Dear Evan Hansen – You’re Not Alone

Dear Dear Evan Hansen Potential Theatre Patron,

You may cry some tears as the show deals with tough topics like suicide, depression, anxiety, and divorce. Multiple characters explore the feeling of not belonging regardless of their situation and the everyday persona they present to the world. A great show for parents to watch with their teenagers, if you can get them to be seen in public with you. That was a joke.

The story centers around Evan Hansen (Ben Levi Ross), he has social anxiety and can’t help but act awkward around his peers. He’s from a single mom home and one of the feelings explored is his desire to spend more time with her. As young people, we often forget that our parents are human beings. They taught us all that we know so we expect them to be perfect sometimes, they’re not.

When Evan gets an assignment where he has to write a letter to himself, it’s full of feelings of isolation. It also introduces us to his crush, Zoe (Maggie McKenna), the thought of her is what keeps him going. He pins his hopes on her in this letter. Her brother Connor (Marrick Smith), who also has issues of his own that no one knows about, finds it and gets upset. Connor’s parents find Evan’s note after he commits suicide. This leads them to believe that Evan and Connor were friends. Evan sees how happy this makes them given that Connor was a loner, and the lie spirals out of control from there on out.

Besides dealing with feelings of isolation, it also delves into social media and the validation that people can become addicted to. It can never be enough since you’re still physically isolated. When things spread mouth to mouth, they often tone down after a week. With the internet, things can be explored further and spread to people outside of your zone. In this case, a lie spreads that brings good, but still, it’s a lie. Although, it can help prolong a cause, story, or provide someone with a few more minutes of recognition, it will also eventually be forgotten.  

It touches a lot of elements that will strike a chord with many. It also has a catchy soundtrack reminiscent of Rent. The stage set and how they present social media is intriguing. They have multiple screens representing different online networks with voice overs for posts that you will see scrolling through.

So, does Evan get found out for lying? You have until December 30th to find out. If you leave the show with anything, may it be knowing that no matter what you’re going through, you’re not alone.  You Will Be Found.

Sincerely,

Me

Details:

Where: Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., San Francisco
When: 7 p.m. most Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 and 7 p.m. most Wednesdays and Sundays; 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; closes Dec. 30
Tickets: (415) 358-1220 or sfcurran.com

*There is a digital lottery offering fans the chance to purchase a limited number of $25 tickets. For details and to enter, go to: www.luckyseat.com/dearevanhansen. Good Luck!