DEAR EVAN HANSEN at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 12:29pm

The main Dear Evan Hansen thread is incredibly long at this point. Performances for its off-Broadway run at Second Stage Theatre begin tomorrow (Saturday, March 26) for a run currently scheduled to last through May 22. I figured I'd start this thread for this specific production's reviews/comments, so things can be a bit more distilled! 

[JM226]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 2:33pm

thank you for starting this. saw it three times in D.C.  will be there tomorrow night and again at end of April. cannot wait 

[Alessio2]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 4:26pm

This is slightly off topic but if anyone has a discount code I can use for this I would really appreaciate it! Thank you!

[BwayinVan]

Posted: 3/25/16 at 4:29pm

Alessio2 said: "This is slightly off topic but if anyone has a discount code I can use for this I would really appreaciate it! Thank you!

 

"

TMOL

[Relevance81491]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 10:21pm

BUMPERINO

[JM226]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 10:49pm

There are s

[JM226]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 10:51pm

There are some fixes and tweaks that need to be  made but overall thought it was great Platt gives a tony worthy performance just as he did in DC. I'll be back to see it toward end of previews - looking forward to the improvements being made. also, I liked the changes and tweaks to the score. 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 10:58pm

Pasting from the other thread:

 

Intermission. I left. I just can't buy into this story. The whole basis is too unbelievable to me and I couldn't get past it. It reminded me of If/Then in that the story just didn't work and the characters all felt like stereotypes.

 

Ben Platt is in very good voice, doing a more emotional version of his Mormon take. I was impressed by him and that was a pleasant surprise. The other characters are flat and kind of gullible.

 

Also, the audience felt like a Platt family reunion which was a bit off putting. The rest of the crowd was very young - like high school - which is who I think they are and should be marketing this too. Maybe I was too old for this?



Just not my thing! :)

[JM226]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 11:22pm

Wow. you do a tremendous disservice

to yourself and to ANY show by leaving at intermission. 

 

I would  recommend you not criticize a show you haven't even seen entirely ---- act two is a killer. You really missed out. Your loss I guess 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 11:31pm

I was there tonight and overall was very moved, especially by the much stronger second act. The creators really hit their marks when asked to be serious; the comedy doesn't play nearly as well and I have to confess that I didn't laugh once. Luckily there's much more good than bad and I think they could have a hit on their hands with some changes before the Broadway run. 

 

Ben Platt is giving a very strong performance as the title character with Rachel Bay Jones doing some powerhouse work with two songs and a scene in act two. I loved her in Pippin and I loved her here as well. Jennifer Laura Thompson is someone I always associate with comic roles so it was nice to see her flex that dramatic acting muscle- my big complaint with her is that she never got the solo moment with Platt that John Dossett was given. Give the woman a song, dammit! 

 

The score and show are going to draw lots of comparisons to Next to Normal. At intermission I texted a few friends that it felt like watered down n2n mixed with Jason Robert Brown- all fine ingredients, but maybe a little derivative. Everything felt much more self-assured in act two; the comparisons flew out the window and I was able to full engage in the action. 

 

Will Roland has a problem character to play. Very obnoxious, and although it is Evan that builds a web of lies and deceit, it's Roland's Jared that I didn't like. He's saddled with the bulk of the terrible jokes too. Example: Evan wears a cast all of act one. On the first day back to school he tells Jared he broke his arm falling out of a tree, to which Jared replies, You fell out of a tree?!?!?! What are you? An acorn? I mean, it's as lame a joke as you can get and his interactions with Evan leave a bad taste in your mouth that the show has to work unnecessarily hard to overcome. 

 

The set isn't anything special and the direction isn't fancy, but that's fine because it lets the focus be on the actors and their performances which are the productions strongest suits. I liked that there wasn't too much plot and the characters had plenty of time to develop. 

 

I'm still singing the final "Let There Be Light" type song. Very catchy. I think they were wise to have this pit stop off-Broadway instead of rushing it into a Broadway house this spring. I wish them well. 

