to explore, even when its fake, which it is by definition, can it reach something real in us? I always say about Alana, if you ask her, she has a million friends. 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 . If you haven't seen the show, it's the story of how a teen's viral lie winds up revealing large, prickly truths to the people involved in the falsehood. Essentially, this other boy, Connor Murphy, ends up through a strange series of circumstances taking the letter from Evan, and later offstage, Connor ends up killing himself, and the only thing that his parents find on his person is this letter to Dear Evan Hansen. SM: Sort of, but the thing that youd try so hard to do when youre marketing a show is create a way for word of mouth to happen. September 10, 2021. SL: Yes. He'll just hold on. Then there are those moments where it goes quiet, which is those are generally the emotional moments in the show. APPLE BOOKS REVIEW. They were trying to find reasons why he killed himself. Its not scalable, as they say. Evan was the beginning of our story. So, I dont even know why Im bringing it up because its not going to happen because itsbut, like, all you have to do is just be yourself!! I was like, Aww.. Who would find that most difficult? Evan was who we eventually created. When you think about that, its an interesting question whether you do do that. Dear Evan Hansen, the smash-hit, Tony winning 2015 musical, was, depending on your outlook, a poignant depiction of the mental health perils of high school, or an unrelentingly . Dear Evan Hansen is a novel published in 2018. "My name. CAST: Ben Platt (Evan Hansen), Laura Dreyfuss (Zoe Murphy), Michael Lee Brown (u/s Connor Murphy), Will Roland (Jared Kleinman), Kristolyn Lloyd (Alana Beck), Michael Park (Larry Murphy), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Cynthia Murphy) NOTES: Act 1 ends after Sincerely, Me. I think whats interesting about the fake news is clearly, facts dont work to dispel it. On our stage at the end of Act One, in our Act One finale called You Will Be Found, the projections which basically is the internet goes viral. It was so fascinating because it was so old and so relevant at the same time, so you felt the age of it because it felt old, like what youre talking about. SM: But for us, what serves our show so well is the intimacy of those 984 plus 16 standing room possibilities. SM: Thats angry old men shaking their fists at the internet. I want to continue to have that experience that I saw A Chorus Line 28 times, not on VR. Well, I had to explain the telephone to one of my kids recently, like a payphone because they saw a payphone. It feels like somewhere, thats the solution to the fake news is to reach people in their core. That is an event. Do you want to take a little plug, Steven? Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day and here's why: because, uh, because today all you have to do is just be yourself. You see why this happened to him, and this probably will never happen to him again because he learned the lesson. Yeah, absolutely. Rent was one of those choices, and Angels in America I would say, probably, are two shows that the conversation had to continue after. Dear Evan Hansen (2021) centers on Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), a high school student with social anxiety disorder whose letter to himself, one that was not meant to be seen by others, lands into the wrong hands of fellow classmate, Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan), who, as a result, commits suicide. View Dear Evan Hansen opening monologue.docx from AA 1Dear 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. "Extraordinary. She just goes about it perhaps the wrong way. Its quite enormous in terms of how it gets known. Universal. 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? Also, dont worry if your hands are going to get sweaty for no reason and you cant make it stop no matter what you do because no, theyre not going to get sweaty. The new single "Found/Tonight," arranged by Alex . The ensemble cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani . Treacly and manipulative, "Dear Evan Hansen . I have mixed feelings about filming shows, because you lose something. SL: Everyone in the show is doing things for the right reason. I recommend it. Doesnt this acquaint? I think thats what Evan taps into is, even though what he says isnt true, theres something that feels true about it. Stacey, why dont you go through the story so people get a sense of what happens. Can I please speak to ?. SL: Then there are a lot of expressionistic approaches to the internet, which is like fractured images and text. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why: because because today, . Some of them are very funny, but a lot of them are very earnest and horrible in some way, and thats what you do. We dont really live in that world anymore. Essentially, what ends up happening is theres Evan Hansen on the one hand and there is another boy, named Connor Murphy, who has his own complicated relationship with his parents and his own inner turmoil. Here's hoping I won't be a singing w. Its certainly done that for me. Sometimes when you say I love you to your child, it means 10 things. But once she gets on the blog, she blossoms. She is surrounded by friends, but really, she doesnt have many. CW: This article references suicide.Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources. With Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams. We felt like we actually hadnt seen a lot of theater doing that. New York, NY, Ages 12-17: Camp Broadway Ensemble @ Carnegie Hall
It feels very much like a phone going up. 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. Absolutely. SL: Yes, and she actually We always try to be careful thats shes never a villain. What happens to theater going forward then?
