The Stage Production
In order to allow others to try and understand my perspective here, I feel it is appropriate to address my relationship with the stage production of “Dear Evan Hansen” before attempting to dive into the film adaptation.
I first heard “Waving Through A Window” in early 2017. I was struck by Ben Platt’s vocal performance of what is, arguably, one of the toughest male theatre songs in recent memory, as well as the overall “poppier” sound of it vocally and musically since I, at that point, had no knowledge of the show. Regardless, the mix of contemporary pop with a theatrical flair was so refreshing to listen to. Platt’s prowess as a vocalist was no surprise to me, having seen him as Elder Cunningham in “The Book Of Mormon” just a few years earlier, but I thought he was especially strong here. From the airiness to his voice on the first verse/chorus, the blink-and-you-miss-it eight-note trill he does on “answer to appear” and his strong vibrato-driven belt on the final “waving” in the climax, I thought it was superb. All three of his solos in the show are superb.
I went to see the Broadway production, with Noah Galvin as Evan, in January 2018. At the time, I was an emotional and physical wreck. I sat in the last seat of the last row and cried my eyes out. I prayed that seeing the show, which I knew dealt with sensitive subjects I myself was wrestling with at that very moment, would give me the nudge to do something, anything, to start taking care of myself. It did, sort of. I ended up in the hospital five weeks later with intense stomach pain and had to withdraw from what was supposed to be my final semester of college. It wasn’t fun, but I finally allowed myself a sigh of relief.
11 months later, I saw the show again days before New Years as a college graduate, having completed my requirements just two weeks prior. I bought a cheap standing room-only ticket and cried my way through it again, but they were happy tears. I had crossed the finished line, and I was back in the same theatre that, less than a year earlier, I walked into consumed with so much pain and anxiety. I had made it through.
The music of the show has continued to seep its way into my life, almost daily, over the last few years. I have loved watching new actors take on the role of Evan, like Broadway newcomer (and fellow Long Islander) Andrew Barth Feldman and Sam Tutty, of the UK production, who is an incredible vocal technician. It’s a special show to me, I will not deny that.
That brings me to the film adaptation. Let’s dive in.
The Movie
The truth is that both Ben Platt and his father, the latter of whom went out of his way to produce a film adaptation of what is still considered a VERY recent Broadway musical and ensure his son as the star, did themselves no favors. “Wicked” has been on Broadway since 2004 and is immensely more popular than “Dear Evan Hansen” in every regard, but a film adaptation of the former has been pushed back year after year after year. A film version of “DEH” this soon after its initial boom of popularity feels calculated. Marc Platt, likely, wanted to capitalize on Ben’s wave of momentum after his Tony Award-winning performance of the role and did anything he could to make sure it got green lit, with no one but his son playing the part.
Ben Platt is 28 now, 26 at the time of filming. In the grand scheme of things, 26 is NOT “too old” to play the role. I think fans of the show prefer a younger actor, like Feldman, who was barely in his late teens during his Broadway run, to play the role, but that isn’t necessarily set in stone. However, the discourse of Platt’s appearance was rampant on social media the second the official trailer for the film dropped in May. It wasn’t a good way to start and the conversation regarding his looks has not ceased, even two weeks into the film’s release. Nothing I say or do is going to convince the general public to reconsider their thoughts on the matter, but, if you recall, Monique Coleman was 25 when she played Taylor McKessey, a high school junior, in the first “High School Musical” film. She too looked significantly older than most high school students, but, perhaps, because she wasn’t necessarily the face you’re looking at for an hour and a half (I think we can all agree that Zac Efron’s face was more than acceptable), it didn’t have the same effect. Just a little food for thought.
Vocally, Platt may have outperformed himself in this version. In every other aspect, he came up short. His mannerisms were identical to his choices on stage, so, for anyone who is as familiar with the performance as most fans of the production are, it feels like a complete rehash. Even if he had changed things up, it’s a REALLY boring movie. Especially for anyone without the prior reference point. Great vocal performances from Platt, Katelyn Dever as Zoe Murphy and Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy (Ryan’s performance of “A Little Closer” is THE show-stealer) can’t and don’t save it. Filming commenced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic last year and you can tell how limited they were. It’s a slog-fest.
While, again, Platt’s performance is exceptional, he shot himself in the foot. He’d say things like “I’m the only one who could have played this part for this movie” while addressing the age criticisms in the leadup to the film’s release, which was an immediate turn-off for me. While Platt is a massive star in the Broadway world, he is not in the mainstream. He, somehow, got greenlit to play Madison Square Garden next year, despite his new album, Reverie, being merely passable, but, honestly, if the movie was produced by anyone other than his father and that person wanted a real star to sell the movie, they would have looked at other options. Shawn Mendes would have been a fair choice. It would have angered Broadway fans to no end, having an outsider play the beloved part, but Mendes would have sold the movie just on name recognition alone. Timothee Chalamet would have been another contender. Can he sing? Who knows. Could he sell this movie? Absolutely. No Broadway star is bigger than the show, and I think the Platt boys needed to think about that. This isn’t a Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” situation. Not by a long shot.
Every criticism of this movie is absolutely correct:
- The lack of any teacher, professional counselor or anything of the sort actively reaching out to offer assistance to any of the students
- The triggering nature of the scene in the bathroom, the repeated shots of the scene in the tree, the posting of the note on social media, etc.
- Evan suffering no consequences for ANY of his actions, from the fabricated lie itself all the way down to knowingly skipping Connor Project meetings to hang out with Zoe
- The casting of Ben Platt as Evan but no other original Broadway cast members as their parts
Any and all of it.
The one bright spot is the most prolific part of the musical as well, and that is the “You Will Be Found” scene (the song itself, not the minor attempt at drawing sympathy for Evan as he stutters and shakes as everyone reaches for their phones to record the breakdown). Just like the stage version, you see the REAL people that have been impacted by this well-intended yet immensely flawed musical. The people who felt, and may very well continue to feel, lost, alone, unseen and, dare I say, anonymous. For just a few minutes, you think, “THIS is why it’s a phenomenon. They could never have messed this up.” And they didn’t. It is a profound four minutes. You see how much this song means to people. You see how Evan really isn’t the catalyst for the show after all. How, despite everything else, it’s us, the fans, who drive this show, movie, whatever iteration you want to refer to. For a few minutes, it’s not about Connor. It’s not about Evan. It’s about me, the young man so inspired and passionate yet so insecure. It’s about the kid who found the courage to come out today, or yesterday, or will do so tomorrow. It’s about the ones who have nothing and no one to turn to but their favorite artists who always seem to know exactly what they’re feeling. It’s about so many of us. And it’s so beautiful. For a few minutes, it’s so beautiful. But the rest of it is almost certainly a failure. Not like “CATS” was because it was just bad and not like “In The Heights” was because it was released with yet another Broadway darling with no mainstream star power during a pandemic. It failed because they took so many delicate subjects, like mental health and other triggering factors, and handled them so recklessly. After the last year-and-a-half that we’ve been through, from a pandemic and an election and everything in between, they needed to do better. They failed.
Resources
If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health, please visit these website for resources and assistance.
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