Dear Evan Hansen issue...

[5377brian]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 7:51pm

Ok, so does anyone else take issue with the fact that

 

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Evan Hansen not only perpetrates what is clearly stated in the show, but that he also is directly responsible for Conner's death?  Conner killed himself rather than face the school because he assumed Evan would spread the letter around, and tell everyone he's crazy...

 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 7:54pm

Um no. Not at all. Connor's assumptions were his own, and no one else's. His insecurities and demons led him to believe that about Evan. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 8:33pm

Not at all. Evan carries NO responsibilty for Connor's actions.

[boonanas]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 8:42pm

Although there is something to be said that Evan uses her dead brother to essentially date her

[gypsy101]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 8:42pm

yeah this is incorrect. he did not cause the suicide.

[asmith0307]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 8:52pm

Updated On: 2/26/17 at 08:52 PM

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 9:19pm

There's a difference between a catalyst and a cause. Also, the act of blaming clearly goes against what the show advocates.

[5377brian]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 9:27pm

asmith0307 said: "Why would you assume that Evan would spread the letter around? Given, i haven't seen it since 2ST, but I seem to remember Evan being embarrassed ANYONE saw the letter. Am I wrong?

 

But Connor doesn't know Evan would be embarrassed, Connor leaves the computer lab saying that Evan was going to use the letter to make everyone think Connor was crazy.

 

Updated On: 2/26/17 at 09:27 PM

[Ragged Tear]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 9:44pm

Connor was -- I'll say "unbalanced" or "unwell" because "crazy" is pejorative, but he was indeed deeply unwell, and only would think that the letter was about him because he was so unwell. 

[asmith0307]

Posted: 2/26/17 at 10:10pm

5377brian said: "asmith0307 said: "Why would you assume that Evan would spread the letter around? Given, i haven't seen it since 2ST, but I seem to remember Evan being embarrassed ANYONE saw the letter. Am I wrong?

 

But Connor doesn't know Evan would be embarrassed, Connor leaves the computer lab saying that Evan was going to use the letter to make everyone think Connor was crazy."

Ahh. I didn't remember that particular moment (forgive me, its been a while). I agree with the statement that he wasn't the cause, but just maybe a part of the trigger. 

[jonlow09]

Posted: 2/27/17 at 3:21pm

I don't have this particular issue, but I have several other issues with the book, even though I found it to be a moving evening of theater regardless. I question what the show IS advocating at the end of the day. It's got beautiful melodies and a wonderfully flawed three dimensional protagonist, but I don't know that I can say that it's "inspirational." It's really quite dark and lacks a resolution, despite its attempts to work in uplifting lyrics. 

Updated On: 2/27/17 at 03:21 PM

[RunningThatRoad]

Posted: 2/27/17 at 11:58pm

Let me second jonlow09. While it was an enjoyable night of theater and Ben Platt's performance was breathtaking, the show itself is probably the most profoundly immoral show I've seen in a very long time. Frankly, Evan acts like a sociopath: he lies to a grieving family and uses a girl's dead brother to seduce her. The (admittedly super uplifting) songs hide what is truly psychopathic behavior.

Then, at the end of the show, not only does Evan avoid paying a big price for his misdeeds, but we're told that Evan has actually brought the Murphys closer together and made them happier. Moral of the story: in the end it's fine to do despicable things that are likely to cause long lasting emotional trauma, because it brings people together!

I think if it weren't for the catchiness of the tunes and Platt's performance, Dear Evan Hansen would play as one of the most bleak, misanthropic musicals ever written. In fact, I can't wait to see the revival in 2028 that takes this slant on the story.

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 11:58 PM

[Dave13]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 12:18am

No. I interpret the premise of the show to be completely opposite.

 

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My take on the show is Evan Hansen was a troubled boy. The letter was only written for himself to read, to improve his self esteem as part of his therapy. Unfortunately, the letter was printed and Connor got a hold of it. Connor misinterpreted the letter, and made his own decision. That was Connor's fault alone. 

Thereafter, Evan Hansen didn't want to disappoint Connor's parents, so he created a "little white lie". He intended for Connor's parents to have a good memory of their son. Unfortunately that little white lie snowballed into something much bigger than ever imagined. Sure, Evan Hansen may have exacerbated the lie into something more for his own selfish reasons, but ultimately he had good intentions and ended up hurting everyone in the end. 

