BWW Reviews: Electric World Premiere of DEAR EVAN HANSEN Shows Promise at Arena Stage

It's not very often in the hot and humid Washington, DC summer that the theatergoing public has an opportunity to witness a world premiere musical - at least outside of the Capital Fringe. Not even just a world premiere musical, I might add, but an original one - somewhat of a rarity in and of itself - featuring music and lyrics by Tony Award nominees Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Broadway's A Christmas Story, Off-Broadway's Dogfight), two of the most standout emerging writers for musical theatre. Arena Stage, in association with Stacey Mindich Productions, is providing a home for their new musical, Dear Evan Hansen, featuring a book by Steven Levenson, direction by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Next to Normal, Rent, among others), and a slew of actors with New York credits, many of them on Broadway.

I am happy to report that there's a lot to like in this drama with comedic undertones. If it is to have a future - whether in New York or elsewhere - there's a more than solid foundation from which to build.

We meet Evan Hansen (Pitch Perfect and Pitch Perfect 2's Ben Platt) at the beginning of his senior year of high school. Despite encouraging words from his hardworking, single mother Heidi (Rachel Bay Jones), he's not quite on board with the idea that this will be the best year ever. Hansen is challenged with anxiety attacks and is not quite comfortable interacting live and in person with others, although the computer is a different matter. He has one friend, Jared (Will Roland), who makes it clear he's only his friend out of obligation - and he's pretty awkward too. An assignment from his therapist to write a pep talk letter to himself, however, ends up in the hands of school misfit Connor Murphy (Mike Faist), brother to Zoe (Laura Dreyfuss) - a girl Evan secretly likes. An untimely tragedy brings the letter to the attention of Connor and Zoe's parents, Cynthia (Jennifer Laura Thompson) and Larry (Michael Park), and the results are most unexpected, both for Evan and the Murphy's.

At the same time, news of the tragedy spreads like wildfire and the students, especially fellow loner Alana (Alexis Molnar), want to be involved in memorializing the event and its victim. They employ social media to do so. Evan is thrust into the spotlight. In the end, it's a story about finding one's self and finding those human connections we desire so much - no matter the cost. It's not only Evan that's desperately seeking these connections, but others as well.

While the timely story admittedly has a little bit of a Lifetime movie vibe to it, it's quite likely to resonate with anyone who has or is experiencing loneliness and a lack of self-confidence, particularly in those challenging teenage years. Levenson does well to create a slew of imperfect characters that we can potentially recognize aspects of ourselves in, and they are both real and authentic. This is one of the musical's assets. While some of the characters are more integral to the story than others - for example, although Roland is excellent as Jared, it's a role that could be chopped considerably with little impact on the story's development - Levenson ensures that none are simply superfluous. Additionally, while there are moments that could be tightened or streamlined - most often dealing with the social media-based response to the tragedy - there's a pretty focused story at the center of the musical.

Whether someone is emotionally moved by the story is another matter (I personally was not), but one's own individual life experiences may, at least in some part, shape personal responses to what's happening onstage. Even if one is not moved, it's very easy to see the merit in telling the story that is being told.

The production's greatest asset is Pasek and Paul's music. The pop-rock score soars from the first downbeat to the last. "This'll Be the Year" sets a strong tone for the show and is well-sung by the entire company. While many of the numbers are what would essentially be called power ballads, there are enough of other styles employed to avoid a sense of music sameness. Some examples might be the frenetic "Sincerely, Me," (partnered well with Danny Mefford's equally frenetic choreography) and the lovely, tender, and emotional "Words Fail." Lyric-wise, a primary focus is to explore how a character is feeling at a given moment, whether feeling invisible ("Waving Through a Window"), feeling grief ("Requiem"), or stress ("Disappear"). As the idea of emotional response to events is central to the show, it's reasonable that the lyrics focus so heavily on these issues. There is a sense of lyric sameness at times - as least in terms of the ideas expressed - but not to the level that it detracts from the quality work that Pasek and Paul put forth.

Under the direction of Michael Greif and musical director Ben Cohn, the small cast commits to putting the story out there in a meaningful way. Platt, playing a role that is in some ways similar to others he has played on Broadway and in the movies, fully immerses himself in his character. From the way he expresses himself to his consistent of use 'physical ticks' (pulling on his fingers, clothing) to show his nervousness/anxiety over situations, he is Evan Hansen. His powerful tenor gives voice to Pasek and Paul's great music although I did wish his top vocal range was a bit stronger to let every note have the same impact as the others. Jones, likewise, is adept in showing Heidi's struggle in doing what's best for Evan both emotionally and financially. The actors portraying the Murphy family vocally slay the music and all do incredibly well in handling the emotional rollercoaster the family has to endure. As Evan's neurotic and awkward classmates, Molnar and Roland, fill out the cast quite well.

Technical elements and staging wise, fans of Next to Normal - which played Arena Stage before it's successful Broadway run - might find some similarities, but everything is very well executed. David Korins' set and Emily Rebholz's costumes embody the real and everyday world the characters inhabit. Peter Nigrini's very prominent projections play up the important social media aspect of the show. Although they might be distracting at times, they do play an important role in advancing the story. Japhy Weideman's lighting and Clive Goodwin's sound designs add to the musical's intensity and complement the energetic pop-rock score quite well. A band, comprised of eight accomplished musicians, embraces the musical's pop-rock vibe and likewise contributes to the electric energy level. Alex Lacamoire's orchestrations (as well as Christopher Jahnke's additional orchestrations) are exactly what this kind of musical calls for.

In the end, we have a very strong world premiere musical. I look forward to seeing what happens with it next.

Running Time: Around 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN plays at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater - 1101 6th Street, SW in Washington, DC - through August 23, 2015. For tickets, call the box office at 202-488-3300 or purchase them online.

Photo: Ben Platt and the company of Dear Evan Hansen at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater July 10-August 23, 2015. By Margot Schulman.

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