Review: 'Dear Evan Hansen' underscores the need for human connection

Mary Damiano
·3 min read
Stephen Christopher Anthony stars as Evan Hansen and Jessica E. Sherman plays his mother Heidi in "Dear Evan Hansen." The show runs through Sunday at the Kravis Center.
Stephen Christopher Anthony stars as Evan Hansen and Jessica E. Sherman plays his mother Heidi in "Dear Evan Hansen." The show runs through Sunday at the Kravis Center.

A misunderstanding involving a letter leads a teenage boy with social anxiety to fabricate a friendship with a classmate who dies by suicide. He is then thrust into the role of keeping the boy’s legacy alive in “Dear Evan Hansen,” which is on stage at Kravis Center through Sunday.

The fraud that lonely, friendless Evan Hansen (Stephen Christopher Anthony) perpetrates begins innocently enough. Tasked by his therapist to write a letter to himself that begins, “Dear Evan Hansen, This is going to be an amazing day, and here’s why,” the printed letter falls into the hands of Connor Murphy (Nikhil Saboo), a troubled bully who takes his own life soon after.

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Connor’s parents find the letter and seek out Evan, believing him to be their last link to their son. Although Evan initially tries to tell the parents what really happened, he sees that the mistake may actually help their grief. He also sees that the Murphys want to welcome him into their family, which puts Evan in a position to get to know the girl of his dreams, Connor’s sister, Zoe (Stephanie La Rochelle). When a speech that Evan makes at a school assembly honoring Connor goes viral, he is trapped and unable to free himself of the lie.

“Dear Evan Hansen” won six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 2017. With a book by Steven Levenson, it features music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose credits include the musical “A Christmas Story” and films “La La Land” and “The Greatest Showman.” Standout songs include the anthematic “You Will Be Found,” which speaks to Evan’s feeling of isolation and strikes a note with his classmates and the viral world.

Anthony is wonderful as Evan Hansen, perfectly conveying his awkwardness but also demonstrating the witty boy beneath the sweaty palms and social anxiety.

'Dear Evan Hansen' runs at the Kravis Center through Sunday.
'Dear Evan Hansen' runs at the Kravis Center through Sunday.

Jessica E. Sherman plays Heidi Hansen, a single mom and nurse who works nights and goes to school. Sherman portrays Heidi with poignancy, showing the pain of wanting to be present for Evan but prevented from doing so in order to support them. She soars on the second act song, “So Big/So Small.”

Clocking in at around three hours, “Dear Evan Hansen” is a long show, a multi-media barrage featuring fine performances and memorable songs. The scenic design’s main component is rotating, vertical screens which display a dizzying, ever-changing montage of news feeds, text messages and emails, illustrating the non-stop social media frenzy that pervade the lives of the show’s teen characters and its core audience.

The show speaks to the need for human connection, and the modern paradox of having a slew of online friends, but not having a friend in the true sense of the word.

*

If You Go

“Dear Evan Hansen” runs through Sunday at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach.

For tickets and more information, or details on the venue’s COVID-19 protocol, call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Kravis Center stage features show 'Dear Evan Hansen'