You didnt have the answer, which was, I was like, Remember when you didnt have the answer, and you just argue, you get drunk, and that was it? That was the entire thing. They have a son, Connor, who has been trouble for a very long time. I do hope and it seems to occasionally work this way that people are leaving the theater, and at least being more mindful I think of the way that they use technology. "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. And especially with the pain. But also be confident. DEAR EVAN HANSEN YWBF Mug Regular price $20.00 USD Regular price Sale price $20.00 USD Unit price / per . He wanted to write something about his generation. Riding the wave . Theres always an outsider, and theres often a story with a moral tale that has a lie, and then the truth comes out, and the catharsis of that, and the redemption and the forgiveness is what makes audiences feel very good. 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. This show is really depicting the way we live in America now, the way we are at our breakfast tables with our families. The gauzy white glow of the screen illuminates the face of Evan Hansen, sitting at a desk with a hard cast on. But also confident that's important and . 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. In fact, he didnt, but they presumed that Evan was his only friend. Absolutely. A speech Evan writes about Connor then goes viral. They want to continue the story, and they want to embellish the story. "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'. SM: But in 25 years, they may have all been over and done with that panic. Treacly and manipulative, "Dear Evan Hansen . 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. Is that your name? I like to insult him, but hes a genius on Twitter. I first met Stevens colleagues, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and fell in love with their music, and really took them out to lunch one day, came with a whole bunch of ideas from my older-generation head, and within five minutes at the lunch table realized that they would never want to do a musical version of Edith Whartons something -something, but I didnt want to leave without working with them. SL: Yes, and she actually We always try to be careful thats shes never a villain. SM: We dont have a current plan to do that. Here's hoping I won't be a singing w. I hope more people will listen to this and come. But they want to continue the relationship. SL: No. Today is going to be an amazing day and heres why: because, uh, because today all you have to do is just be yourself. It is the need to leave the show, and call. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. Easy to talk to. Its not scalable. Teens can still click right on through the new screen time limit. Evan was the beginning of our story. Its the hardest ticket to get right now. You can also contribute via, Full transcript: Broadways Dear Evan Hansen Producer Stacey Mindich and book writer Steven Levenson on Recode Decode, This story is part of a group of stories called, 9 questions about the threats to ban TikTok, answered. 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. Then the next few days, it changed. Dear Evan Hansen has struck a chord with audiences and critics everywhere, including The Washington Post who says Dear Evan Hansen is, "Theatrical magic.One of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history." The New York Times calls it "a breathtaking knockout of a musical."And NBC Nightly News declares the musical, "an anthem resonating on Broadway and beyond." The teens are doing revenge porn like Evan. I had Jeffrey Sellers and Richard Hamilton on, and Ive been fascinated with theater my whole life. Dear, Evan Hansen. They look happy as ever. Of course he is the ringleader of that and the instigator, but there is some complicity. Platt is certainly not the first adult to play a teenager onscreen, nor is he the first to look his age while . I mean, of course its the heart of Any show with heart does resonate, and obviously, it becomes a phenomenon. Its the experience.. With Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams. Texting is even Theres not a thought that doesnt go down. 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. Dear Evan Hansen. SL: Its really a credit to our director, Michael Grief, and our designers Dave Korins, and Peter Nigrini was our video designer. And intellig but, just be yourself!! 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: There is something about Hamilton being a prime example of, there is something so old-fashioned about it, and yet something that is drawing people to it that I think has to do with seeing actors right there in front of you, seeing them sweat, seeing them spit, feeling like you were having this visceral experience in this room, and theres something quite special and intimate about that. It will be its own thing. 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. Shes a true survivor. Released by Atlantic Records in 2017 containing music from Dear Evan Hansen (2016). SM: The father is an interesting nut to crack, because he at first doesnt emote about his pain. View in iTunes. How long have you been developing it, Stacey? Im only mentioning VR because its different than film or television. I know Hamilton didnt put things online, like a ton of stuff. He has a cast from falling from a tree, and his mother urges him to get people to sign it as a way of making friends. What do you hope to accomplish, each of you? That process has taken us a long time. I recommend it. SL: From the beginning, we decided we wanted this to be a contemporary musical. Obviously, your star is well known from Pitch Perfect.. Also, don't worry if . Today is going to be a good day, and here's why; because today, no matter what else you are you. Terms in this set (21) Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a amazing day and here's why. Its also a very traditional show, if you think about it. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why: because because today, . CPAC used to be a barometer. 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 that people who have felt like Evan and who have felt like everybody else is having a wonderful life except for them. How long does it ? Letter #6: Evan Hansen. And the father? Certainly, if the show continues to do well, its something well entertain, but right now More likely, youll go out and do shows all over the country? SL: Yes, Rent was very big for all three of us. We can overcome vaccine hesitancy. It actually took me a couple of years of watching the show every night to really understand her plight. Its not scalable, as they say. On Broadway. Im in my 50s. The pillar of internet free speech seems to be everyones target. Do you not do that? I brought my son, whos 15. My very last question which I ask everybody, and maybe here well do it a little differently. Stacey, why dont you go through the story so people get a sense of what happens. SL: I was struck immediately by this whole concept of the voyeurism and exhibitionism of grief, which was really what I think Benj was so interested in. There is nothing else. People bring whatever they have themselves or they know about to him, but hes lonely and isolated. Its quite extraordinary. Oh my God. Perhaps the story of Evan Hansen could fit into that format, but I feel like what we have, the musical Dear Evan Hansen, is just that. At the behest of his therapist, Evan, an anxiety-ridden 17-year-old high schooler, writes a pop-psychology pep talk in the form of a . It is. Ive gone to theater in New York my whole life. I saw the early versions of it. Dear Evan Hansen is a novel published in 2018. I dont believe Michael Grief is on social media at all, and I only joined the world of social media, and Im now slightly addicted not in posting but in SM: I love Instagram, but I only joined it because of this show, because I literally had them telling me every day, You wont understand your own children and the way they live and the way theyre liked if you dont participate in some way. This conversation has been going on, and my notes on the show sometimes have questioned this backdrop. He'll hold on and he'll keep going. The musical opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016, after the show's world premiere at the Arena Stage in . New York, NY, Linda Ray Whereas if you adapt a musical into a film, or adapt it into a TV series or a VR, then it becomes that. We actually went out to our fans, and we told them exactly how to take a picture of themselves, and send their faces in to us. This is in the song "Sincerely, Me". "My name. We have a contact list from our website of multiple thousands and thousands and thousands of people that most shows dont have. - The third letter in "Sincerely, Me". The idea of getting people, especially younger people. It was fascinating to have all that going on at once. Thats a very good play, or a delicate flower. They find their son through him, and then this story snowballs from there. - The fourth letter in "Sincerely, Me" and the final letter of the first act. Now, that mosaic as we call it in our key art is all 100 percent our fans faces. You talked about it at the beginning, but your show has benefited from that too. How about do you feel about this, Steven? Yeah, I often called it, Twitter, a hellscape. It feels like people want Is theater retro? Whats it like to create theater in this age, in this age of digital? I remember the school saying it wasnt terrible like this, but it wasnt one where she shouldnt have been in the video, and was, and this and that. Nobody in this world wants or rather, everybody wants to believe the story that he tells. He described the set design to Architectural Digest: "I wanted to create a design that would feel as complex, encompassing, and dimensional as the cultural impact of the films themselves.". Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Not anymore. They have filled our theaters in broad groups. If youre not that private, thats why you have that many and stuff like that. I think shes a very important character for some reason, being a mom to SM: Very, very, because she is the one that he comes home to in the end and discovers his, I hope spoiler alerts are okay, but discovers he has something that he didnt realize before. This is fake news, either of you. She has a very bitter sense of humor. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. It led to offline, which was interesting. "It takes a little patience, takes a little time. He is in a total of 11 musical numbers. It was interesting because the schools are trying to struggle with these things too once things become apparent. SL: Its incredible that that has been happening and happened around the show. Stacey and Steven, thanks for coming by. On that stage, and you also used it in your own marketing, you had Twitter, Facebook, what else? You do feel in this thing. Then he uses it, the social media, to amplify that awfulness. I dont have time, but I will catch you later. I think Steven in less words than more actually captures that in Heidi. Can you talk about each of the characters? I saw it recently, and its about isolation. The next thing I want you to talk about is where theater is going. Its a beautiful song that Benj and Justin have written. Okay. Theres just nowhere except the theater where you really do. That problem, its the plot point. My son had one with a bad video, and it went up. 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. 5 terms. It's easy to see why they cut it down for length and time and also to make it vague enough that Connor could've written it just as easily as Evan. You used to pay for social media with your eyeballs. I talked about mistakes. 22. 