Dear Evan Hansen
2016 musical From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen is a musical. The music and lyrics were written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul[1] (Steven Levenson wrote a book based on the musical). The first performance was in July 2015. 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 Best Score awards.
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Plot
Act One
The main character is Evan Hansen. He is a senior in high school with social anxiety. He also has a broken arm. He writes a letter to himself, which is what his therapist told him to do. It's the first day of school. His mom, Heidi, says that he should ask people at school to sign his cast. There is another family on the stage: the Murphys. Cynthia and Larry and their kids, Connor and Zoe are eating breakfast. Cynthia thinks her family is falling apart. Heidi wants to know how to connect with her son ("Anybody Have A Map?").
At school, Evan meets with Alana and Jared. They don't sign his cast. Evan then sees Connor. Connor pushes Evan to the ground. He thinks Evan is making fun of him. Connor's sister, Zoe, comes to Evan. She is sorry for her brother's actions. Evan has a crush on Zoe. He does not say what he wants to say to Zoe. He is too awkward. He feels like he is alone. ("Waving Through a Window")
Evan writes another letter to himself. He talks about Zoe. He says that she makes him happy. He says that his hope is in her. ("Waving Through a Window (Reprise #1)"). He runs into Connor again. Connor signs Evan's cast. Connor sees Evan's letter. He sees Zoe's name. He thinks that Evan is making fun of him again. Connor angrily leaves with the letter. Evan tells Jared what happened. ("Waving Through a Window (Reprise #2)").
A few days pass. Evan is called into the principal's office. He sees Cynthia and Larry Murphy. They tell him that Connor has killed himself. They found Evan's letter in Connor's pocket. They think that it is Connor's suicide letter to Evan. They see his name on Evan's cast. They think Connor and Evan were friends. Evan is nervous and uncomfortable. He doesn't tell the Murphys that they are wrong.
Evan goes to the Murphy's house for dinner. He is doesn't know what to say. He lies to make the Murphys happy. He tells them that he and Connor were best friends. He says they used to email each other. He makes up a story about how he broke his arm. He says that Connor was with him at an abandoned apple orchard (the Murphys used to go to this orchard). He says he broke his arm by falling from a tree ("For Forever").
Jared helps Evan make fake email conversations. Evan uses them show his and Connor's friendship ("Sincerely, Me"). Evan shows the emails to the Murphys. Cynthia is happy that her son had a close friend. Larry is hurt that Connor didn't appreciate his family. Zoe doesn't want to cry for her brother ("Requiem"). She asks Evan why she was mentioned in Evan's letter (she thinks Connor wrote it). Evan tells Zoe his own reason why he loves her. He makes her think that they were Connor's reasons ("If I Could Tell Her").
Evan, Alana, and Jared found "The Connor Project". Its purpose is to remember Connor. The Murphys support the idea ("Disappear"). Evan gives an inspirational speech during the start of The Connor Project. It goes viral. Zoe thanks Evan for what he did ("You Will Be Found").
Act Two
Alana and Evan want to raise $50,000 to reopen the apple orchard. Evan is spending more time with Zoe and her family. He neglects his own family, Jared, and The Connor Project ("Sincerely, Me (Reprise)"). Larry tells Evan about his relationship with Connor. He gives Evan a new baseball glove ("To Break In A Glove"). Zoe tells Evan that she wants their relationship to be only about them. She doesn't want it to be about Connor ("Only Us").
Heidi finds out about the lies Evan made. Evan fights with her. He tells her that he likes being with the Murphy family. He says that Heidi is never there for him, but the Murphys are. Alana finds that some things in the fake emails (which she thinks are real) don't match up. Jared threatens to tell people about Evan's lies ("Good For You"). Evan decides that he needs to tell the Murphys the truth. He thinks about all that he will lose ("For Forever (Reprise)").
Evan shows Alana his letter. She thinks that it is Connor's suicide note. Alan posts it online. People start blaming the Murphys for Connor's suicide ("You Will Be Found (Reprise)"). Evan tells the Murphys the truth about the lies he made. He deals with the consequences ("Words Fail"). His mother sees the letter. She knows that it was Evan's letter. Evan admits that his fall from the tree was a suicide attempt. Heidi is sorry for not seeing that Evan was hurting. She promises that she will always be there when he needs her ("So Big, So Small").
A year passes. Evan meets with Zoe in the reopened apple orchard. He says he is sorry for everything. She forgives him. Evan writes one last letter to himself. He thinks about all that happened. He finally accepts himself ("Finale").
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Roles and original casts
Cast
Notable Broadway cast replacements
Characters
- Evan Hansen – A high school senior with social anxiety.
- Heidi Hansen – Evan's mother, a nurse's aide who attends night school.
- Zoe Murphy – Connor's younger sister and Evan's crush.
- Cynthia Murphy – Connor and Zoe's stay-at-home mother.
- Larry Murphy – Connor and Zoe's father.
- Connor Murphy – A high school senior who is a social outcast and a frequent drug user.
- Alana Beck – Evan's self-centered classmate.
- Jared Kleinman – Evan's sarcastic friend.
Musical numbers
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- Not included on the Original Broadway Cast Recording
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References
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