 

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 12:18 AM

[snl89]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 1:08am

"Let me second jonlow09. While it was an enjoyable night of theater and Ben Platt's performance was breathtaking, the show itself is probably the most profoundly immoral show I've seen in a very long time. Frankly, Evan acts like a sociopath: he lies to a grieving family and uses a girl's dead brother to seduce her. The (admittedly super uplifting) songs hide what is truly psychopathic behavior.

Then, at the end of the show, not only does Evan avoid paying a big price for his misdeeds, but we're told that Evan has actually brought the Murphys closer together and made them happier. Moral of the story: in the end it's fine to do despicable things that are likely to cause long lasting emotional trauma, because it brings people together!

I think if it weren't for the catchiness of the tunes and Platt's performance, Dear Evan Hansen would play as one of the most bleak, misanthropic musicals ever made. In fact, I can't wait to see the revival in 2028 that takes this slant on the story."

 

I kind of feel like this is the very point of view that the show is actively (and imo, effectively) working to dismantle though.

This is going to be really long, so I'll put it behind a spoiler cut! haha

 

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Now, without a doubt, Evan's actions are by no means morally sound. They're extremely self-serving and wrong, and Evan himself is the first to acknowledge that there's no excuse. 

But to me what the show (and Ben's performance) does a really great job of is reminding us that it's NOT always that a person who does some terrible things is just inherently a terrible person or a sociopath. In Evan's case, mental health issues absolutely are at the root of his actions, and hey, maybe to an extent some of them ARE a bit sociopathic in nature in the sense that he knows what he's doing is wrong but does it anyway. But to just leave it at that would be to completely ignore the fact that he is a kid who is desperately lonely and depressed to the point of being suicidal himself. And then, through these incredibly unfortunate circumstances, he stumbles (completely unintentionally) into this situation where this family actually reaches out to him and WANTS his company, his input, etc. Now, again, this is in no way to say that it makes what he does morally acceptable- only to say that we know exactly where Evan is *coming* from with it all, and that the fact that it's so hugely self serving is a little more understandable when we see just how genuinely life saving that connection with the Murphy family probably was for him. 

The point is, we're not just talking about some kid who was otherwise mentally fine and saw a grieving family and said "hmm, I think I want to get into Zoe's pants so I'm going to use them all to get what I want" or something like that. We're talking about a good person who was truly very near the end of his rope, and suddenly found himself with everything that could help him feel better (at least temporarily) right there in front of him, and so yes, he grabbed on and clung to that selfish and temporary happiness for as long as he possibly could before it blew up. It's not right, and it's certainly not a mentally healthy thing to do, but mental illness can do that- it can make genuinely good people do some pretty terrible things. And I think it's really dangerous and unfortunate for the response to such situations to be "well they're just a horrible, sociopathic person."

In the end, of course the Murphy family certainly was under no obligation to forgive him or invite him back into their lives in any way (though I can understand how, with a year or so's time and distance, it wouldn't be too crazy that Zoe in particular might feel comfortable meeting up with him again briefly). But other than that...a kid in Evan's situation really doesn't need punishment. They need HELP and support to start feeling better in a way that's actually healthy, and that's pretty much the whole purpose of the story- to encourage people away from the idea that anyone who does bad things while struggling with mental illness is just some awful person who should be punished. That sometimes, what they need more than anything is just some compassion and to be assured that they're NOT the horrible person they think they are for having made those bad decisions. 

 

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[elephantseye]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 1:51am

I feel like a lot of my confusion/concerns about Evan's morality stems from the way the show emphasizes and, to an extent, blames social media on the whole situation. After Evan's speech goes viral, everything snowballs, and Alana and Jared feed off of that and encourage Evan to keep up the page/ruse, respectively.

The social media theme was obviously extremely significant, both to plot and the staging, and clearly DEH is commenting on it in some way, but it was all a bit muddled imo. And, if you're going to have a strong message in the musical, it seems like you'd want it to be... strong? Maybe I'm missing something, but I walked away unsure if we were meant to condemn Facebook or be wary of it or what.

