Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!- Page 2
Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
#25Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/19/19 at 1:21pm
Hypotheticals of any of the Toronto cast being transferred? Robert Markus, Sean Patrick Dolan and Shakura Dickson (Evan, Connor, Alana) are the only people from that cast who weren't transferred to another production of the show.
#26Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/23/19 at 4:49pm
Well... doesn’t look like Bens announcement was for this.
I’m wondering if Maggie McKenna would transfer to this production. She finishes with the tour next month. I know she’s dating Noah Kieserman, though. So I’m not sure if she wants to stay in the US.
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
superiska123
Understudy Joined: 12/21/17
#27Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/24/19 at 4:47amWhat about Ben Levi Ross as Evan? He's also finishing up with the tour.
#28Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/24/19 at 5:22pm
But Ms Mindich surprised me by saying she had woken one day at 3am with the realisation that ‘Evan has to be played by a British actor’. She also said they would use colour-blind casting, so he could be played by an Afro-Caribbean or Asian actor."
Producer of hit Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen seeks a British actor to play the title role in London
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
superiska123
Understudy Joined: 12/21/17
#29Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/24/19 at 5:31pm
Oh, I haven't read this — it definitely makes sense and I think it's cool that they're casting a British Evan. Also, are the performers going to speak in an American accent? I ask since DEH seems like it could easily be adapted to take part in the UK instead of the USA.
Updated On: 8/24/19 at 05:31 PM
#30Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 12:49amI can't imagine they're going to NOT keep it set in the U.S.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#31Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 10:32amIs there anything specific that sets the show in the states? If not, I can’t imagine why a few words couldn’t/wouldn’t be changed to have it more obviously set in the UK. I mean, even “Wicked” changed a line when Glinda says something about her and Elphie going to “Uni” together.
#32Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 10:36am
superiska123 said: "Also, are the performers going to speak in an American accent? I ask since DEH seems like it could easily be adapted to take part in the UK instead of the USA."
In the Toronto production, the opening scene had Heidi Hansen holding an American bill. If they wouldn’t change something like the design of the currency for that production, I don’t think they would for any other.
#33Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 11:01am
Jordan Catalano said: "Is there anything specific that sets the show in the states? If not, I can’t imagine why a few words couldn’t/wouldn’t be changed to have it more obviously set in the UK. I mean, even “Wicked” changed a line when Glinda says something about her and Elphie going to “Uni” together."
I'm guessing that the baseball glove scene would be a bit anomalous in a British setting, but I could be wrong.
#34Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 12:12pmYes baseball glove is a pretty American thing. As are school shooters, sorry (what would they change the line to?). It does feel more American than British to me. But of course if they HAD to I’m sure they could make it work.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#35Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 6:45pm
DEH is set in the US. Do British shows set in the UK change the setting to the US when they transfer here? Didn’t think so. If West End audiences can’t see and support great musicals set in the US and not reset in Britain, fewer and fewer shows will transfer there and it will be their loss.
Personally, I think DEH will be a big hit in London (Toronto notwithstanding) but I might well be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. (It would be interesting to know how the OCR is selling across the pond).
CZJ at opening night party for A Little Night Music, Dec 13, 2009.
superiska123
Understudy Joined: 12/21/17
#36Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 7:36pm
I completely forgot about "Break in a glove" and the school shooter line when I wrote my initial comment. I completely agree if a show is specifically set in a certain country that the setting shouldn't change when the show is playing in a different country.
That said, I think for shows like Wicked it's nice that they let the actors perform it in British English since the show wasn't particularly "American" to begin with.
#37Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 8/25/19 at 7:37pmWicked has an American story and American characters, but it doesn't take place in an actual place set in an existing country. It's flexible that way.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#38Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 1:56pmThe show now starts next month. I can’t believe we haven’t had any casting announcements yet!
magictodo123
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/19
#39Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:14pm
Jordan Catalano said: "The show now starts next month. I can’t believe we haven’t had any casting announcements yet!"
Is DEH usually good with announcing castings way ahead of the show? Like for the tour? I know there are some shows that do not give much notice at all, but have they been good about it? Maybe sometime within the next two weeks we'll know.
RWPrincess
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/7/18
#40Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:22pm
I saw Ben Platt give a mini-concert at the US Open last Monday night and one of the songs was called "Rain". They even played it in the stadium later that night during a player break.
I hope this production sticks around for a while on the West End. I'm hoping to get there next year.
#41Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:32pmThe first few months are virtually sold out (I got the last ticket the other day for a matinee in December), so I’m sure it’ll be there for quite some time. I just want to see the casting so I know If I’ll be seeing a “matinee Evan”.
VotePeron
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/13
#42Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:34pm
Jordan Catalano said: "The first few months are virtually sold out (I got the last ticket the other day for a matinee in December), so I’m sure it’ll be there for quite some time. I just want to see the casting so I know If I’ll be seeing a “matinee Evan”."
If you’re seeing a matinee, there is a 99% chance you’re seeing a “matinee Evan”, no?
magictodo123
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/18/19
#43Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:34pm
Jordan Catalano said: "The first few months are virtually sold out (I got the last ticket the other day for a matinee in December), so I’m sure it’ll be there for quite some time. I just want to see the casting so I know If I’ll be seeing a “matinee Evan”."
My prediction is that we'll get the announcement within the next two weeks.
#44Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/2/19 at 2:43pm
VotePeron said: "If you’re seeing a matinee, there is a 99% chance you’re seeing a “matinee Evan”, no?"
Most probably, but I don’t know how they’re going to be doing it there, yet. I just grabbed the only ticket for the show that was even for sale for the entire month and will plan the trip around that.
SouthernCakes
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
#45Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/3/19 at 1:32amI’ve never seen a show with such hype and such boring staging
#46Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/12/19 at 7:28pm
Casting has been announced finally. There’s no talk of a “matinee Evan” which is interesting.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Newcomer-Sam-Tutty-To-Lead-DEAR-EVAN-HANSEN-West-End-Additional-Casting-Announced-20190912
#47Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/12/19 at 7:38pm
Jordan Catalano said: "Casting has been announced finally. There’s no talk of a “matinee Evan” which is interesting.
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Newcomer-Sam-Tutty-To-Lead-DEAR-EVAN-HANSEN-West-End-Additional-Casting-Announced-20190912"
Perhaps it’s been updated since you posted but the alternate Evan is named in the paragraph below everyone else.
”Marcus Harman has been cast as alternate Evan, and will also cover the roles of Connor and Jared.”
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
#49Dear Evan Hansen going to West End!
Posted: 9/14/19 at 5:34am
SouthernCakes said: "I’ve never seen a show with such hype and such boring staging"
I also wonder if the British audiences are really into the themes of the show "social anxiety" and "lying out of insecurity" and "happiness depends on the confirmation of others" at the moment. Especially in the last few years, society between the USA and the UK has changed immensely. In the USA it is common for teenagers to use this term all day (last week I was on a bus and 2 American girls were sitting behind me, and really, the conversation was "how's your anxiety today? Mwah, I had a few attacks this morning when going to the grocery store, and yours? Today is fine, I skipped school because of it but yesterday was really bad. Oh yeah? I feel you...) . But the society in the UK is very, very different. Much more "grounded" if you will. Less tolerance for conversations like this, most parents would drag their kids to school. I also feel that the quality of the show, the music and the writing is extremely generic and that while the show might have received a sort of hype in the USA in theatre circles or certain other circles, I really don't see that hype happening in the UK. To me the show is old news and quality wise not good enough to sustain.
