I hope it goes on forever. What begins as a little white lie becomes a way of comforting this family. It sounded like a crazy idea for a musical, but so does everything else when you put it on paper first. They want to continue the story, and they want to embellish the story. 21 terms. If youre not that private, thats why you have that many and stuff like that. When she admits to being afraid of Connor, the moment is brushed aside as she, too, is duped by Evan's fairy-tale portrait of a loving brother. I like to insult him, but hes a genius on Twitter. SM: If you dont, somebody might throw it at you, but you have to. I was looking at the social media on the show. It feels like the forms are changing but the ideas underneath them are not. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. I was like, Oh, theyre going to do another bad Facebook. By the way, Facebook is bad in many ways, and as youre seeing with a lot of things that are happening right now from the murder to the suicides that are happening, not just that but fake news. Do you feel like you should have Evan online? The musical premiered in July 2015 in Washington, DC, debuted on Broadway in 2016, and later won six Tony Awards in . I think not just in my family but every family. You dont actively participate in the world, but thats how you comment. Ive met Alana a hundred times. Whats it like to create theater in this age, in this age of digital? I dont think it was the tech. 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 . They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. She is a child that has grown up out of the spotlight because her brother took up so much of the oxygen. SL: Yes. SL: I think storytelling is going to continue to evolve into different forms and formats. That problem, its the plot point. It was fascinating to have all that going on at once. SM: We dont have a current plan to do 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. All monologues are property and copyright of their owners. Connor is his classmate and lives lavishly with his parents and sister. Jared is often the voice of the audience, pointing out what were thinking, so he serves a really interesting and useful purpose. How Trump uses it is fascinating. We didnt have Uber. Thats the surface story. Go through it just basically to give people an idea of why and how important a role, I guess, it would be Facebook and Twitter and others play in this, this idea of social media plays in this. SM: Think about this, Steven, if they do a revival of this show in 25 years, they could do it in a retro way with no projections. Letter #4: Evan Hansen to Connor Murphy. My lesson here that will change my life forever was that this kind of word of mouth, you cannot manufacture. For 30 years (as of November 2022) Theater Talk has been appointment listening on WBFO, featuring the insights of theater critic and historian, Anthony Chase, who joins Peter Hall for a five-minute weekly broadcast at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on 88.7 WBFO with a podcast available on wbfo.org. I will email my husband, Chinese for dinner? His name is Eric, but a different Eric will email me back, and say, Sure, Chinese works for me. We just do things in a haze. 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 only thing I knew about Dear Evan Hansen before this point was that the main character had a broken arm. You used to pay for social media with your eyeballs. With Ben Platt, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amy Adams. At that time when people are going less and less analog and experience everything online, theres been some real cultural touchdown shows now. 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. 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. YouTube seems to be. Treacly and manipulative, "Dear Evan Hansen . 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 . Do you not put stuff online? She has a very bitter sense of humor. Steven, youve hit the meme exactly at the right moment, which is Did you think about that before? Im not even worried about it though, seriously, because its not like, uh, its not going to be like that one time you had the perfect chance to introduce yourself to Zoe Murphy at the band concert last year that time when you waited afterwards just to talk to her and tell her how good she was and, like, you were going to pretend to be so casual like you didnt even know her name. 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. SL: Yes, and Cynthia is still, I think, struggling and fighting and searching for a way to get through to him, whereas Larry has by the time the show started just written him off, and so has Zoe. Guide written by. That's the big, like, that's number one: be yourself. You are instructed to turn your phone off, and so it is an hour or two hours where you get into a story in a way that you cant anymore when youre watching television or even in a movie theater, because you can be rude like that in the movie theater. In the wake of the election and people feeling all sorts of feelings and trauma, there was Social media actually did become a refuge for a lot of people, and a place to feel. SL: Yes. 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. "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: The father is an interesting nut to crack, because he at first doesnt emote about his pain. It feels like somewhere, thats the solution to the fake news is to reach people in their core. The 13 most cringeworthy moments in 'Dear Evan Hansen' from the lack of chemistry between Evan and Zoe to the odd portrayal of mental health. I have been for so many years, and people come up to me and say, Im Evan. Right. Its difficult to do because Theres always like an Uber joke or a Twitter joke, but thats it. If you have the good fortune to become successful, you do become something more, but the essence of it is sitting in that theater. Shes a true survivor. Just, uh, you knowbe true to yourself. Everyone seemed to have a SL: Yes, exactly, everybody wanted to star in the tragedy of the day. Talk about that idea of how you get that, because it does. The teens are doing revenge porn like Evan. 4. One of the most compelling musical films that relates to neurodiversity and social anxiety is Dear Evan Hansen, a 2021 adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical about an isolated high school senior who becomes the motivational force behind a campaign for mental health awareness following the suicide of a fellow student.. SM: The extraordinary thing that happened with this show right from our very first production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., was that people organically found us. But would you have plans to do that, to have a digital version of it after? Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? Its like somebody without skin. Start: Today is going to be an amazing d Dear Evan Hansen: As Steven said earlier, they write to us in droves. But also confident; that's super important. - The second letter in "Sincerely, Me". Laura Baronet. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Something we talked about really early on was this was like six years ago, so Facebook and Twitter were really coming into their own, and it felt like whenever there was a natural disaster or a celebrity passed away, there would be the strange public ritual of people going on social media and somehow identifying with the tragedy. 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. Were all feeling the same insecurities. Some of them are very funny, but a lot of them are very earnest and horrible in some way, and thats what you do. 'Dear Evan Hansen' adaptation is 'a total misfire,' 'one of the worst movie-musicals ever made,' critics say Published Fri, Sep 10 2021 2:05 PM EDT Updated Fri, Sep 10 2021 2:38 PM EDT Sarah . In that song, which becomes really a soliloquy, we see this person Evan, just his soul is bared. People always say to me, Just take an hour. Im sorry, theres just no other way to put it. I can tell you, because Im a super old person, it was so great not to know anything or have a phone around. SL: Yes, and theyve gotten to that point that a lot of parents get to with their troubled child, where your affection for them has begun to even go away or you dont know what to do. Because today, all you have to do is be yourself. SM: The whole business of theater is about putting butts in seats. . We have parents who come with each other on their theater date night, and they come back and they bring their kids. Yeah, but also, it is the agony of social media, and now you can see it. Thats why people get frustrated. 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 know Hamilton didnt put things online, like a ton of stuff. Can I please speak to ?. We had bands of teenagers come in the beginning who loved Ben Platt, our star, from the Pitch Perfect movies, but they want to come back with their parents, and talk to their parents afterward. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Were going to talk about, the musical, that and more, but first lets about a little bit of your background, each of you. Dear Evan Hansen poster. Weve also provided a lightly edited complete transcript of their conversation. I think shes a really funny, dark person. You got involved with this, and what were you thinking, Steven? 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. No, I get it, but you have to feel the panic of social media. How long have you been developing it, Stacey? You can only reach so many people. If you haven't seen it, let me attempt to briefly summarize the show's somewhat unbelievable plot. I start Talkbacks now by saying, Were going to keep our Talkback breath, because I know that you want to go home and hug your children, forgive your mother and perhaps download our CD, because that is the universal thing. It was written by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. I look at Rent being really a grandfather to Dear Evan Hansen happening. You do feel in this thing. Your director Michael did Rent. I remember when Rent came out. Dear Evan Hansen. I hope that the show makes people more present hopefully with the people that they are in the room with. DEAR EVAN HANSEN is "the most vital and important musical of a generation" (Daily Mail, Baz Bamigboye) with "a raw, relevant and exhilarating score" (BBC Radio London, Jonathan Phang) from the songwriters of The Greatest Showman and La La Land.. A timely and timeless new musical about struggling to connect in a hyperconnected world, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is the winner of 3 Olivier Awards . Youre also not trying to do lesson learning. This is Evan's mom. Heres a clip from the show. When you think about that, its an interesting question whether you do do that. Just look at the HPV shot. 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. Whats the worst social media thing youve done? Stream songs including "Waving Through A Window (From the "Dear Evan Hansen" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "For Forever (From The "Dear Evan Hansen" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" and more. And intellig but, just be yourself!! Dear Evan Hansen. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. He is in a total of 11 musical numbers. He is counseled by his therapist in order to build himself up to write a letter to himself, that self-help letter, Dear Evan Hansen. They look happy as ever. A little perseverance and a little uphill climb." I believe this quote can relate to many things. Were talking right now to Stacey Mindich and Steve Levenson, the producer and book writer of the hit show on Broadway, Dear Evan Hansen. When we get back, well talk about where theater is going as we move forward in the digital age. I wouldnt want to lose that. Social media used to be free. You did a super effective job at depicting how something takes off virally, and you used the set design where the information is just cascading and flooding down the picture of how it feels like your phone is. 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. I want to continue to have that experience that I saw A Chorus Line 28 times, not on VR. What do you hope to accomplish, each of you? I think each one really leads the theater world to be a beauty, to do more and to be more honest. Why do people, especially our age, feel the need to broadcast their sadness and their mourning? SL: Yes, absolutely, its just never-ending. Whats been interesting to me is there is something about these characters in this world that, especially young people, really want to engage with. It could have happened 100 years in the future. What do you think of what he did, because hes a fictional character but hes not? They have a son, Connor, who has been trouble for a very long time. Or even knowing phone numbers, but thats another thing. They have filled our theaters in broad groups. I think thats what makes it special. See you, rather. 