In Australia, non-replica productions typically have a short run and very rarely go on tour. But since DEH is a bigger show, I wouldn’t really be surprised if it announced a tour, or a second city at least. Bigger tours like Hamilton, Six, etc, typically play most of the state capitals, but the Sydney and Melbourne legs are usually the longest.
I always like to give an extra trigger warning for Dear Evan Hansen, because I was a person with social anxiety disorder who really connected to the soundtrack in 2017, and then when I actually saw the show (a US touring cast several years ago), it was so triggering that I had a huge anxiety attack in a corner of the theatre lobby afterwards. The actual onstage depiction of social anxiety and specifically Evan's panic attacks is VISCERAL. And the show takes us into his darkest moments, but spends very little time showing us any of his healing in the end. It was not uplifting for me, it was shattering. I can't imagine that will change in these new versions. I still have a lot of love for Waving Through A Window and the fact that there's a theater character who goes through a lot of what I've gone through, but I will never see the show all the way through again. So use caution if you're coming to the show for mental health representation. I'll also never understand how anyone can watch two hours of a young teen character suffering that deeply onstage and come to the conclusion that he's an evil master manipulator rather than a child who made a mistake he was too paralyzed by anxiety to fix, but I'll leave it there.
Agreed, when I was much younger and my mental health was at its worst, I'd heard that the musical represented characters with anxiety and depression and wanted to check it out myself, but wasn't warned about the intensity of the themes present in even just the soundtrack, and I became unhealthy attached to the soundtrack. I resonated with it, but in a spiraling kind of way because I resonated with all of the negative emotions. It neeeeever hurts at all to give extra warning.
I don’t have mental health issues like that but I loved the plot of dear Evan hansen and I don’t think people were seeing the point of the story, it wasn’t supposed to be a person who did bad and putting others down but a boy who is troubled and can’t escape the mental trauma of his life, if you found the production to cause concerns to your mental health it’s best you try looking the show up before hand because it did replicate the troubles of mental health quite perfectly and may cause people pain. Normally with shows like Evan hansen they have a warning before the start. Oh and a little fact that shocked me, evan hansen was the first broadway show to have people who are troubled contact them and they would let them talk about their mental health issues, now it’s something a lot of theatres do with this kind of play. Anyways sorry for the long rant. Hope your doing well as of today ❤❤😊
The Sydney Theatre Company operates on a subscription model, something like the National Theatre in the UK. A five week season with 3-4 previews is standard for them. They sometimes extend shows but usually only for a week or so. It would be more common for them to schedule another run as part of their 2025 season. It is also likely that this production will be picked up by another state based theatre company, eg the Melbourne Theatre Company or the State Theatre Company of South Australia (Adelaide). Having said that, this is a co-production with the Michael Cassel Group, whose business model is long running productions. So, the STC’s normal rules may not apply.
Good point. I had forgotten about Muriel’s Wedding. In Muriel’s case, the show was developed at the STC and later toured on a commercial basis. There was a gap between the STC season (which ran Nov 2017 - Jan 2018) and the tour (which started in March 2019). If they follow the Muriel’s Wedding precedent too literally, we may not see a DEH tour until 2026. Just a detail, Muriel’s Wedding was co-produced by the STC and Global Creatures rather than Michael Cassel.
Depending on how well it performs, I could see MTC picking it up as part of their 2025 season in a similar fashion to their Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time run. Having Dean Bryant tied to it is a big draw card for fans of his, too. It looks like he's going to be busy at the end of 2024, directing an original musical for MTC starring Kala Gare. Having said that, lately, it looks like MTC have been pushing to produce new works, so we may not get a collaboration between two two companies for DEH, but it could go on tour like Muriel's Wedding did (also I think there was talks about either a UK or Broadway run of it, given how well Moulin Rouge was received)
Dear Evan Hansen is one of those divisive things that I choose to ignore the debate about because of what it means to me. As a person with social anxiety, I truly don’t know how I would have gotten through my first semester of college without it. It’s comforting to see productions popping up again, even if there’s no way I’ll be seeing any of them.