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 . I dont know if theyve discovered it yet. SM: That was never meant to be literal, because we hope the show will live for many years, and these things may become dinosaurs. Thats why I think its a character. SL: Yes, it improves his life, and what becomes impossible for him to stop is how much it improves other peoples lives. Take a phone vacation. Its impossible. SM: Theyre an important part of the fabric of the whole thing. Cynthia Murphy, who is the other mom, Connor Murphys mom, is equally as relatable, and I think it takes us part of her journey to really come to understand her and her fortitude, because she goes through the grief, the absolute horror, the last thing that any mother or father ever, ever, ever wants to go through, and yet shes so admirable because she keeps finding ways to lift herself up and to keep life going. Thats the big, like, thats number one: be yourself. I hope it goes Is it coming to San Francisco? He has just done incredible work, and its so exhaustive and so detailed. Reader support helps us keep our explainers free for all. Well, its also become a war zone too, I mean, at the same time like a hellscape, like sometimes this was a SL: Yes. Sometimes when you say I love you to your child, it means 10 things. Right. Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about whats happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. Fun Fact: Tom queued for . Sometimes, people will say, Is it a show about death? I always say, Its absolutely not. Dear Evan Hansen explores the meaning of family, particularly found family, as the teenage characters find new sources of familial support and acceptance. After Evan's parents' divorce, his father moves to Colorado to start a new family, and his mom works constantly and never has time for Evan. People are going back to handmade in some ways, and people are really hungering for SL: Exactly. SL: And loneliness, and so we immediately thought in a dramatic sense, Who would be the person who is unable to connect? Do you know what I mean, like thats what we got. It could have happened 100 years in the future. You can find more episodes of Recode Decode anywhere you listen to a podcast. Why do you think this resonated? Of course, they still owe one to common, be entertained. Everybody wants to go. SM: Heidi Hansen, yeah, Evan's mom. Phone numbers were never meant to protect or identify us, but we use them to do that all the time. This time, this time he won't let go. Thats all I mean. He captured something that maybe it even did, maybe it does in smaller ways less musically accentuated, but it is something that is very believable in America right now. We didnt have Uber. We happen to have the same director also, but Rent paved the way for skipping some in between, and Next to Normal paved the way for Fun Home. Fun Home, I remember the season of Fun Home was just starting, and I was watching it so closely because I knew if they could tell that story, then there was so much hope that we could tell our story. SL: Its a very weird net of thing where people are really, really responding to that idea of you will be found, which is actually when Evan is saying it in the musical, its not true. She acts a lot older than she is. I can only tell you the funny story that we all just do things too quickly, and we make silly mistakes all the time. He goes back to school. producer and book writer of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.. Right now, I was just invited to a showing in San Francisco where we will be wearing VR headsets during the show, and its going to be SM: Thats the Encounter Within Broadway. You cant keep doing that. Why dont we start with you, Stacey? Heres whats actually happening. Its certainly done that for me. Are you private? Do see it, and see that beneath the faade, were all searching for the same things. So no hiding. Good to know. Dear Evan Hansen is a 2021 American coming-of-age musical film directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Steven Levenson, based on the stage musical of the same name by Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. One of the things that I think is really striking is despite this awful situation, youre very kind to their characters. The story alone is so icky, so offensive, so profoundly manipulative and fraudulent, that it really never should have gotten a single Tony (or six), much less a film adaptation. Chloe? And then she would be like, No, its Zoe. SM: Im still new to social media, so I dont think I can do that. Then there are those moments where it goes quiet, which is those are generally the emotional moments in the show. They mistakenly believe that it is a letter that Connor meant to write to Evan. Hes making up a story, but its a story that actually becomes true for him and for all of these people, so its like there are so many weird layers, and then you start to feel a little dizzy. We were just talking about that idea. I said yes. Broadway - July 30, 2017. Where else do you actually have to put your phone away? Thats why people get frustrated. SL: Yes. SL: Thats a really good question. Getting back to how you do theater, do you feel good about theater now that people ? They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. SL: Theres going to be a moment when those feel like dinosaurs. When I was talking to Jeffrey Seller, and he said that he thought that online had so much to do, the conversation thats just continued on and on and on about this show. Have they had their social media horror shows yet or not? They have their 28th anniversary revivals of that. People have said to me, theyre sure he has Aspergers or something else. What I found interesting maybe you want to talk about is I dont want to get to the idea of where shows are too like whats at the heart of all these shows and these connections is that you dont insult technology. I think thats how the world feels to someone like Evan. Benj and Justin and I were just talking recently about how when we were in high school, we assumed that everybody was having more fun than we were, but now if youre a high school student, you have proof every day that everybody is happier than you are. 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.
