the real reasons why DEAR EVAN HANSEN is closing | West End Musical closing explained 

same here!!

Agree. Weird in a way that Ben Platt was instrumental in both the initial success, and I guess (because of the film) the ultimate death of the show too !!

The thing is, I only found out about the show because I saw the film.. And I loved it. That pushed me to go see it in London & I loved it even more. I wouldn't have thought about seeing it otherwise.

@@RJMCTV I would have been happy for Ben if the movie happened a long time ago and COVID never happened

I’m glad I skipped the movie

Not only the movie's failure, but a mass amount of people becoming aware of just how problematic the very premise of this musical is. I've seen comment of people saying that they disliked the play when it first emerged because of said problematic elements, but they got silenced by the fanbase.

I’m glad I skipped the movie. By the time it came out, it had been nearly three years since I saw the U.S. tour

I’ve said this especially since I saw it in the west end, Sam tutty and the rest of the cast are absolutely fantastic and I would love to be able to relive it by listening to a recorded album from the cast

I would have loved that. I was lucky enough to be able to see the show twice but I still think that the West end cast is one of the best DEH casts there is. Would love a well-produced version of Lucy singing Requiem and especially Anybody have a map with Rebecca McKinnis! Like I adore Ben Platt and the broadway recording but it would be nice to switch it up a bit.

I’m 29 and I was able to enjoy Dear Evan Hansen. And yet, it would have been more meaningful to me if it existed when I went to high school.

SAME!! I liked the music, but I really disliked the show. I couldn't put my finger on it until the movie came out. It's the plot; it's just bad and poor representation for mental health.

@@w.k.astrolabe280 I’m a bigger fan of the music than the story too

I am a man older than you and loved Evan. I am not sure how many of us exist but there are a few.

I'd say it's more based on relatability than age. The soundtrack brings a lot of people to DEH but the musical as a whole only really works if you really *get* the characters and what they struggle with.

honestly broadway is still profiting off of ben platt’s performance and success. the current cast (and previous non obc) are amazing and deserve their own recognition but it’s definitely still benefiting off of how amazing ben was (edit: oof lol)

I think DEH will close on Broadway during the fall or last thru the holiday season and close early next year. I think it’s losing a lot of momentum, I was in NYC this weekend and there were ads all over the place advertising cheap tickets. It’s just not selling like it used to. I feel like it *should* close in the fall, but I can see them trying to squeeze through the holiday season.

Well I guess it will be this fall.

@@anthonyL1995 Sadly you are correct as of an hour ago DEH will be closing on Broadway on September 18th.

I’m 29 and I was able to enjoy it as a mid 20’s before the Pandemic hit

Another vote for Marcus Harman - he could easily carry a touring show. He was fantastic last week.

We saw Marcus Harman yesterday and he was amazing!

Marcus Harman is incredible, truly incredible

I would love that!

Transphobia is big in the UK right now, so that should work.

Honestly, the Toronto cast also just wasn't great. I was extremely disappointed with the vocals when I saw it, and heard the same from many people I know who saw it.

You Will Be Found was my favorite part of the live performance. I lost my breath when all the cast started singing and then Larry finally broke. He actually collapsed on stage and when his wife came he hugged her around her legs. Gaten proved to be a great singer because he was belting it out with the cast in this song. I was just 4 rows from the stage so it was very powerful. My 13 year old son cried during Waving Through a Window because it is his favorite and it was awesome. It was my second favorite.

Im hoping for a London transfer. Beetlejuice is currently struggling to sell tickets on Broadway

don't think that stage/wings are big enough for the set - I see Beetlejuice in the palladium or dominion - ignoring stages that are also big but have open ended productions eg Dury Lane

R&H Cinderella is having it’s European premiere this Nov at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester.

I’m good with just Rogers and Hammerstein

I wouldn’t want to see again either. It was good but I didn’t expect more or less

As of an hour ago DEH will be closing on Broadway on September 18th.

this would be everything

I saw the show three years ago on its U.S. tour. Despite being 29 currently, I liked the show and can relate to Evan having anxiety myself. The only thing different between Evan and me was I have a mom and dad under the same roof and extended loved ones mainly from my mom and dads circle of friends who care if I disappear tomorrow. I skipped the movie fearing it wouldn’t have the same pre Pandemic impact the stage version had on me. Looking back, I was a fan of the music more than the story. I won’t pay big money to see it in person again.