I feel the exact same way! Some of its criticisms are valid, but it helped me recognize when I was dealing with social anxiety in my first year college, so it will always mean a lot to me 💙
Yes, same here! It genuinely helped me through high school, and while I understand some of the debate, it had such a big impact on my life, and I'm glad to see people still enjoying it
There's also a Czech production of Dear Evan Hansen opening in Brno in March 2024. I'm quite curious about it because it's a repertory theatre (so they will be alternating it with The Addams Family, Matilda and other musicals that are currently playing there). I wonder if there's a chance for some changes in the songs as Rebecca did, I'd love to see A Little Closer from the movie version or In the Bedroom Down The Hall (a cut song) in a musical version, because these songs help to show the audience that Connor wasn't a junkie or a bully, but that he was just as depressed and anxious as Evan, but people around him decided who he was without trying to get to know him.
fun fact - the thing about the font / using the same font or logo is because it is not legal (one is not able to copyright a font). However, you can copyright designs and logos, so I’m assuming in Wicked’s case, the green witch thingy was a ‘logo’, whilst the font itself is open for use by anyone.
I am really excited for this. For me I think the show really focuses on the gray areas of mental health and social pressures and alienation that people don't like to admit exists. I really connect with it and it'll be a shame if they change this and the soundtrack.
Definitely will try and catch the new version! I liked Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway but definitely was a little bitter for a few years over it sweeping the Tonys at the expense of Great Comet and Come From Away and by the time I decided I did want to try and see it on stage again it was too late. Just saw Sam Tutty in his new show tonight so it was great to finally see him perform!
Come to Australia for the Sydney premiere! You can do a what is difference & compare the versions😂 Probably have some musicals that's already been in out on broadway & west end but still I'm sure the small venues like Belvoir, Seymour theatre, Darlinghurst & the smaller theatres inside opera house will have some new things/Aussie premieres. Also hop over to Melbourne bc they'll have some too. They have a couple more theatres as well. I first saw DEH a few weeks into its broadway run so I was very lucky to see it living in Australia and all & we have to wait many years for new theatre.
Agreed! Australian debut! 2024 also looks like a good year for theatre, from what's been announced, so there will be plenty to compare! When Beetlejuice was announced for Aus, I actually cried. I kept stressing to my husband and friends that we NEVER get musicals like BJ out here so fast. I mean, "fast", it'll be 5 years when it opens, but that's a testement to how we just don't get new shows. I think Moulin Rouge may have been the fastest transfer ever, that I've seen? I think Hamilton was also 5 years. But these were musical behemoths.
@@Jeshikamo yeah I've noticed if a musical starts on the west end it comes to Australia quicker. Also I think moulin rogue came quicker bc Baz is Aussie.
@@Nikki-tx6kh I thought Beetlejuice was doing a UK run, but I did a quick google and looks like that's currently just a rumor. Fingers crossed that it's true!
Australian shows tend to bounce around state-to-state. Some will only do Sydney and Melbourne, whereas others will travel and go to Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth etc. It sort of depends on the demand and the popularity. We also see a lot of return performances. Hamilton is coming back to Sydney, seemingly with a new cast as it's been a while. Rocky Horror came around mid-year and has announced new performances in Sydney next year. Six also did the same thing, this time entirely moving theatres on their return. Moulin Rouge is also currently playing in Melbourne for a second run. I've also noticed our runs are getting shorter. I'm not sure if that's a post-covid thing, but they bounce around a lot more than they used to.
Also, the states often compete for the premiers of the big shows which will often sit down for many months, in the case of The Lion King it stayed in Sydney for almost 3 years. I think the main reason for the shorter runs at the moment is because theatre space is limited and shows can’t extend their runs indefinitely because another show has booked the venue, which explains why shows return. Also a lot of Australian shows to tours in Asia in between Australian stops &Juliet was recently in Singapore, I think the returning Hamilton will feature a lot of the cast currently on the Asian tour.
Yeah sometimes in Australia they announce where the show/usually the big shows will be playing & then probably couple months later/mainly during the run they would announce the next city or cities. This got announced a year in advance/tickets a year in advance which is different but it's with Sydney theatre so there's tickets for the entire year/ticket holder etc. With it being this big announced(with more newer musicals in Sydney we usually don't get them at Sydney theatre company it's defs more of a Aussie shows & smaller premieres there, big shows especially ones that tour it's usually at opera house, the Capitol, the lyric & theatre Royal sydney) it would be a longer run but there's rumours they want to do a tour so maybe they'll go to other cities like Melbourne & Brisbane after. Maybe even a different venue & long Sydney run after the tour. Just depends on what's available & the timing. Hamilton only went to Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane then went to NZ for like a month or so & now it's in Phillipines I think & will be returning to Sydney again mid next year which kinda sucks bc it would be great for it to go to Adelaide & Perth they usually miss out on tours for concerts & a bit of theatre too. For wicked(3rd time we've had wicked in australia) this year Sydney got announce it was a Sydney exclusive & then few weeks back they announced Melbourne run so guess it depends. Btw tickets are on sale if you are seasonal ticket holder/buying tickets to multiple shows through out the year but if you want to buy ticket to just 1 show at Sydney theatre for the 2024 season DEH tickets go on sale early December.