I loved the show, and Evan's mental health problems and his relationship with his mother really resonated with me, but the other main message of the musical went over my head, I guess.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 3:15am

I think the message has little to do with social media. It's that everyone needs acceptance,  and when you are marginalized it can lead to bad choices. All of the characters, aside from the rest of Connors family, feel marginalized and are looking for a way to stop "waving from a window" and BE.

And yes, bad things can lead to good.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 3:19am

RunningThatRoad said: "Let me second jonlow09. While it was an enjoyable night of theater and Ben Platt's performance was breathtaking, the show itself is probably the most profoundly immoral show I've seen in a very long time. Frankly, Evan acts like a sociopath: he lies to a grieving family and uses a girl's dead brother to seduce her. The (admittedly super uplifting) songs hide what is truly psychopathic behavior.

Then, at the end of the show, not only does Evan avoid paying a big price for his misdeeds, but we're told that Evan has actually brought the Murphys closer together and made them happier. Moral of the story: in the end it's fine to do despicable things that are likely to cause long lasting emotional trauma, because it brings people together!

I think if it weren't for the catchiness of the tunes and Platt's performance, Dear Evan Hansen would play as one of the most bleak, misanthropic musicals ever made. In fact, I can't wait to see the revival in 2028 that takes this slant on the story.

 

"

Could not agree more. And the cloying ending is almost comically unearned. 

[RunningThatRoad]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 3:06pm

snl89 said: "In the end, of course the Murphy family certainly was under no obligation to forgive him or invite him back into their lives in any way (though I can understand how, with a year or so's time and distance, it wouldn't be too crazy that Zoe in particular might feel comfortable meeting up with him again briefly). But other than that...a kid in Evan's situation really doesn't need punishment. They need HELP and support to start feeling better in a way that's actually healthy, and that's pretty much the whole purpose of the story- to encourage people away from the idea that anyone who does bad things while struggling with mental illness is just some awful person who should be punished. That sometimes, what they need more than anything is just some compassion and to be assured that they're NOT the horrible person they think they are for having made those bad decisions."

Thanks for the thoughtful engagement, snl89. I agree with everything you say about the role of mental health in Evan's decisions, and I think the show and Ben Platt in particular go into overdrive to make sure this point is hammered home. And good for them; I can't remember a more honest portrayal of anxiety in musical theater.

For me, though, the immorality is all contained in the ending. Evan apologizes and actually admits himself in "Words Fail" that all of his challenges are not an excuse for his behavior. But then rather than face the real consequences of his actions, the show puts a thumb on the scale and makes it so that his actions actually helped the Murphy family. As a result, Evan never has to truly reckon with the impact of his actions on others, which is the real meaning of accountability.

A more honest ending, to my mind, would be one where Evan's lies are made public and the Murphy family never forgives him, but nevertheless he picks himself up and continues on and tries to atone as best he can anyway. Sometimes we really can't ever fix what we've done wrong, and I feel pretty strongly that constructing a web of lies to the family of a dead child for personal gain usually ends up in that category. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for a soaring, feel-good ending, and it left me with the feeling that the ending was, in Scarywarhol's words, "almost comically unearned".

 

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 03:06 PM

[MyLife]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 3:43pm

RunningThatRoad said: "snl89 said: "

A more honest ending, to my mind, would be one where Evan's lies are made public and the Murphy family never forgives him, but nevertheless he picks himself up and continues on and tries to atone as best he can anyway. Sometimes we really can't ever fix what we've done wrong, and I feel pretty strongly that constructing a web of lies to the family of a dead child for personal gain usually ends up in that category. Unfortunately, that doesn't make for a soaring, feel-good ending, and it left me with the feeling that the ending was, in Scarywarhol's words, "almost comically unearned"."

 

That is all I wanted in the ending, and it would have changed my general opinion on the show from something in the negative range to the positive range. It's much more realistic and rewarding if we would be able to see how Evan could overcome an error/mistake/lapse in judgment and become stronger because of it. To have the Murphy's forgive him trivializes the immoralities in the show. I can't see how this ending can help an individual grow. In essence, the show, while having the main character recognize bad behavior, rewards it.

