BWW Reviews: DEAR EVAN HANSEN - World Premiere at Arena Stage is a Masterpiece of a Musical

There are moments in musical theatre that I will never forget. Seeing Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD at the Uris Theater and watching Sweeney come up out of the grave standing tall during the opening number is one. Another is seeing Jason Robert Brown's Tony-winning musical PARADE at Lincoln Center. I remember reading an article by the New York Times' Ben Brantley writing there were no new musical theater composers on the horizon. Stuart Mark Brown, Jason's father, wrote a reply in the Times, asserting that audiences were standing in applause after PARADE and that Brantley was wrong. For some unknown reason, I reached out to Stuart, called him and commented I agreed with him, thought his son was a genius and that he had a great future ahead of him.

Well, I had another one of those moments after opening night of DEAR EVAN HANSEN but I didn't have to make a call to composer Benj Pasek's parents. I could just go up to them and tell them the same thing that I told Stuart Mark Brown. "Your son is a genius and has a great future ahead of him." And I did. I would have said the same thing to fellow composer Justin Paul's parents if they were there.

I was familiar with Pasek and Paul's work before having seen their award winning Off-Broadway musical DOGFIGHT. So I have to admit I had great expectations as the lights dimmed on the set of DEAR EVAN HANSEN at the Arena Stage's Kreeger Theatre, an intimate 500 seat house with a thrust stage.

I was hooked at the first number, "This'll Be the Year".

On July 13, 2015 Arena Stage hosted an evening with the composers, Director Michael Grief, and Book writer Steven Levenson (hosted by the Washington Post's Peter Marks) and the packed crowd heard the creators discuss DEAR EVAN HANSEN and the two and one half year process that took to get this new original musical, not based on any book, film, or story, to the stage. At first, one was struck how young they all were (but for Grief). But it was clear, they all had a similar vision what they wanted to accomplish with this piece and that was to discuss teen suicide, loneliness, tragedy, depression, community, and how the social media has changed society. (See my article on this site from July 24, 2015).

The musical deals with all of these subjects. Evan (the talented Ben Platt) is a senior in high school. He's a loner without many friends and spends most of his time on the computer. His father left the home when he was 7 and his mother Heidi (the wonderful Rachel Bay Jones) works laboriously as a nurse's aid, sometimes doing two shifts, studies to be a paralegal, and dinners are mostly take-out. Evan is depressed, sees a therapist, and is assigned a task to write a letter to himself which he does (hence the show's title). He is told to start his letter with "Today is going to be an amazing day, and here's why." He is almost invisible at school and has no luck getting anyone to sign the cast on his arm (he fell from a tree). There is one student who does, Connor Murphy (a powerful performance by Mike Faist) who agrees to sign the cast with big block letters which covers it entirely. Connor is another lonely character who clearly is into drugs. While in the school's computer lab, Evan prints his letter to himself but Connor finds it first, reads it, sees that Evan may have a crush on Connor's sister Zoe (the lovely Laura Dreyfuss), and absconds with Evan's letter.

Evan a few days later learns that Connor has committed suicide and in a meeting in the high school principal's office is confronted for the first time with Connor's parents Cynthia (Jennifer Laura Thompson) and Larry (Michael Park) who found Evan's letter in Connor's pockets. Evan's letter to himself ends with "I mean, face it: would anybody even notice if I disappeared tomorrow?" They also notice Evan's cast has their son's name prominently displayed. They thus conclude Evan has been a "close" friend to their dead son and want to know more about their relationship they had no knowledge about.

Evan at first attempts to deny his relationship with Connor but notices how desperate his family wants to learn about their son's "best" friend.

One thing leads to another and Evan is just about adopted and embraced by the Murphy family who constantly try to learn about this "other" life their son led. Evan thrives at his new found acceptance not only by Connor's parents and sister, but thanks to his friend Jared Kleinman (Will Roland who brings a comedic aspect to the tragedy) who is a computer geek, they together invent a back story to Evan and Connor's relationship by backdating emails which are shared with the Murphy family. Adding to the confusion is a female bespectacled student Alana (the adorable Alexis Molnar) who uses social media to spread the word about Connor's passing by creating a "tribute" page called "The Connor Project" and later helps organize a fund raiser to honor Connor's life by resurrecting an old apple orchard which allegedly Evan and Connor used to visit.

Credit must be given to book writer Steven Levenson for a terrific script. One audience member mentioned to me that the story about Evan Hansen was so good, it could work as a play. The idea of having the note by Evan written to himself to look like it was written TO him, to hint at the possibility of suicide in the letter, and the big block letters of Connor on Evan's cast, are all examples of Levenson's clever writing.

But it is the music that will be long remembered. I wanted to buy the CD immediately (I'm sure it will come). Go to www.evanhansen.com and view Platt singing the powerful "Waving Through a Window". I found it amazing how Platt would transform his initial timidness with his voice into a powerful sound. You will never forget Rachel Bay Jones's "So Big/So Small" sung after she hears what her son has been up to. There is "Requiem" a moving trio sung by Dreyfuss, Park, and Thompson about the tragedy of losing a son/brother. Dreyfuss and Park have a lovely duet "Only Us". I thoroughly enjoyed Park demonstrating to Evan what a true father does and that Evan never had...how to wear-in a baseball glove, "The Right Way" which truly is a metaphor for how to live one's life.

Kudos to the chamber orchestra situated stage right on a platform overlooking the stage. There is no brass section or woodwinds. Ben Cohen, Musical Director, also on Keyboard dooes wonders with his musicians: Jeff Thurston (Violin), Jennifer Ries (Viola), Deb Brudbig (Cello), Adrien Godat and Phillip Noss on Guitars, Davis Marsh (Bass), and Giancarlo De Trizio (Drums and Keyboard). I loved the last scene at the apple orchard when the stage lighting allows the audience to see them clearly. The Orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and Christopher Jahnke are outstanding. Composer Paul assisted in Additional Arrangements and did the Vocal Arrangements.

You will notice in the program there are 16 recorded "Additional Voices" that add depth to the vocals.

David Korins did the clever set design using scrims to demonstrate facebook posts, messages, and videos. Emily Rebholz is Costume Designer, Japhy Weideman is Lighting Designer, Clive Goodwin is Sound Designer, and Peter Nigrini is the Projection Designer. Danny Mefford did the Choreography.

Director Michael Grief, like he did with his NEXT TO NORMAL, does a masterful job with his cast. And speaking of the cast, Tara Rubin once again deserves credit as Casting Director.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN has attracted a lot of attention. In the audience opening night included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Coming in from LA was AVENUE Q'S co-composer and lyricist Jeff Marx who allowed Pasek and Paul to attend rehearsals of the Tony winning musical in Las Vegas. There is no doubt in my mind DEAR EVAN HANSEN will be heading to Broadway.

Following the August 6 and 11 performance there will be post-show conversations.

For a nice interview with actor Mike Faist (Connor) I recommend this interview with Joel Markowitz: Mike Faist on Playing Connor in 'Dear Evan Hansen' at Arena Stage - DCMetroTheaterArts

DEAR EVAN HANSEN continues until August 23, 2015. For tickets, call 202-488-3300 or visit www.arenastage.org. I loved it so much I'm seeing it AGAIN!!

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com

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