I love watching your videos! They're always a treat. Dear Evan Hansen meant a lot for me years ago and it honestly helped me break out of my shell a little and make some friends, but I can't deny my feelings for it have slightly changed over the years, especially after the movie failed to capture what I think made it so special. The legacy of this show is... complicated, to say the least, so i'm interested in what the non-replicas will bring. I know the Argentina non-replica was nominated for the local theatre awards and even won best musical, if I'm correct, but I think it changed the staging and costumes the most and not so much the general direction or tone. From what I can gather, it is fairly similar to the original production, at least in that aspect. With the UK tour saying they want to "examine" some aspects of the show, I wonder how that'll turn out.Will it be like the movie who tried to do so unsucessfully (and missed the mark by a lot imo) or will it actually bring some new things to the table? I'm a bit worried seeing how they try to go for the "Heartstopper" angle and I agree with another commenter that You Will Be Found is also misrepresented and has been for a long time. We'll wait and see! But I sincerely and dearly hope this musical can breathe new life and a new angle to a story that was dear (played by Ben Plattl) to me once upon a time.
One of things I found interesting is that their using the original social channels rather than making new ones so someone on the original team has given them the right to use them and replace the original marketing
I noted this when I was posting thos video! Always wanted to know more about how social channels get passed on to newer productions as it's a pretty recent concept.
Melbourne is currently probably more like a west end, broadway with their theatre district. A-lot of shows tend to start in Sydney too, but they dont really have a laid out area for most of their theatres. From previous tours it could look something like this; Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Edit: The Theatre the production is starting out in is Sydney Theatre Companies main home so its likely to be there till December (the Sydney Festival will take over the venue) and Transfer to another theatre and then tour. This is just my guess but I have reason to believe it will look something like this. (Most shows aren’t in Sydney only for a month) Loved the video!
Yeah, even by current standards a month is a super short run. Sydney really doesn't have any rhyme or reason to the theatres. Capitol is grand and beautiful, great location right near the train station, and is directly next to a claw-machine based arcade. Lyric is in a casino, though that does make staying here and seeing the show feel quite lavish. Theatre Royal just sort of feels like it's there - it doesn't stand out much if you don't put the show posters up. And then the Opera House is crazy iconic, but the theatres they actually use for musicals feel very small and uninspired so you wouldn't think you're sitting in one of Australia's most famous landmarks. And, of course, all of these theatres are large distances apart just littered around the city and surrounds. I haven't been to Melbourne for theatre, yet - we have tickets for Groundhog Day and I'm anxiously awaiting Beetlejuice tickets, but from what I've heard it's a better scene in terms of how it's all actually set out.
@@HamishTreweeke-up8on I have noticed we've been getting a lot of the 3-month-or-less runs in Sydney recently. At the beginning of the year, we had and R+H Cinderella, Hairspray and Mamma Mia in quick sucession. None of which needed to be long-running but it did feel quite jarring.
@@Jeshikamo A 3 month run for Mamma Mia makes sense ass we see it so often here down under. I think R+H Cinderella and Hairspary desvered longer runs but aren’t extremely popular with audiences unlike Wicked etc.
@@benjisbricks Oh, certainly makes sense for Mamma Mia, but it's strange to have so many back-to-back. Also, that's another minor nitpick I have about Australian theatre. How many runs of Chicago do we need? Why do we keep rerunning things instead of introducing new shows? I mean, I know the answer is money, I just hate it.
Saw Evan Hansen in London. Looking forward to seeing it here in Australia. I live in Brisbane which will get it after Sydney and Melbourne. We love musical theatre here in Oz!
No not announced yet for Brisbane but this is the way touring shows go here. And we get it ages after it opens in Sydney. They all arrive here eventually.
@awc49 There are exceptions to that. Harry Potter and Groundhog Day wer e exclusive to Melbourne and Addams Family and Full Monty flopped so never reached a second city.