I agree with your opinion on the portrayal of mental health. My initial reaction was "oh this is brave and cool to tackle such a difficult topic" but over time I started to find something off about it. It's a surface level depiction of mental health masquerading as "deep and insightful" which makes it somewhat relatable but ultimately misleading.

@@pegasus_136 From my point of view, partially misleading

What would have been appropriate "just desserts" for Evan, in your opinion? If you could write the end of the show yourself, what would you write?

@@oliverbrownlow5615 like an actual confrontation where he was made to feel guilt for what he did. It kinda ended like we don’t want to forgive you but we kind of will anyway. I was expecting a big emotional pay off but it just petered out sadly

@@funkyrich4500 A confrontation with the Murphys, do you mean? Or do you think a wider group should be included?. And the "just dessert" for Evan is being made to feel guilty? Personally, I always thought there was a "missing scene" at the end of DEH. It's pre-empted by the way "Words Fail" happens. Evan confesses to the Murphys that he wasn't friends with Connor. They can't believe it at first, but when he insists, they all quickly realize that it's true and exit the stage in shock and disgust, leaving him in darkness to finish his song. In my opinion, this is not what would happen in real life. Any family or any person who had been deceived in this way would not simply walk away. They would want to know why he had done it, and how their own perception of reality had become so distorted. They had all invested so much in Evan that they probably would need to question him extensively before they fully grasped the situation. Of course, there's a need for dramatic compression, but omitting any scene of this kind is like ending *Oedipus Rex* without having the scene where Oedipus learns that he killed his father and slept with his mother. It leaves a key audience expectation unsatisfied. That said, I think there's a lot of reason to think that Evan feels horribly guilty about what he has done. He doesn't feel this in isolation, however. He is also devastated by the loss of his relationship with the Murphys and everything they represent to him (intact, supportive family, dream girl, and even ideal imaginary friend), and locates his fault not in a personal moral failing, but in what he sees as the fact of his total inadequacy as a human being. But assuming that you feel either that he doesn't feel guilty or that he doesn't do or say enough to show his consciousness of guilt, what would you want him to do or say to show that he does in fact feel guilty?

I only wish Evan accepting himself had felt more earned

Me too

Waitress was good

The film lead me to the show, didn't know about it beforehand. It's worth going to see it before it closes if you can.

@@Guineaface1987 I plan to!

I enjoyed the show but I wasn’t hyped for the movie

Jim Steinman always intended Bat out of Hell to be a post apocalyptic Peter Pan when he wrote it for meatloaf in the 70s

@@ponygrrrl Yeah, I get that, although most of it came from Neverland before he met Meat. I'm not suggesting any plagiarism from Ben Elton either, just that they have coincidental similarities.

I think DEH and Next to Normal are equally beautiful. The minimal cast and Michael Grief directing are two of the reasons why I thought DEH would be good to see.

Really? Would you say the same thing to one of your work colleagues to their face? Don't be rude

​@@marvellousaunt I shared an observation and stated facts. Not sharing does not eliminate the truth. As for being rude, it's easier to use a blanket internet-trendy general phrase like "would you say this to your colleague..." (on the surface sounds logical) rather than critically think on a case by case basis.

@@markt4416 If you were unaware, what you said is not 'stating facts', it is unnecessary, doesn't benefit anyone, and has nothing to do with the content of the video. You could have just left it at 'Great analysis... very articulate and informed'. Some people may not be aware of how the things they say impact others. I can't speak for MJ, but in general you shouldn't comment negatively on someone else's appearance.

@@marvellousaunt Exactly why society has to walk on eggshells - can't even point out a wrinkled shirt, long finger nails, and chapped lips without being told you are "unaware" and rude. Not sure how anything in our lives will ever improve if only positive self-affirming feedback is the only type acceptable. Note to Self: Close my eyes and just listen to the content next time. Wonder if he has a podcast. Hmmm.

The film missed out some great films mind! And the film was only a smidge of what it is live

this is how i've always felt about it. i like listening to some of the songs but that part of the narrative makes me deeply uncomfortable.

I think the idea of the show is that you're meant to feel uncomfortable with the narrative. You're meant to be on edge wondering how long it's going to keep going and why he doesn't stop it. It's a cracking show, it honestly blew me away.

I was more a fan of the music more so than the story. And the themes are partially misguided

I hope some of the songs end up like "I need a hero". Basically being in another popular movie and eventually being associated with that instead of the original.

@@DrawciaGleam02 Don’t you mean Holding Out For A Hero. I discovered it thanks to Shrek 2

Jared seems a natural stunt casting role

I think it's a smart move, as Gatan Matarazzo has legit theatre experience in his background.

@@oliverbrownlow5615 ye im glad ig that were not going to get another cameron dallas situation

i suddenly feel very powerful

Gaten Matarazzo is a theater actor. It is a "stunt casting".

DEH is not something I would see a second time due to fears of not having the same Pre Pandemic impact on me.

This picture perfect afternoon we shared

@@manuelorozco7760 Drive the winding country road. Grab a scoop at A La Mode and then we're there.

@@josephensworth7044 I think it’s more a coincidence than intentional

I was more a fan of the music than the story

@@manuelorozco7760 well I'm going to see it now in July, so hopefully I can enjoy both.

@@DJWhovian I wouldn’t worry too much about it if I were you

But I would be ready to crave for a breather episode afterwards

@@manuelorozco7760 I bet. Do connect a kit to it already

Which are you thinking? :)

Tell us which showwww cmon if it's just something u think and it's not some sort of confidential official news it doesn't matter! I reckon mean girls but what do you think??

Apparently I heard rumours Beetlejuice is coming to west end in spring 2023 and will play in dominion theatre.

I was thinking and hearing about either Beetlejuice or Mean Girls

unless I misinterpreted it I think he did give you a hint at 10:30 :)

But what’s the hint?

@@aoife7025 He says "you oughta know" which sounds a lot like something Alanis would say!

I saw the tour in 2019 too. That’s the only time I feel like seeing DEH in person

Afterwards, I needed the tours of Hello Dolly & Aladdin and a movie called Smallfoot as breather episodes.

I was more a fan of the first act too. That’s the same way I feel about Anything Goes

@@manuelorozco7760 That seems to be the case in a lot of Broadway shows for someone. I think it was difficult for the writers to bring this to a conclusion. But the second act had the weaker songs as well with maybe one exception.

@@bobbywise2313 One musical I can think of that has strong musicality in both acts is Hairspray.

@@bobbywise2313 The only Act Two song in DEH that I was crazy about was Only Us

@@manuelorozco7760 I actually like So Big So Small as well. It is pretty emotional. But act 2 was very much weaker than act 1. I have seen this in a lot of shows though. .Sunday in the Park With George, for example, should have ended at act 1.

I wish Evans self acceptance was more well earned

Yep, that's what I saw in comments of videos discussing the film version. Hopefully, the songs will get a renaissance in other films with better protagonists. Like how "I need a hero" was revitalized by Shrek 2.

@@DrawciaGleam02 Or Under Pressure in Smallfoot

I also found the show fairly dull compared to a lot of stuff on in the West End, and I can’t be the only one. It’s not a show that I was desperate to see again

The stage version was good enough for me

This show would have been more meaningful to me if it existed back when I went to high school

I would have been happy for him if the movie had happened a long time ago. I’m always almost open to seeing OBC members reprise their role. Like Harvey Fierstein as Edna in Hairspray

Sadly you are correct as of an hour ago DEH will be closing on Broadway on September 18th.

Evans hair was one of few reasons why I skipped the movie

I’m sure the awards are plastered at the DEH ads at the West End, though its win at the Oliviers was quite bittersweet. The awards were given in a very scaled down Oliviers in October 2020, at the height of the pandemic, no spectacle or hype that occured. It’s as if 2020 did not exist.

@@kareninacarado oh yeah

I would absolutely love for hadestown to come to london. Saw it in nyc with most of the original broadway cast and it was mindblowing… nearly went back to see andre de shields again before he went, but sadly couldnt make it. Other shows that might have a westend transfer could be beetlejuice, and maybe a strange loop, since its proven so successful on broadway. Also a mean girls west end production was announced pre covid, but postponed/paused when covid came. Since then it became rather quiet around it, but i think it might still be happening!

Pretty rare beauty for a Broadway score. I was more a fan of Act One. And the themes feel partially misguided

@@manuelorozco7760 a lot of the themes feel very undercut considering its all a lie. Its hard for me to listen to For Forever, If I Could Tell Her or You Will Be Found with context because its all based on fabrications. Those songs could be beautiful moments in another show,, and they have great instrumentation and are wonderfully composed, but context hurts

@@dragonpaulz_ It’s not too hard for me. Considering I had good first impressions. I listened to Waving Through A Window, You Will Be Found and For Forever before I bought my tickets. Then I listened to the rest of the cast album to prepare for the show.