The parts with Evan and his mom are what resonated with me. These were the only times that felt natural to me and moved me to tears. Waving Through a Window and You Will Be Found are great tunes. They're catchy and meaningful but int he context of the show, they're not heightened for me, Words Fail fits the best, but then the rest of the show falls apart when it could have wrapped up much more effectively.

 

[5377brian]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 3:53pm

dramamama611 said: "I think the message has little to do with social media. It's that everyone needs acceptance,  and when you are marginalized it can lead to bad choices. All of the characters, aside from the rest of Connors family, feel marginalized and are looking for a way to stop "waving from a window" and BE.

And yes, bad things can lead to good.

I completely disagree   This show brings to the forefront the reality of the adolescent experience in the wake of social media.   Our children today are little more than up and down voting automatons, seriously lacking in any kind of social development.  Social media has left us with a disaffected youth unable to cope with human contact, healthy discourse, and failure.  

We are raising sociopaths as the default, and it is only getting worse. That it is called "social media" is ironic to be sure. 

 

"

 

[3NU]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 4:25pm

This is a really fascinating discussion, and it's interesting that people are coming away with so many different interpretations.

Here's my take on it:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

I think the crux of DEH lies in "Words Fail":

I guess I thought I could be part of this
I never had this kind of thing before
I never had that perfect girl
Who somehow could see the good part of me

I never had the dad who stuck it out
No corny jokes or baseball gloves
No mom who just was there
'Cause mom was all that she had to be

That's not a worthy explanation
I know there is none
Nothing can make sense of all these things I've done

Words fail, words fail
There's nothing I can say
Except sometimes, you see everything you wanted
And sometimes, you see everything you wish you had
And it's right there, right there, right there
In front of you
And you want to believe it's true
So you... make it true
And you think maybe everybody wants it
And needs it... a little bit... too

This is really the first time that Evan admits the truth to both the Murphys and himself: that he intentionally took advantage of a horrible situation to make himself "belong", justifying to himself that his actions were appropriate because he was "helping the Murphys".

Building on this is the recurring theme of sun, which represents truth, love, acceptance, etc.

From "Waving Through the Window":

Step out, step out of the sun
If you keep getting burned
Step out, step out of the sun
Because you've learned, because you've learned

Here Evan tells himself the lie that stepping out in the sun will only get himself burned, perpetually leaving himself "waving through the window".  However, upon Connor's death, Evan feels he can create (i.e., lie about) a life that will bring him into the sun.  

From "For Forever":

All we see is light for forever
'Cause the sun shines bright for forever
Life will be alright for forever this way
Two friends on a perfect day

And there he goes
Racing toward the tallest tree
From far across the yellow field I hear him calling "follow me"
And there we go
Wondering how the world might look from up so high

One foot after the other
One branch then to another
I climb higher and higher
I climb until the entire
Sun shines on my face

"Words Fail" is a turning point for Evan; he realizes that the sun he was creating through his lie is not true light (i.e., truth):

'Cause what if everyone saw?
What if everyone knew?
Would they like what they saw?
Or would they hate it too?
Will I just keep on running away from what's true?

All I ever do is run
So how do I step in
Step into the sun?
Step into the sun

In the end, Evan learns that being himself is enough and that seeking out a sun of his own making is never truly going to bring him joy:

EVAN (spoken)
Dear Evan Hansen,?
Today is going to be a good day. And here's why: because today, today at least you're you and—that's enough.?

COMPANY (sung)
All we see is sky for forever
We let the world pass by for forever
Feels like we could go on for forever this way
This way

All we see is light
Watch the sun burn bright
We could be alright for forever
This way

All we see is sky for forever

EVAN
All I see is sky for forever?

Evan's repetition of the company's line is what hammers the point home here.  These lyrics are, of course, a neat juxtaposition of those used in "For Forever" -- the same lyrics with completely different meanings.

Overall, I found the messages of seeing oneself as enough (and the dangers of creating a lie of a life that you think will make you happy in order to feel "enough" ) to be wonderfully lyrical and immensely moving.  Moreover, the integration of social media is incredibly apt, as it illustrates a person's ability, especially in this day and age, to mobilize, feed, and be reaffirmed by a movement that one creates (in this case, The Connor Project) and the way that social media has a life of its own that reacts to circumstances swiftly and unabashedly, regardless of truth (e.g., the high praise for Evan and the nasty tear-downs of the Murphys).