@awc49 Ghog Day is opening in Melbourne in Jan, and will be the first Australian production, but it can only run in the gap between British theatres, I'm guessing because of the complex turntables, and that's why it's not going to any other city. No word on casting yet. DEH is quite unique producer-wise but unless it flops it will almost certainly play elsewhere.
Great vid!! I’m an Aussie and definitely keen to see this. Usually musicals will premiere in Melbourne then have a run in Sydney, then perhaps Brisbane and Adelaide… very rarely Perth as well. As a Melburnian, I’m hopeful DEH will pay a visit! ❤
Also, in the Helsinki, Finland production, Niki Rautén, who plays Connor Murphy, is a non-binary performer! This is huge, especially for this specific role.
Love your videos. Saw DEH on broadway with Ben when it opened. Loved it. Was keen to see Sam in UK but was only in London a few days so took in other shows. Disappointed in film and agree timing wasn’t good and Ben had definitely aged out. They should have gone for one of the younger guys. Live in Sydney so will see the Oz production. Keep up the great work!
The biggest omission in terms of tour dates I think is Edinburgh! It seems ridiculous they aren’t going to one of the three theatres in the city. Could they be coming for the fringe instead? Or over Christmas? I just really hope they come!
Interesting to see that once again the Helsingin Kaupunginteattreti is the first to do a non-replica production of a show, with many soon to follow. They were the first to do a Wicked Non-replica way back and just had a run of Dear Evan Hansen.
Often a show's success in one city will dictate whether it moves on to another. For example, & Juliet is going to open in Perth (and then Sydney I think??) following a massively successful run in Melbourne.
It also depends on theatre space available because Sydney only has 2 big musical theatre venues, the theatre royal isn’t big enough for many producers.
I wholeheartedly agree that Ben Platt's age did not translate well to film. However, he had a long award winning history with that show for 5 years he also had a movie known name from Pitch Perfect so I am inclined to believe his father got involved because Ben was involved not the other way around so i feel the nepotism claims are vastly unfair. Image wise my personal choice for a film would have been Andrew Barth-Feldman his age and look would have fit better with the others cast. However i also feel that most of the hate directed at the film were as you say result of changing opinions of material not simply an objection to Ben Platt in the title role
I’m so glad someone pointed that out. If Bens performance didn’t get such high praise I’m not sure there would have been a movie and since his dads filmography mostly consists of movie musicals it should not have been a surprise that he got involved. Really feels like people were grasping at straws because they can’t help but begrudge others their success
Dean Bryant who is directing the Aus production is amazing. Have seen quite a few productions he's directed including Fun Home, Assassins, Merrily, A Little Night Music and a couple of cabaret pieces he's been involved with. Also with Australian musical productions it depends on whether it's a big commercial usually replica tour eg. Hamilton where the Producing group will do long blocks in each capital city traditionally starting either in Sydney or Melbourne which are the 2 major theatre cities in Australia (Depending on which theatre/State secures it first as the State GVT Tourism agencies are big backers of these major commercial productions). Once it has the Sydney/Melbourne legs it will do the rounds of the other State capitals and sometimes New Zealand as well. This can take up to 2 years depending on how long each block is. Also touring in Australia it's important to factor in how far all the major cities are from each other. If it's like this production and programmed as part of a specific Theatre companies season they usually just run at that particular theatre company for it's block as part of that year's season. Given that we are now at the end of this year where all the major theatre companies will have released their 2024 seasons and no other theatre has been announced as a co-producer it'll probably be shopped around for the 2025 seasons for MTC (Melbourne's equivalent) etc. depending on how well Sydney goes.
this co-production has happened before with Muriel’s Wedding The Musical and The Picture of Dorian Grey, STC is a state subsided production company and produces many, many shows per year for their 3 theatres. Michael Cassel Group is a private company which is coproducting in the hope it can tour to other cities and venues much like what happened with the previous 2 shows, the former, Dorian Grey is opening in London in a few weeks.
Most major productions in Australia are supported by the state government of the state it starts in, on the proviso that they pretend that it won't play anywhere else until it's about to close there. STC is a bit different, but doesn't usually co produce with a professional producer. Most successful musicals by STC or MTC will be picked up by the other the following season.
Hey Mickey Jo, just wanted to let you know that I love watching your videos. You always make my day. Please come to Australia hahaha. Hope you're having a stagey day.