 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/26/16 at 11:47pm

JM226 said: "Wow. you do a tremendous disservice

to yourself and to ANY show by leaving at intermission. 

 

I would  recommend you not criticize a show you haven't even seen entirely ---- act two is a killer. You really missed out. Your loss I guess "

 

I was happier with the time I gave myself back :) It just was not for me.

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 12:08am

I will agree with theatregoer that some of the now requisite first preview whooping and cat calling felt very out of place with this show. Yes the actors did a good job and family and friends want to be extra supportive, but given the subject matter, some of the applause almost felt ghoulish. 

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 12:41am

Whizzer, ghoulish is more accurate. Good call. They were just being supportive I guess. I think that started to turn me off. When it started after the first number where Platt is talking about how miserable and invisible he is, the cheers went on forever and I thought, "Ok. I'm done here." Well that and the fact that he repeats the lyric, "If a tree falls and no one hears it..." about 9 times in a row 

 

Curious as to what moved you. It felt like they wanted me to cry and most of the characters did cry, but I felt nothing. Granted, I just lost a dear friend to suicide in the past month and so I was very biased towards the ways in which some of the tragedy was handled.

 

I also could not understand what Evan said that would cause his speech to go viral. It felt so beige and undeserving of the response.

 

Maybe I'm being too critical. I had read the responses on here from the DC production so I guess I was looking for something more. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 4:50am

So, not too much changed from DC in terms of major things. The only major differences are the opening number "Anybody Have A Map" instead of "This Will Be The Year" and the act one finale "Part of Me" has been cut and I'm not sure the song title but either "Not Alone" or "Found" would be my guess for the new song. Aside from the ones I mentioned, most of the show is as I remember from DC. The show is in very fine shape and ran pretty smoothly for a first preview [minus a slight hiccup with the raising of the orchard at the end]. One thing they did beef up (and I really liked actually) was:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

They made it more clear what Evan was doing that caused him to break his arm. Connor confronts him about it and it makes it more clear that he was trying to kill himself. 

Ben Platt continues to astound me with his voice, and you just feel everything he's feeling in each note and mannerism. Rachel Bay Jones is incredible, and she just owns "Good For You" with a vengeance and I love watching her turn the coin with "So Small/So Big". Laura Dreyfuss, Mike Faist, and Jennifer Laura Thompson continue to bring a lot to their roles - which I think are probably the hardest ones in the show given the subject matter, especially for Jennifer who doesn't have the solo song like most [alas her number was cut in DC]. John Dossett was good, but I did miss Michael Park's warmth during "Just Right" and Kristolyn Lloyd was an adorable addition as Alana. 

I think to me Will Roland's role is difficult, because he's meant to be comedic relief but you can also tell there's a lot going on under the surface [which you see in Act Two]. Overall, I think Jared ends up redeeming himself to a point. I think what I love so much about this show is that it shows how in a world of instant gratification and needs for likes, accepted friend requests, etc - we're still not being one hundred percent ourselves. We hide behind the social media, the posts, etc and want people to like us, favorite us, while also being so afraid that someone may find the real you behind the filtered post. 

I will agree with other posters, the cheering did feel out of place given the subject matter, but I didn't let it deter me from really focusing on the show itself. I feel like there won't be too much changes needed, some book work perhaps, but overall I feel like they worked out a lot in DC. However, you never know with previews, so I'll be interested to see how much changes between now and when I'm planned to go back on April 23rd. Although, I may end up seeing it again before then. 

Updated On: 3/27/16 at 04:50 AM

[JM226]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 7:39am

saw the show in DC three times so maybe i am biased but was also there last night. loved it, of course.  i am told there will be several changes and improvements made over the month plus of previews.  i dont disagree that Jared is a thankless role although he plays a pivotal part in the story and whether you find it FUNNY or not, he provides some relief and a break from all the emotional stuff. 