I absolutely disagree with the argument that the musical justifies Evan's actions because they eventually helped the Murphys cope with their grief.  I believe Evan already hit rock bottom and learned to forgive himself prior to meeting with Zoe in the final scene.  Moreover, Evan knows well enough that the Murphys could easily have exposed him, yet they chose not to.  They also chose to seek healing amongst the horrible things that happened to them.  It gave the Murphys agency, and they used that agency to show Evan grace and love.

My only gripe with the musical -- and I believe there's not really anything the musical's creators could have done about it -- is that most of the songs are hard to take at face value in the context of the narrative.  "Sincerely, Me" is hilarious, but also totally not in the context of the narrative.  "If I Could Tell Her" and "Only Us" are beautiful but also creepily emotionally manipulative (again, in the context of the narrative).  "You Will Be Found" is an inspiring piece but also (once again, in the context of the narrative) falsely inspiring because it's based on a lie.  I saw a highly-"liked" YouTube comment on "You Will Be Found" that claims the (spoken) lyric of "I know someone who really needed to hear this today, so thank you Evan Hansen", was incredibly powerful.  Yet, this lyric is immensely ironic in context.  (It's also immensely ironic how well-"liked" this comment was on YouTube.)

Then again, I felt the same way about "Let It Go" from Frozen.  While most people find the song inspiring, I can only see it in the context of the narrative, which is Elsa saying, "Screw you, I can do whatever I want to this kingdom -- including FREEZING IT OVER -- because everyone has stopped me from using my special powers before.  BUT NO MORE. Just you watch me..."

 

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 04:25 PM

[5377brian]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 4:54pm

3NU said: "This is a really fascinating discussion, and it's interesting that people are coming away with so many different interpretations.

Here's my take on it:

 

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

 

I think the crux of DEH lies in "Words Fail":

I guess I thought I could be part of this
I never had this kind of thing before
I never had that perfect girl
Who somehow could see the good part of me

I never had the dad who stuck it out
No corny jokes or baseball gloves
No mom who just was there
'Cause mom was all that she had to be

That's not a worthy explanation
I know there is none
Nothing can make sense of all these things I've done

Words fail, words fail
There's nothing I can say
Except sometimes, you see everything you wanted
And sometimes, you see everything you wish you had
And it's right there, right there, right there
In front of you
And you want to believe it's true
So you... make it true
And you think maybe everybody wants it
And needs it... a little bit... too

This is really the first time that Evan admits the truth to both the Murphys and himself: that he intentionally took advantage of a horrible situation to make himself "belong", justifying to himself that his actions were appropriate because he was "helping the Murphys".

Building on this is the recurring theme of sun, which represents truth, love, acceptance, etc.

From "Waving Through the Window":

Step out, step out of the sun
If you keep getting burned
Step out, step out of the sun
Because you've learned, because you've learned

Here Evan tells himself the lie that stepping out in the sun will only get himself burned, perpetually leaving himself "waving through the window".  However, upon Connor's death, Evan feels he can create (i.e., lie about) a life that will bring him into the sun.  

From "For Forever":

All we see is light for forever
'Cause the sun shines bright for forever
Life will be alright for forever this way
Two friends on a perfect day

And there he goes
Racing toward the tallest tree
From far across the yellow field I hear him calling "follow me"
And there we go
Wondering how the world might look from up so high

One foot after the other
One branch then to another
I climb higher and higher
I climb until the entire
Sun shines on my face

"Words Fail" is a turning point for Evan; he realizes that the sun he was creating through his lie is not true light (i.e., truth):

'Cause what if everyone saw?
What if everyone knew?
Would they like what they saw?
Or would they hate it too?
Will I just keep on running away from what's true?

All I ever do is run
So how do I step in
Step into the sun?
Step into the sun

In the end, Evan learns that being himself is enough and that seeking out a sun of his own making is never truly going to bring him joy:

EVAN (spoken)
Dear Evan Hansen,?
Today is going to be a good day. And here's why: because today, today at least you're you and—that's enough.?