Whats happened is theres dozens of shows. A particularly exciting addition to the Dear Evan Hansen cast announced per Variety is Amy Adams. Exploring grief, mental health struggles and the dangers of social media, the musical was embraced by young people for its honest . Right. She is a child that has grown up out of the spotlight because her brother took up so much of the oxygen. Tickets are $69.50-$229.50. Directed by Stephen Chbosky, this powerful film . Like, she would introduce herself and then youd be like, Sorry, I didnt hear you. That problem, its the plot point. SL: Exactly, and then what we wanted to avoid was ever commenting on the technology, but rather allowing it to be part of the fabric of the story, exactly, because we dont comment on the fact that were on our phones all the time as were on our phones all the time, but its become our way of being in the world. This one took a long time because it was not based on a book or a movie, or anything at all except perhaps a moment that Benj Pasek had in high school, except for the fact that Steven Levenson turned that all around. Everyones happy on Instagram, and everything is All food is delicious. VOX teens experienced a matinee performance of "Dear Evan Hansen" at the Fox Theatre, thanks to the generosity of VOX community partners Most Valuable Kids of Greater Atlanta and Broadway in Atlanta. He is in a total of 11 musical numbers. Each of you take one and talk about what they mean and what youre trying to do. Theres a line in the show about how he didnt even cry at the funeral so that when he does crack at the end of Act One, its an incredibly potent, emotional moment. I hope its a conversation starter about so many issues, but mostly I hope its a catharsis for the people who come to see it, because its a catharsis for me every night. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. The family needs this story just as much as he does. 2 sentence. 21 terms. She has a very bitter sense of humor. Evan is in high school and suffers from anxiety. Please consider making a one-time contribution to Vox today. Google Pay. It was written by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. SM: Heidi Hansen, yeah, Evans mom. Its got to be something else. Anyone familiar with Broadway in the last five years will have heard of "Dear Evan Hansen," the pop-musical sensation that swept the Tony Awards in 2017. Today is going to be a amazing day and here's why. We know that because we hear from them. And especially with the pain. CPAC used to be a barometer. This is fake news, either of you. I dont know how old you are, but it was mind-blowing, and I went a dozen times. This has been a bad year. Of course he is the ringleader of that and the instigator, but there is some complicity. I wouldnt want to lose that. Thats the big, like, thats number one: be yourself. And intellig but, just be yourself!! Zoe is a survivor, really. Thats the surface story. Then also, the hashtag, my favorite expression is hashtagavism, that we get these hashtags. It was that and Angels in America were very big deals. It must be seen to be believed." ADAM FELDMAN, TIME OUT NEW YORK. The Oscar-nominated actress will return to a musical role for the first time since 2011's The . As part of BTPM (Buffalo Toronto Public Media), their beat is primarily Buffalo theater, but . Obviously, your star is well known from Pitch Perfect.. 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. Yes, he did a horrible thing, but it has become so apparent for me in knowing the script by heart now that SM: But its all been deeply pleasurable. The musical premiered in July 2015 in Washington, DC, debuted on Broadway in 2016, and later won six Tony Awards in . I think shes a really funny, dark person. Again, it just gives credit to Stevens real knack for credible, authentic characters, because I think that is so true of so many men. Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Approachable. That process has taken us a long time. Im in my 50s. The unfortunate thing about my kids is both their parents are highly technically literate, and so they cant fool us or anything. Not anymore. Is it this one square mile abroad or whatever? We have an ad campaign. SM: Shows have changed so much. Youll receive a black mirror, where youre going to have that. SM: The comic Jared Kleinman, who together with Alana are also, theyre our great chorus. I dont think it was the tech. Now Meta and Twitter want your money, too. Thats all there is. I do think you should get some of it a little bit online, because I think certain parts of it are really resonant in this age, and really talk about things in a really fair way. I do believe that were going to look back and think, Oh my goodness, projection, that is so old-fashioned. I think we have no idea yet what the next thing is going to be. Dear Evan Hansen: The Movie By Stephen Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul Adapted for film by Jack Gorzynski *note: a / means that the line was cut off by the next line. When I first heard the lyrics, I could have sworn that these guys were sitting at my breakfast table, that they had literally just taken notes and written a song about me. They didnt know that Connor had any friends. The next thing I want you to talk about is where theater is going. He begins to type. It was really just meant to surrealistically portray the way we are all brushed. I look at Rent being really a grandfather to Dear Evan Hansen happening. Heres whats actually happening. We shouldnt. I see that with even the show This is Us on NBC. SL: Evan, if you track his journey, if you look at the granular level, the first time that the parents come to Evan and say, This letter, we found this letter with our son, the first thing he says is he didnt write it. SL: For some reason, we always talked about the beginning of Bye Bye Birdie. Do you know that musical, and with the telephone chain, and how that is inextricably links to that technology of just an old-fashioned phone? "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. Chloe? SM: It gives him something fun to do too. Evan Hansen, an awkward, lonely high school senior, struggles with Social Anxiety Disorder. SM: What about all the angry people whod tweet? At first, you dont want anything to do with that mother, but then you realize that there are people who are like that walking around our world today, and they have picked themselves up and kept going. Yeah, but also, it is the agony of social media, and now you can see it. How do you feel like you can work into that, because he sells fake news? . Its so funny when youre looking up things, like, What is that, or what is that? I was at a party the other night, and someones like, What do you think happened in his first night? If only we had a device that we can search and find things out, but then I remember dinner parties where you just didnt know. Evan Hansen is the main character in the musical Dear Evan Hansen. SL: I think storytelling is going to continue to evolve into different forms and formats. It's a testament to the songwriting prowess of La La Land duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul that Dear Evan Hansen has gotten anywhere. Its also a lot about the impact of the internet on teens and everyone. Social media used to be free. They find their son through him, and then this story snowballs from there. 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 .