I just wanted to come on here and state the current and future productions Buenos Aires (Just finished) Finland (currently) Israel (this winter but little info) Germany/Austria (2024) South Korea (2024) Australia (2024) UK tour (2024-2025) Japan (future plans discussed in a interview with producer Stacy mindich)
I’ve never went to see DEH in London despite being a theatre kid during the height of the hype. But I’m rather intrigued to see what they are doing with it.
Sydney Theatre Company’s The Picture of Dorian Grey will be opening in London in February, it’s adapted and directed by the artistic director of STC Kip Williams and will probably give a pretty good idea of the kind of feel their productions have. STC has a reputation of being very bold.
9 месяцев назад
I live in Argentina and was lucky enough to see the Argentinian version. Definitely a non-replica production in terms of set and clothing design but I would say with the same approach to characters as the original. Also, there were a few adaptations to lyrics, I guess to make it more approachable to Argentinians, i.e. Connor’s dad’s gift to Evan is a pair of soccer gloves lol. The marketing campaign was reaaally interesting, and thanks to that and a very talented cast, it had a very successful run - even winning Best Musical at the Hugo Awards (Argentinian equivalent to the Olivier or Tony Awards lol). It extended its run multiple times, and played its final performance just a couple of weeks ago. Very cool to see you give this production a shoutout! Btw, Love your videos, Mickey Jo, keep it up!
I just really hope they’re not trying to make it more like the film. I will never be able to understand why they cut a massive chunk of songs out of the musical, but were still able to add a new one in, that really wasn’t very good lyrically. And why they pretty much got rid of Jared. I loved the London production, fingers crossed they don’t ruin it.
It's no surprised that Aussie Dear Evan Hansen is trying to target the high school demographic. I think it has spoken to many Gen Z'ers trying to cope with social issues. And it still does. However, now that Gen Alpha umis the new abd upcoming generation maybe tge new producers are hoping that it will have that same effect with this newer generations. The musical has been known to emerge from a typical theatre audience to a more hip and trendy audience, the same audience that makes fans out of Six and Hamilton. In other words, Dear Evan Hansen managed somehow to break into the mainstream media of the adolescent lives' of teenagers and college "kids" and managed to make an impact.
I’m really hate the way You Will Be Found has been used as a kind of tagline for Dear Evan Hansen. I think it’s dishonest to fans, disloyal to the show, and disrespectful to anyone who has ever struggled with mental health issues.
@@Behind_the_Curtain23 No offence, but have you seen the show? His whole speech is built on a lie. Connor wasn’t found, he killed himself. Evan wasn’t found, he attempted to kill himself. It comes back in a new and much more sinister light in “You Will Be Found (Reprise)”. The “uplifting” message is even bs in the context of the show. I think it’s pretty dangerous to portray the song as the opposite of what it is, especially with the different ending on the cast recording.
@@Behind_the_Curtain23whether you find the song uplifting minus its context, and whether it makes a suitable thematic tag line for the whole show are 2 different things
There’s definitely potential for dublin dates due to the fact that right Hamilton finishes in dublin in the bord Gais theatre on November 16 and there is nothing booked for later than that as of yet!
Despite being a complete misrepresentation of the show, whoever did the new UK artwork did a good graphic design job! And holding a cast for the entire video only slightly scared me!
You mentioning Hamilton reminded me of when you said you didn't go back to see Hamilton since the first cast. Are you going to see the current UK cast?
In the Audition brief it said that the show will open in Sydney before touring. The tour seems to be another contract, maybe just produced by Michael Cassel Group? What normally happens for big Australian musicals (Tina, Wicked, Miss Saigon at the moment) is that producers will have Sydney, Melbourne and a couple of other cities booked but announce them separately. In saying this of course there are exceptions such as Melbourne exclusives or full tours being announced straight away :)
Productions from Australia tend to tour through Asia. We currently have Hamilton in the Philippines, and they'll be going to the UAE and Singapore next.
The Bord Gais in Dublin usually does a sit down production at Christmas but with Hamilton coming right before Christmas Im not sure about that! I would love to see it here in Dublin I know the smaller theatres all have pantos so I don't see it doing those.
I don't feel a non-replica will fix all the issues the show has buuut like with the Wicked ones it may breath some fun new life into the show. I'll be following these VERY closely because even though I can't fly half way around the world to see them it's a show I consider myself a fairly decently big fan of. I will say I do hope non replica productions become a thing here in the states because the marketing of "see it as you've never seen it before" in itself can be very buzz worthy. Oh & appreciate the outfit is a bit non-replica Evan with being a stripped polo :)
the thing with non-replicas is coming up a lot - all the discussion of the new Starlight Express production - the original creative team get paid for their work being used, which is right and fair! But when a new production is non-replica, they're not using the work of the original design, choreography etc. because if the new costume designer, for example, just copies off the original costumes, they're not doing the work they're being paid for and the person who did do the work is not then getting paid for the work they did. It's a fine line of course, with like, Evan Hansen and the pale blue stripey shirt is iconic, and also arguably the best fit for the character. How does a new costume designer respect that icon while avoiding treading on the toes of the original work? A non-replica production needs to not infringe on the work of the original creatives, else they need to pay them or it's theft!
I am a huge fan of the Sydney Theatre Company and have attended their productions for many years. I don't say this lightly, coming from four generations of English theatre, but I think the best play I've ever seen was their On The Beach by Kip Williams which left every audience speechless and stunned. Im not a huge Evan Hansen fan but promise if we can't get you here some of us will attend.
Sydney Theatre Co is very discerning when programming a show and whatever they choose is usually spectacular, and they don’t traditionally do musicals either, I think they’ve only done 5 musicals since 2000. I think audiences will really be in for a treat!
Shows, particularly musicals, don't often stick around in Sydney for long. A recent example is Wicked - the big new Australian production opened in September and is already announced to be coming to Melbourne in March. Also possibly going on (but I haven't looked at the announcements) is that both Sydney and Melbourne often put in a closing date and will extend, even from the very beginning of a show's run there will often be a closing date. You really just need to look at whether something new has been announced for the theatre or it makes it VERY clear that it's the final run in that city. Shows do tour to other cities eg Book of Mormon and Hamilton but Melbourne and Sydney are definitely the biggest theatre cities here. Not an expert of course and people please correct me if you know more :)
Feel like they aren't doing a long run of wicked bc it's it's 3rd time in a decade touring here & producers might want to try get in newer shows in those venues even if wicked makes big money
Good thought! I was just surprised because they made such a big deal about it (and it being in Sydney) when it opened. Still, as a Melburnian I'm glad! New shows would be good too.
Oh Mickey! You do need to come down here and see what we have to offer! You should come down during our fringe and be spoilt for choice! Or just come to Melbourne, the true, oldest and REAL theatre capital of the country always has so much to offer and venues that would knock your adorable little British socks off I’ve been desperate for you to talk about Australian theatre on here- I mean, you have talked about theatre/musical comedian/activist/national treasure Tim Minchin a lot, so points there but we have so much to offer and all you’d need to do to get press releases is to express enthusiasm for our theatre industry in your content and you don’t do it enough. Australia really does make up the holy trinity of world theatre. There’s a reason that it was the first country Hamilton opened in that had nothing to do with the subject matter. There are so many reasons for you to be as enthusiastic about Australian theatre as Broadway but I am somebody who has spent a significant part of my life studying theatre and musical theatre to the point where I decided to not throw away my shot, went for my honours, did it on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s choices surrounding Hamilton and its fandom and got a first. So I’ll never run out of reasons for you to come down to Melbourne to see what we are made of and to give us more air time on your channel because you got Broadway press released before you went over for the first time. If you want Australian ones, if you really want them, you can get them. Please do!
While I like a lot of the songs from Dear Evan Hansen, and I respect Ben Platt as an actor and singer, I have some major problems with the plot and character of the show. Evan is kind of a jerk and never seems to be called out on it or made to face his mistakes and make amends for them. The whole thing is kind of a modern day fairy tale masquerading as real life.
My issue with the show has also always been the plot but for different reasons. I never got into DEH because I didn’t understand why they’d make a show that is supposed to be centred around mental health but make the main character do something so dumb and unnecessary. It felt like they threw the character to the wolves, especially considering their main audience is the demographic that’s chronically online and who love to base their “outrage” on a “superior sense of morality” (aka excuses to be a bully). And they didn’t even have to manufacture a reason with this because it was delivered to them on a silver platter. In a way you can see that reflected in the conversation around Ben Platts casting in the movie. It wasn’t enough for people to say they don’t like it, it had to be a moral issue to justify their trolling ways and yet again it was handed to them, because god knows they manufactured the living daylights out of the nepotism “issue” and they’re not letting it go. You can also see it in the fact that people are mad Good For You wasn’t in the movie because “it’s the only time Evan faces the consequences of his actions”. Does he? His mom doesn’t address the situation at all as she’s caught up in her own feelings and the other two almost sound like they’re emotionally blackmailing him, considering they were at the very least complacent if not actively participating in taking advantage of Connors death. What about Connors parents? They were using a teen they didn’t know as an emotional crutch for their grief. Where are the calls for all of them to face the consequences? Is all that irrelevant because we got our scapegoat in Evan?
