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People always say to me, Just take an hour. I cant wait to see Hello Dolly. I cannot wait to just delve into that beautiful history of a musical, but the new theater that is exciting to me is being created by young people who have something very interesting to say about the way theyre seeing the world. But the lies are precisely what happened. You dont actively participate in the world, but thats how you comment. It was a smart way to talk about hard things. But also. SM: The whole business of theater is about putting butts in seats. Despite its Broadway credentials, "Dear Evan Hansen" hits screens faced with an inherent tension: Can its songs and cast, led by Ben Platt reprising his Tony-winning role, overcome the . SL: We always wanted to thread that needle. 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. Where do you see theater going? jennyjenrose. 24. A little perseverance and a little uphill climb." I believe this quote can relate to many things. I hope its a conversation starter about so many issues, but mostly I hope its a catharsis for the people who come to see it, because its a catharsis for me every night. You do feel in this thing. I think that is the beauty of Stevens writing. Then it was so relevant to today at the same time. If you have the good fortune to become successful, you do become something more, but the essence of it is sitting in that theater. She is surrounded by friends, but really, she doesnt have many. Thats one of the things lets talk about how you weaponize social media. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. Do you want to take a little plug, Steven? I think not just in my family but every family. It was interesting because the schools are trying to struggle with these things too once things become apparent. But also confident; that's super important. SNAP boosts kept millions out of poverty during Covid. On that stage, and you also used it in your own marketing, you had Twitter, Facebook, what else? She has a very bitter sense of humor. - The second letter in "Sincerely, Me". A fresh, intricately plotted book by Steven . Ive had people say, Im Heidi, or, My nephew is Evan, My nextdoor neighbor And so he is just one of those absolutely, utterly relatable authentic characters. Okay. Stacey, why dont you go through the story so people get a sense of what happens. Where else do you have to shut it off? Are you private? Google Pay. Theres something about this story. 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. The plot of Dear Evan Hansen begins with a letter, unsurprisingly given the title. One of the things that I think is really striking is despite this awful situation, youre very kind to their characters. I hope that people who have felt like Evan and who have felt like everybody else is having a wonderful life except for them. I think, from scene to scene, that changes, but I think Michael Greif and I have represented the parental point of view here, and theres a line that A lot of confusion over it, go over the confusion, and what is this, and what does it do, and I dont understand it, and its technical. A battle over freedom of expression at a Concord, N.H., elementary school. I said Zoe. And youd be like, Oh, see I thought you said Chloe because Im just Im very busy withuh, other stuff right now. But you didnt even end up saying anything to her anyway because you were scared your hands were sweatywhich, they werent, really. Scene 1: We start on a black screen. All of those people are actually real people too that we asked just among our fan group to send us videos of themselves. Chloe? SL: There is something about Hamilton being a prime example of, there is something so old-fashioned about it, and yet something that is drawing people to it that I think has to do with seeing actors right there in front of you, seeing them sweat, seeing them spit, feeling like you were having this visceral experience in this room, and theres something quite special and intimate about that. But once she gets on the blog, she blossoms. The story alone is so icky, so offensive, so profoundly manipulative and fraudulent, that it really never should have gotten a single Tony (or six), much less a film adaptation. I think each one really leads the theater world to be a beauty, to do more and to be more honest. I wouldnt want a device on my head or my eyes to take me away from that. Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring The musical opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre in December 2016, after the show's world premiere at the Arena Stage in . 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. They didnt know that Connor had any friends. In 2020, the Oscars stage saw a "swirling cyclone" of Swarovski Crystals thanks to Jason Sherwood, production designer for the 92nd Academy Awards. People have said to me, theyre sure he has Aspergers or something else. Everything has done that. Whats it like to create theater in this age, in this age of digital? Monologues. Its certainly done that for me. Ben Platt, playing an anxious teenager . Yes, he did a horrible thing, but it has become so apparent for me in knowing the script by heart now that SM: But its all been deeply pleasurable. 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. START. People want to feel something. Benj was astounded that basically his whole class identified with it, wrote their college essays about it. The only thing I knew about Dear Evan Hansen before this point was that the main character had a broken arm. 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. No lying. It becomes something else. SL: There are always people who thought he suffered too much for what he did, so it ultimately comes down to me to some of the Theres a song, Words Fail, that Evan sings. You know what I mean? Everybody is super happy. Then he uses it, the social media, to amplify that awfulness. He uses it as an art. 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. This has been a bad year. Jared is often the voice of the audience, pointing out what were thinking, so he serves a really interesting and useful purpose. 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. SL: They must be cyclical, but it feels like there are a few things going on, but one of them being the pervasive irony and sarcasm, for lack of a better word. 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? I think theater is going forward in the kinds of stories we can tell. SL: Exactly. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why: because because today, . SM: Every show is different. Its a musical about a high school student with social anxiety disorder and social media problems. Thats super interesting. 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. 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. Not all of them hit. Thats the big, like, thats number one: be yourself. What do you think of what he did, because hes a fictional character but hes not? We can overcome vaccine hesitancy. Is that true? Section 230, the internet law the Supreme Court could change, explained. Shes always trying to help people. SM: It gives him something fun to do too. Its quite extraordinary. You had the memories of when you saw it, when you didnt feel acquainted, but you couldnt revive those feelings. Above photo: VOX teen reviewer Sydney with her mom Lisa at the April 28, 2019 performance of "Dear Evan Hansen" at Atlanta's Fox Theatre. Whats been interesting to me is there is something about these characters in this world that, especially young people, really want to engage with. See more ideas about monologues, acting monologues, dear even hansen. But yet he goes along with it, he goes along with the lie. I dont know how old you are, but it was mind-blowing, and I went a dozen times. It is. SL: It does feel like there is something, especially with younger people wanting something unique and something you can touch. Evan Hansen, an awkward, lonely high school senior, struggles with Social Anxiety Disorder. Universal. This is fake news, either of you. That's the big, like, that's number one: be yourself. We give them a heads up. Now Meta and Twitter want your money, too. The lies start piling up, especially when Evan has to explain his absence to his single mother Heidi (Julianne Moore). This show is really depicting the way we live in America now, the way we are at our breakfast tables with our families. I look at Rent being really a grandfather to Dear Evan Hansen happening. Right now, I was just invited to a showing in San Francisco where we will be wearing VR headsets during the show, and its going to be SM: Thats the Encounter Within Broadway. Yeah, but also, it is the agony of social media, and now you can see it. And interesting. I do think, though, that the weird thing about social media is weve all become high schoolers now. Now its all about Trump. Thats right, and when she gets it, boy, its interesting. | Smule Social Singing Karaoke app When you think about that, its an interesting question whether you do do that. 5 terms. It sounds crazy, but theres all kinds of things that werent happening in that time period. New York, NY, Linda Ray Explain to me how long a show takes to get through? SL: Exactly, yes, the paradox of a world where we are incredibly interconnected and yet isolation feels at an unprecedented level. Evan Hansen. We dont really live in that world anymore. SL: Yes, it improves his life, and what becomes impossible for him to stop is how much it improves other peoples lives. SL: And loneliness, and so we immediately thought in a dramatic sense, Who would be the person who is unable to connect? On the advice of his therapist, he pens supportive letters to himself: "Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be an amazing day, and here's why. He plays off of Evan. They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. The ensemble cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani . Of course, they still owe one to common, be entertained. 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.