COMPANY (sung)
All we see is sky for forever
We let the world pass by for forever
Feels like we could go on for forever this way
This way

All we see is light
Watch the sun burn bright
We could be alright for forever
This way

All we see is sky for forever

EVAN
All I see is sky for forever?

Evan's repetition of the company's line is what hammers the point home here.  These lyrics are, of course, a neat juxtaposition of those used in "For Forever" -- the same lyrics with completely different meanings.

Overall, I found the messages of seeing oneself as enough (and the dangers of creating a lie of a life that you think will make you happy in order to feel "enough" to be wonderfully lyrical and immensely moving.  Moreover, the integration of social media is incredibly apt, as it illustrates a person's ability, especially in this day and age, to mobilize, feed, and be reaffirmed by a movement that one creates (in this case, The Connor Project) and the way that social media has a life of its own that reacts to circumstances swiftly and unabashedly, regardless of truth (e.g., the high praise for Evan and the nasty tear-downs of the Murphys).

I absolutely disagree with the argument that the musical justifies Evan's actions because they eventually helped the Murphys cope with their grief.  I believe Evan already hit rock bottom and learned to forgive himself prior to meeting with Zoe in the final scene.  Moreover, Evan knows well enough that the Murphys could easily have exposed him, yet they chose not to.  They also chose to seek healing amongst the horrible things that happened to them.  It gave the Murphys agency, and they used that agency to show Evan grace and love.

My only gripe with the musical -- and I believe there's not really anything the musical's creators could have done about it -- is that most of the songs are hard to take at face value in the context of the narrative.  "Sincerely, Me" is hilarious, but also totally not in the context of the narrative.  "If I Could Tell Her" and "Only Us" are beautiful but also creepily emotionally manipulative (again, in the context of the narrative).  "You Will Be Found" is an inspiring piece but also (once again, in the context of the narrative) falsely inspiring because it's based on a lie.  I saw a highly-"liked" YouTube comment on "You Will Be Found" that claims the (spoken) lyric of "I know someone who really needed to hear this today, so thank you Evan Hansen", was incredibly powerful.  Yet, this lyric is immensely ironic in context.  (It's also immensely ironic how well-"liked" this comment was on YouTube.)

Then again, I felt the same way about "Let It Go" from Frozen.  While most people find the song inspiring, I can only see it in the context of the narrative, which is Elsa saying, "Screw you, I can do whatever I want to this kingdom -- including FREEZING IT OVER -- because everyone has stopped me from using my special powers before.  BUT NO MORE. Just you watch me..."

 

 

 ^^^This^*^*^ 

 

is is precisely the reason I started this thread.  Beautifully laid out and nice analysis about this wonderful piece of theater.  Thank you for your input. 

 

"

 

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 5:03pm

3NU - To your point about the lyrics being hard to take at face value in the context of the narrative - I think one of the "problems" with the score is that Pasek & Paul wrote songs that can be taken out of context and used in concert form or standalone songs. It's a big issue with today's musical theatre writers in that exposure often comes from 54 Below (et al) shows, Youtube videos, etc. Many musical theatre writers know how to write songs, but not necessarily musicals, but I digress. MT writers write songs for musicals that can be sung as standalones because that's where they can get exposure in concert or online, and then when they're in the context of the show, they don't always work/make sense or they sound generic.

[3NU]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 5:06pm

@ahhrealmonsters That's a really interesting point.  I never thought about it that way, but it totally makes sense.  Thanks for sharing that.

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 05:06 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 6:11pm

Well, some folks have already said pretty much exactly what I was going to say. The uplifting, "top 40" friendly songs almost completely mask the laughably implausible and grossly amoral book lurking underneath. I honestly couldn't believe what I was watching - and that people were quite literally sobbing in the aisles. And that was only at intermission! I haven't hated a piece of theatre like this, maybe ever. Like someone said previously, I look forward to the revival years from now that actually casts the character of Evan in a light that exposes what a creepy sociopath he really is. As it stands now, with the throngs of young fans and their parents flocking to it nightly, this production is - to me - highly irresponsible and problematic.

Updated On: 2/28/17 at 06:11 PM