In the narrative Evan has just tried to commit suicide before the show starts and so is in a vulnerable mindset and he gets pulled into this situation. I feel like it's easy to see him as a bad person but how often do people do things when they have a chance to fit in or get the attention they feel they don't get.
I always forget about the suicide aspect. I think it's because NO ONE ATTEMPTS SUICIDE BY JUMPING OUT OF A TREE!! It's an absurd proposition and I just cannot take it seriously in this context.@@DJWhovian
@@kinmanthebrave well sadly people do use trees to enable suicide and given the height of some trees a fall would be quite serious. Why else does he lie about how he broke his arm.
@@DJWhovian This! Not to mention that you need to remember that he is still a teenager with severe social anxiety (maybe ASD also, but that hasn't been confirmed). At that age I probably wouldn't have had the confidence to speak up to an adult if they assumed something like that either. As Mickey said this isn't something Evan consciously set out to do from the start, it just happened and he was too anxious to speak up to correct them. He kept it going, sure, but only because by then it had taken on a life of its own, and that would have taken even more courage and self confidence (which Evan clearly did not have). Honestly, I feel that the hate towards Evan is from people who don't know what it's like to be a young person with severe social anxiety.
For me (an autistic person), Dear Evan Hansen has always rubbed me the wrong way because Evan is the latest in a long line of characters that borrow 'negative' traits from autistic people and are obviously coded as such, but the writers have never confirmed them as autistic (think Sheldon Cooper from TBBT). Creators only use the traits that they deem useful for the story, but by never confirming them autistic they seem to think it alleviates from criticism of their portrayal of autistic people even though everyone who watches these characters knows they are on the spectrum anyways. I hope that these new productions perhaps provide a more nuanced portrayal of Evan from this perspective and actually confirm them to be autistic instead of promoting surface-level stereotypes.
Hmm that's an interesting take. I agree about Sheldon Cooper. I never saw Evan as autistic though, but extremely anxious with some level of depression to it. I've met a teen with serious social anxiety, it wasn't that far from Evan, and Evan has more serious anxiety.
i might get bashed, but i actually really love Dear Evan Hansen, and i’m super stoked to see the new adaptation of it coming soon! I love it, i just hope some of my favorite jokes, and line delivery’s aren’t ruined in the new stage production. i wonder if they change some dialogue. easy to say, i’m very intrigued! ❤️
As an Aussie, it's so weird (in a good way) hearing Mickey talk about Australia. Also 'have a g'day' is ungrammatical it just sounds so wrong, though I guess it'd be funny to hear someone who clearly isn't Australian say it. It's like saying 'I'm gonna the supermarket' instead of 'I'm going to the supermarket'.
Yes, Mickey! Yes you have been sleeping on us! (Minds out of the gutter people!) ITS ABOUT DAMN TIME! Get down here and COME AND SEE WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER!
Melbourne is the home of theatre in Australia, anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves. Dear Evan Hansen won't tour unless it's successful, like the Muriel's Wedding production. In this case, the Sydney Theatre Company acquired the rights to produce the show and use it as their big draw for the year.
You've mentioned the "pantomime" Christmas shows a few times in the past. This isn't something your US subscribers are familiar with. Could you perhaps post a brief video explaining what these shows are like, cause now I'm curious.
NOTTINGHAM WHOO Nottm Theatre Royal has SIX this month Jesus Christ Superstar JAN Life of Pi Bonnie and Clyde - May Grease - August Come from Away - OCT Hairspray - NOV AAAANNNDDD!!!!!!!!!! And Juliet ( can’t wait) 2025
So will the cast be full on British? Will they tweak the American references to the Appalachian trail? Will they tweak the scene when the Murphy’s offer to pay for Evan’s uni when uni is mostly free for British students. Will his mum pull out a JFK grant application when that wouldn’t make sense for a British audiences. Basically will the make DEH British ? I kind of hope so. I think it would make it even more accessible British audience.