 

couldnt disagree more about Whizzer's suggestion that it is a "watered down" version of NEXT TO NORMAL. the music in this score is far superior to NEXT TO NORMAL, which was much more rock heavy. this score is more contemporary musical theatre and pop rather than rock. if you compare the arrangements and orchestrations, there is your proof right there. 

 

another stellar performance by Ben. award-winning worthy. will be back at end of april. cannot wait. looking forward to it... 

[jolly1]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 7:47am

You guys have convinced me. Anyone know the odds of it being on TDF soon?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 9:30am

And I found the Next to Normal score to be superior to the Dear Evan Hansen score. Isn't pop rock just watered down regular rock anyway?

 

When I called it watered down n2n I did mean a lot more than the score though. The shows tackle similar themes (grief, loss of a child, struggling marriage in the wake of that loss) and Zoe is an awful lot like Natalie and Evan's romance with her feels a little Henry/Natalie too. The opening little song for the mothers reminded me of Alice Ripley singing Just Another Day, especially in Jennifer Laura Thompson's section. She might as well have put on a deluded smile and started out, we're the perfect loving family, so adoring...

 

Slight spoilers*******

 

There's also the matter of the dead son that the lead character can still converse and sing with.

 

End slight spoilers******

 

I'm not saying it's the exact same show, but it uses a lot of same raw ingredients and I wouldn't be surprised to see many people (and reviewers) making the same comparisons. 

 

Orchestration-wise the show felt more like Songs For a New World/Last Five Years than n2n. 

[yfs]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 12:24pm

Strange...I found n2n hard to sit through and even harder to listen to, and I quite loved Dear Evan Hansen -- it's so much more accessible musically and I actually sympathized with the characters right from the beginning. Eager to see it in NYC. 

As for Theatergoer3's comments, I sympathize with being semi-revolted by the hometown crowd at a first preview -- their ecstatic reaction usually has more to do with the fact that the show by their friends actually got on, never mind if its any good. But that's true of virtually EVERY first preview. If it makes you crazy (as it does me) you should stay away from first previews. Those audiences tend to hijack your own feelings about a show. Wait a bit. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 12:32pm

JM - I swear I think you were sitting near me because I remember hearing someone around me mention having seen the show several times in DC. Couldn't agree more with you about Ben's performance, because it is incredible. I also can't wait to see how things progress when I see the show again in April. 

Posted: 3/27/16 at 1:44pm

IMO I don't really see the appeal of this show....I saw it last night and the story was mostly forgettable and the acting was sub-par. I have family coming in next weekend and I'm gladly going to usher them towards Wicked or Phantom instead of this modern garbage. 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 2:06pm

midwestphan said: "IMO I don't really see the appeal of this show....I saw it last night and the story was mostly forgettable and the acting was sub-par. I have family coming in next weekend and I'm gladly going to usher them towards Wicked or Phantom instead of this modern garbage. "

 

Your first three posts on this board are: (a) bashing Dear Evan Hansen, (b) bashing Curious Incident, and (c) promoting Phantom. You'd think that you'd have something to offer in the sympathy-toward-the-awkward realm, but I guess not...

[mar6411]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 2:26pm

Thank you Lizzie.  Odd postings for the first three on the first day.

[JM226]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 2:29pm

midwestphan said: "IMO I don't really see the appeal of this show....I saw it last night and the story was mostly forgettable and the acting was sub-par. I have family coming in next weekend and I'm gladly going to usher them towards Wicked or Phantom instead of this modern garbage. 

 

"

 

funny. what you describe sounds more like the tourist trap garbage known as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 2:53pm

I was considering seeing this towards the scheduled end of the run but now I'm a little worried that's when the repeat-viewing fans will come to whoop and cheer throughout the show. Any advice on what might be the safest date?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/27/16 at 2:56pm

Two things:

Did you know it's possible to enjoy a show without expressing disdain for another?

And when I saw DEH in DC, the audience was one of the best kinds of quiet audiences -- listening intently, cheering enthusiastically when needed, but being almost reverently silent. It was a pretty great experience. I hope that happens again here.