EVAN: (don't forget to TALK FAST) Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day and here's why Because, Because today um all you have to do Evan was the beginning of our story. Evan and Connor both feel like their families don't listen to them. I dont know, if you dont live in Silicon Valley, but I, like, oh my God, her. We know that because we hear from them. SM: The father is an interesting nut to crack, because he at first doesnt emote about his pain. One of the things that I think is really striking is despite this awful situation, youre very kind to their characters. Everybody wants to go. 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. 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 . Dear Evan Hansen takes on challenging subjectsdeath, grief, class, mental illness, social media, social anxietywith unapologetic trust in the power of contemporary pop music to tell complex stories onstage. Do see it, and see that beneath the faade, were all searching for the same things. The only thing I knew about Dear Evan Hansen before this point was that the main character had a broken arm. SL: Larry and Cynthia and Zoe, who is their daughter and Connors sister, are all really And Evan Hansen probably more who really SL: Yes exactly. | Smule Social Singing Karaoke app There is haptic touch. An interesting thing is he started with Rent in a lot of ways. 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. SL: It does feel like there is something, especially with younger people wanting something unique and something you can touch. I had someone who is a millennial who was saying, Oh look, Im not as happy as my friends. Im like, Theyre not happy. Today is going to be a good day, and here's why; because today, no matter what else you are you. Evan has a therapist who asks him to write letters to himself. This show is really depicting the way we live in America now, the way we are at our breakfast tables with our families. Then once she gets the letters, she uses them like shes almost a journalist, like, I got the memo, or something like that. SL: I actually have in my mind the minimalist version of the show with no projections and no SM: The words, the score, and the actions. We call the social media aspect of the show either the backdrop of our show or the ninth character sometimes. 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. I think theater is going forward in the kinds of stories we can tell. Social media used to be free. It sounded like a crazy idea for a musical, but so does everything else when you put it on paper first. Its about a high school student with a social anxiety disorder and a problem with the internet. How about do you feel about this, Steven? No lying. 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. A battle over freedom of expression at a Concord, N.H., elementary school. Im in my 50s. You got involved with this, and what were you thinking, Steven? 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.". They were holding back the stuff. Youll receive a black mirror, where youre going to have that. Do you want to take a little plug, Steven? I know Hamilton didnt put things online, like a ton of stuff. I used to tell my kids to take it off the dinner table, but sometimes I have to have it at the dinner table. 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. 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. But yet he goes along with it, he goes along with the lie. She has a lot of wisdom from all of those years of pain and family therapy, a jaundiced view of the world. "Even if you've always been that barely-in-the-background kind of guy, you still matter." - Val Emmich, 'Dear Evan Hansen'. The Oscar-nominated actress will return to a musical role for the first time since 2011's The . It didn't make it into the show, it's the note that Evan was originally gonna write to himself. SL: Never send an email when youre angry has been the best lesson. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Do you not put stuff online? The most iconic track from the musical remained, while some of the new songs are used to flesh out supporting characters. SL: Then there are a lot of expressionistic approaches to the internet, which is like fractured images and text. Its a musical about a high school student with social anxiety disorder and social media problems. SM: But its a great symbol of the need for community because she uses knowingly, unknowingly, the experience of Connors death and Evans decision to create the Connor Project, to create a community and a role and a life for herself. Its like somebody without skin. SL: Exactly. He wanted to write something about his generation. A speech Evan writes about Connor then goes viral. SL: Yet, watching it now, you dont feel like its old-fashioned, or you feel like the technology is old-fashioned but the emotions are real and the story, you can follow. CW: This article references suicide.Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources. Will you support Voxs explanatory journalism? If you go on Instagram, youll see all sorts of drawings and poems and songs. I recommend it. Stacey, why dont you start talking about that idea of how you create an analog experience of just one place and mostly New York City or wherever to reach audiences, especially young ones? Do you feel like you should have Evan online? My very last question which I ask everybody, and maybe here well do it a little differently. 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. Treacly and manipulative, "Dear Evan Hansen . Then also how connection isnt connecting. September 10, 2021. Yeah, absolutely. SM: I will say, though, that there has been a wonderful conversation going on these eight years about this, because Steven and Benj and Justin are from one generation. SM: Shows have changed so much. Why do you think this resonated? 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. You can find more episodes of Recode Decode anywhere you listen to a podcast. This is fake news, either of you. 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. Just weaponize. Are you private? Were all paying for that. The ensemble cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani . I hope it goes Is it coming to San Francisco? Then we brought in the great director, Michael Grief, whos done Rent and Next to Normal. He also brought in his own interpretations. At that time when people are going less and less analog and experience everything online, theres been some real cultural touchdown shows now. When I first heard the song Anybody Have a Map? which was our third or fourth opening number to the show. The teens are doing revenge porn like Evan. 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. I was like, Aww.. Theyre like, Whats that? Im like, Oh, okay, let me just break it down for you. It was fascinating. Yeah, I often called it, Twitter, a hellscape. I dont have time, but I will catch you later. I think Steven in less words than more actually captures that in Heidi. SL: I think storytelling is going to continue to evolve into different forms and formats. Or something like a Snapchat, of course the filters would be tasteless, like, Hey, lets make everyones face funny.. SM: Its so universal, because I think we all feel that way. As much of a blessing as it is, we want the people who love our show and loved it first to be able to come. She acts a lot older than she is. Evan attempts to find the acceptance and love he has been lacking in his life. You dont actively participate in the world, but thats how you comment. 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? 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. Whats happened is theres dozens of shows. Laura Baronet. 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. It was interesting because the schools are trying to struggle with these things too once things become apparent. 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. What do you hope to accomplish, each of you? As a producer whos had some successes and a lot of what I call glorious failures SM: My last musical that I lead produced was The Bridges of Madison County.. People are going back to handmade in some ways, and people are really hungering for SL: Exactly. Its great to talk to you. So many shows and movies and everything else, a lot of literature about that, finding connection, or you try to make people feel better about the idea that you can be connected in this interconnected world, where I think nobody has felt lonelier than ever before. SL: It had been off Broadway last season at Second Stage Theatre, and then it had been in D.C. at the Arena Stage the summer before. 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. Thats why people get frustrated. What happens to theater going forward then? All monologues are property and copyright of their owners. I wanted that tradition to continue where you have that collective live experience, where the turntable might stop, or just the experience that real actors are acting on their guts and instincts right in front of you. I brought my son, whos 15. They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. SNAP boosts kept millions out of poverty during Covid. Were on Apple Podcast, Google Play Music, TuneIn, Stitcher, SoundCloud and more, or just visit recode.net/podcasts for more. We actually do. I said yes. Its an interesting question, because throughout the preview process and throughout the out of town production in off Broadway, there were always a certain number of people whove thought he didnt suffer enough for what he did.
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