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 . 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. Someone whos not a parent might look at him and say, He hasnt paid enough, but as a parent, I look at him and think especially because of the Words Fail, he has been absolutely tortured. Take a phone vacation. Its impossible. It feels like people want Is theater retro? This is fake news, either of you. Were on Apple Podcast, Google Play Music, TuneIn, Stitcher, SoundCloud and more, or just visit recode.net/podcasts for more. I love her because shes amazing. If you like this, be sure to subscribe to Recode Decode on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, TuneIn or Stitcher. Explain to me how long a show takes to get through? Whats happened is theres dozens of shows. Its not scalable. Why do you think this resonated? - The third letter in "Sincerely, Me". 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 it was so relevant to today at the same time. Just weaponize. The authors adapted the novel from the original Broadway musical of the same name, which they also wrote. You can read some of the highlights from the interview at that link, or listen to it in the audio player below. It's also come under fire for an irresponsible portrayal of mental health . Stacey and Steven, thanks for coming by. You talked about it at the beginning, but your show has benefited from that too. What did you use that for?, SM: I had to explain to one of my sons how to actually call someones home, because theyre so used to calling someone directly. 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. On that stage, and you also used it in your own marketing, you had Twitter, Facebook, what else? Absolutely. Right. We have a contact list from our website of multiple thousands and thousands and thousands of people that most shows dont have. ap micro unit 3 id's. 45 terms. Right. SM: That was never meant to be literal, because we hope the show will live for many years, and these things may become dinosaurs. with monologues . Evan was the beginning of our story. It was like the most thrilling moment of my social media life that somebody I thought was cool and young liked my picture, so it works. Well, something, and thats your weapon. 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? Other sets by this creator. The pillar of internet free speech seems to be everyones target. SL: Thats been a constant negotiation with how specific do we want the technology. Also, don't worry if . FLIP HTML5 is a Interactive html5 digital publishing platform that makes it easy to create interactive digital publications, including magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Its a beautiful song that Benj and Justin have written. Stephen Chbosky's adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, based on the Broadway show of the same name, features a beautiful soundtrack.The 2021 movie cut several songs from the Broadway show and added a few new ones, but overall, the musical's tone is not affected by these changes. I do think youre right about books. The gauzy white glow of the screen illuminates the face of Evan Hansen, sitting at a desk with a hard cast on. Do you not do that? Social media now lets you have People put up that video. I want to finish up on what do you hope where to go, where it happens, because you definitely, youre very current. But also confident that's important and . A battle over freedom of expression at a Concord, N.H., elementary school. We havent really made a big deal about it right now, but our key art shows Evans torso with his arm in the cast. Its super hard for them to do anything good online. SL: We always wanted to thread that needle. I brought my son, whos 15. That was really where we began, was with that phenomenon, and I think what the three of us all found interesting was instead of parodying that or satirizing that, trying to look at what is underneath that impulse, and why do people feel the need to connect in that way, whats propelling that on a human level. Evan Hansen, a young man beset by social-anxiety disorder, is ordered by his therapist to write self-addressed motivational letters to himself in order to improve his disposition and communication skills. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! Why dont we start with you, Stacey? I was just talking to him about the phenomenon of Hamilton and what its like, and as he pointed out, Hamilton ultimately is just the show thats going to happen at 8pm tonight. I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs, and I always say, Whats the mistake you made that you could have corrected or that you learned from? I dont mean a learning moment, but its something youd advise people to pay attention to. 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. Its great to talk to you. I think thats how the world feels to someone like Evan. You could see as experienced, everyones got to have the heightened sense of experience all the time. Ben Platt plays the title role, reprising the performance that he originated on stage six years earlier. I wouldnt want a device on my head or my eyes to take me away from that. So no hiding. I had someone who is a millennial who was saying, Oh look, Im not as happy as my friends. Im like, Theyre not happy. "It takes a little patience, takes a little time. 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!! They purposely didnt. 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? Summary. They find their son through him, and then this story snowballs from there. My son had one with a bad video, and it went up. He is the son of Heidi and Mark Hansen. 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. . Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack from 2016, composed by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul.