If you haven't seen it, let me attempt to briefly summarize the show's somewhat unbelievable plot. 2 sentence. 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. EVAN. All right, Ill follow you. SM: But for us, what serves our show so well is the intimacy of those 984 plus 16 standing room possibilities. 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. Ultimately what is going to separate theater from everything else is not the content. We actually went out to our fans, and we told them exactly how to take a picture of themselves, and send their faces in to us. Hes told to write these daily affirmations, Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a great day, and here is why. That is the beginning of our story, is him writing one of these letters, and its the first day of school. You can also contribute via, Full transcript: Broadways Dear Evan Hansen Producer Stacey Mindich and book writer Steven Levenson on Recode Decode, This story is part of a group of stories called, 9 questions about the threats to ban TikTok, answered. Whats important now when youre doing that as youre moving to Broadway? Shes a true survivor. Now its all about Trump. 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. They have filled our theaters in broad groups. "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'. Everybody is super happy. Social media proved its relevance outside of establishing the modern setting as the speech goes viral all over the internet, an important plot point expressed beautifully across the digital . We didnt have to buy the rights to a book to make this. It actually took me a couple of years of watching the show every night to really understand her plight. Explain to me how long a show takes to get through? Its great to talk to you. 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. SL: Exactly. No lying. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. They mistakenly believe that it is a letter that Connor meant to write to Evan. Dear Evan Hansen, Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why: because because today, . Yeah, but also, it is the agony of social media, and now you can see it. It is. Can you talk about each of the characters? On his journey to be found, he discovers the consequences of risking it all for the chance to . Ive gone to theater in New York my whole life. They were holding back the stuff. SL: Sarah Ruhl, the playwright, had a play called Dead Mans Cell Phone, where she had a line where she said, The only two places that are safe from cellphones now are theaters and churches.. Its the experience, sitting there in that theater in that one place with that one performance. 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. People bring whatever they have themselves or they know about to him, but hes lonely and isolated. Then we brought in the great director, Michael Grief, whos done Rent and Next to Normal. He also brought in his own interpretations. I want to finish up on what do you hope where to go, where it happens, because you definitely, youre very current. When I was younger, I was like, Oh, Ill just put this book on my physical book, like, What?. 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. He is, within his opening monologue, portrayed beautifully and poignantly as somebody who is literally on the outside looking in as you can imagine on social media, but also in life. This is Evan's mom. What I found interesting maybe you want to talk about is I dont want to get to the idea of where shows are too like whats at the heart of all these shows and these connections is that you dont insult technology. Perhaps the story of Evan Hansen could fit into that format, but I feel like what we have, the musical Dear Evan Hansen, is just that. Were going to talk about, the musical, that and more, but first lets about a little bit of your background, each of you. Some of them are very funny, but a lot of them are very earnest and horrible in some way, and thats what you do. Weve also provided a lightly edited complete transcript of their conversation. I think thats what makes it special. It's also come under fire for an irresponsible portrayal of mental health . On that stage, and you also used it in your own marketing, you had Twitter, Facebook, what else? Dear Evan Hansen:It turns out, this wa. Because today, all you have to do is be yourself. But would you have plans to do that, to have a digital version of it after? There is feeling like Its disturbing how real it feels. Not all of them hit. Why do you think this resonated? Dear 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. It feels like people want Is theater retro? Its not scalable. We felt like we actually hadnt seen a lot of theater doing that. You can read some of the highlights from the interview at that link, or listen to it in the audio player below. I talked about mistakes. I saw the early versions of it. I think people are hungering to feel a part of a community, and to be sitting in an audience with other people. SL: Yes, it improves his life, and what becomes impossible for him to stop is how much it improves other peoples lives. SM: Terrible, terrible, but no, were in a tiny theater really, and we very much want people to come and see us. I do believe that were going to look back and think, Oh my goodness, projection, that is so old-fashioned. I think we have no idea yet what the next thing is going to be. Summary. We are all looking and seeing how much fun everything else is thats happening. They want to continue the story, and they want to embellish the story. What happens to theater going forward then? Thats all there is. 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. SM: Again, thats good to hear. Shes trying to reach people. The next thing I want you to talk about is where theater is going. 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. . Today in the red chairs are Stacey Mindich and Steven Levenson, the producer and book writer of Dear Evan Hansen. Its a musical about a high school student with social anxiety disorder struggling to connect with people around him, including his crush, Zoe, and her social outcast brother Connor. They did obviously make a CD, and theyre selling. Audition season's in full swing, so I thought I'd share a clip from my self-tape for the Dear Evan Hansen national tour! I hope it goes on forever. Do you feel like you should have Evan online? Dear Evan Hansen, the smash-hit, Tony winning 2015 musical, was, depending on your outlook, a poignant depiction of the mental health perils of high school, or an unrelentingly . I think thats how the world feels to someone like Evan. START. Everyone seemed to have a SL: Yes, exactly, everybody wanted to star in the tragedy of the day. SM: But in 25 years, they may have all been over and done with that panic. It becomes something else. Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing and changing us. I think shes a really funny, dark person. But its very kind to these people who are struggling to each of them in a different way, which I think is an interesting way 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. I think she is an incredible depiction of contemporary motherhood, whether youre a single mom or not, busy, under pressure, trying hard, absolutely love your child, but in the daily rush of things doesnt always get everything right. But I think whats interesting is the fresh trends of whats happening now, because eight years ago, Facebook was not as big as it is [now]. Thats a very good play, or a delicate flower. And the father? Then it was so relevant to today at the same time. As Steven said earlier, they write to us in droves. We werent going to do a very big thing about it right at this moment, but we did that. Just, uh, you knowbe true to yourself. But they want to continue the relationship. That meant that we would have to find some way to communicate the ubiquity of technology as it is in our lives into this story. He begins to type. SM: What about all the angry people whod tweet? 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 . 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. SL: No. Broadway - July 30, 2017. An interesting thing is he started with Rent in a lot of ways. You didnt have the answer, which was, I was like, Remember when you didnt have the answer, and you just argue, you get drunk, and that was it? That was the entire thing. We want some cause for what theyre learning, the things. Can you talk about that idea of do you think he pays enough for what hes done, or does he have to pay? Evan attempts to find the acceptance and love he has been lacking in his life. I guess, every Steven Sondheim movie, you feel bad for everybody in it at I mean musical. Its fantastic. But then they were still sweatyand just, uh, very warm as well.
Platt is certainly not the first adult to play a teenager onscreen, nor is he the first to look his age while . That requires a series of readings, workshops and developmental productions outside of Broadway to really see what you have and to learn from audiences and all of that. SM: No, as a matter of fact, we spend a lot of our time trying to get bootleg tapes of it off of YouTube. Is that your name? We have a contact list from our website of multiple thousands and thousands and thousands of people that most shows dont have. Be yourself! ap micro unit 3 id's. 45 terms. Oh my God. I hope more people will listen to this and come. SM: Im still new to social media, so I dont think I can do that. You cant keep doing that. It goes wild with people holding up signs that say, #youwillbefound, supporting the Connor Project and Evan, and the idea that this boy made a friend and all of that. 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. The ensemble cast also includes Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani . And especially with the pain. 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. Why its so hard to get answers on long Covid. SL: Thats a really good question. As the performance began, Evan was alone. But also. Yes, she is. Stacey and Steven, welcome to Recode Decode. 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. On Broadway. The new single "Found/Tonight," arranged by Alex . Thats been the lesson Ive learned. I do feel like people are hungering for something that is ephemeral and something thats just here and now, because everything else is permanent and online. Social media now lets you have People put up that video. SL: We always wanted to thread that needle. I recommend it. Thats to me, I think, the difficulty they had is they didnt like him. Its so funny when youre looking up things, like, What is that, or what is that? I was at a party the other night, and someones like, What do you think happened in his first night? If only we had a device that we can search and find things out, but then I remember dinner parties where you just didnt know. Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, and the Easter egg-ification of the Hollywood feud, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to two life terms for murdering his wife and son. We shouldnt. Like its central character, Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel is a bit of a lovable misfit: a rare instance of a hit Broadway musical being adapted for the page. We didnt have Uber. Approachable. Sometimes, lessons were learned, and youre like, Oh.. When we announce a new block of tickets on sale, we give the fans a two-hour heads up, because as you said, it is hard to sell tickets, and that hurts us in some ways. This has been really fascinating. He is somebody in a world of connections who is completely disconnected and desperate to connect, and also terrifying to connect too. Yeah, you can. Just, uh, you knowbe true to yourself. Heres whats actually happening. They dont ever have to say to the mother, Hi, its Danny. What do you think of things like that? We have people from the age Well, we werent able to take people, I think, under the age of 18, but these people are from the age of 18 to the age of 80, from all over the country and actually all over the world, and theyre in our show. We found that we gathered fans very, very quickly, and they stayed with us, and so one of our approaches in, not really selling tickets, but in keeping our own community alive was really to talk directly to the fans, to always give them something first, because we believe that they are part of the reason why we were able to go from Arena to Second Stage, and Second Stage to Broadway. YouTube seems to be. Not anymore. Its fascinating. View in iTunes. It was a smart way to talk about hard things.
Like, she would introduce herself and then youd be like, Sorry, I didnt hear you. Its music, however, is fairly affecting. Theyre like, Whats that? Im like, Oh, okay, let me just break it down for you. It was fascinating. Its a beautiful song that Benj and Justin have written. 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. Do you not do that? "Even if you've always been that barely-in-the-background kind of guy, you still matter." - Val Emmich, 'Dear Evan Hansen'. I love her because shes amazing. And intellig but, just be yourself!! 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!! . The plot of Dear Evan Hansen begins with a letter, unsurprisingly given the title. Get away from it all. Have they had their social media horror shows yet or not? Just weaponize. Whereas if you adapt a musical into a film, or adapt it into a TV series or a VR, then it becomes that. What happened in your play is the online frenzy created an offline community of the families and everything else. Theres been some shows that have been real touchdowns, like Hamilton and some others that have been really Theres a new, I cant remember the latest one, but theres a bunch that Maybe its The Grand Hotel, one that seems fantastic in some ways. There is nothing else. 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. Its difficult to do because Theres always like an Uber joke or a Twitter joke, but thats it. But also confident that's important and . Can I please speak to ?. Weve talked a lot about the show itself, but lets talk about doing theater now. Dear Evan Hansen Monologue. SL: Yes, Rent was very big for all three of us. Now Meta and Twitter want your money, too.