Dear Evan Hansen Previews- Page 8

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 1:02pm

Vocals are a bit weak...

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 1:19pm

Skimbleshanks2 said: "Vocals are a bit weak..."



 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 1:51pm

Skimbleshanks2 said: "Vocals are a bit weak...

 

"

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[haterobics]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 2:36pm

nrocke731 said: "I'm so torn on my love for this show and Great Comet. Two very different shows! What an interesting season this is turning into!"

 

Same situation, but not torn... I get to love them both for different reasons.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 3:17pm

The "weak vocals?"  Is this about the Platt's negotiation of the upper register?  Those few notes?  Isn't a character choice, the wince on the note?  To match Evan?  A non-singer's question, but someone else mentioned to me so I jumped in..  

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 6:30pm

Wasn't the score written for him? I'm not understanding the criticism.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 6:32pm

Auggie27 said: "The "weak vocals?"  Is this about the Platt's negotiation of the upper register?  Those few notes?  Isn't a character choice, the wince on the note?  To match Evan?  A non-singer's question, but someone else mentioned to me so I jumped in..  "

It came up here too.

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2356269

 

[talinatter]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 1:58am

YSome food for thought: a bunch of you have been talking about what specific disease Evan had, but what about Connor? Is character is obviously not as developed, but he clearly was troubled and mentally ill to take his own life... what are all of your thoughts on where he came from and what caused him to kill him self? I'm just sort of curious cause I can't stop thinking about his character. I wish we got to see more of him because I find him so interesting 

[talinatter]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 1:58am

YSome food for thought: a bunch of you have been talking about what specific disease Evan had, but what about Connor? Is character is obviously not as developed, but he clearly was troubled and mentally ill to take his own life... what are all of your thoughts on where he came from and what caused him to kill him self? I'm just sort of curious cause I can't stop thinking about his character. I wish we got to see more of him because I find him so interesting 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 4:44am

Since we barely get to know him, it's impossible to say.

[DeNada]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 4:44am

Re: the Seth Meyers performance, I've seen/heard Platt negotiate the falsetto passages in the early part of the song more effectively (the A-B flat of "waving".  Clearly the physical wincing isn't necessary for him to belt out the top Bs after the key change (which is BLOODY high - and at the top of the show!) because he doesn't do so in the sustained notes at the end (note where he swings his arms wide for the second "waving" his stance is open and unforced).

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 1:37pm

Thank you, DeNada, this is the question answered. As a non-singer, I'm curious how tricky the falsetto notes are handled, if it's a strain or not. 

[whatdoesntkillme]

Posted: 11/27/16 at 7:02pm

(spoilers ahead) I saw the show at Second Stage so this may have changed, but why do you think Evan is so open about the fact that no one came to get him after he fell out of the tree? He tells Jared in the first school scene and then he includes it in his speech at the end of Act One. I feel like this anecdote paints him as weak and worthless--or at least that's how I would feel if I were telling that story. Why would he so openly talk about being left alone in pain to Jared, a family friend who he doesn't know that well and wants to look good in front of, and to the whole school, especially when talking about how close he and Connor supposedly were? 

[DeepVSexyWitch2]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 12:39am

Saw the matinee today. I fall into the camp of those who enjoyed it but didn't think it was spectacular as others seem to be making it out. Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones are turning in incredible performances that will both be remembered come Tony time IMO. I felt the show had a hard time finding what tone they were trying to set. We have these very poignant, serious moments paired with others that were campy and almost satirical. Characters that were completely fleshed out humans paired with two dimensional caricatures. It was like Next to Normal and Heathers had an odd kid? Or Curious Incident and Bring It On? Again, I enjoyed myself but would be hard pressed to see this win the big prize come June. 

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 12:58pm

Caught this yesterday and found it be an incredibly moving, yet very flawed piece of art. It was so close to being something special but then it sortof went off the rails in act two and could never get back on track. 

As a special education teacher, I had problems with Ben Platt's portrayal of Evan. I understand not wanting to officially "diagnose" him, but it came off as slightly offensive to me. I'm not sure if it's Platt's or the director's choice, but there was nothing real about his performance (sans his excellent speech at the end of act one). It felt super over the top, and while Platt was committed 100% and in great voice, I was slightly disappointed.

Both moms were excellent (Thompson NEEDS a song). The real standout for me though was Laura Dreyfus who was so incredibly real and believable. Her performance just made so much sense to the situation occurring around her. Super impressive. I'm excited to see her in future projects. 

The score was great, but again, act two had the much less good songs. The baseball glove song was easily my least favorite (give us a metaphor at least!) and the song with Evan's mom and two students was not much better. The act one finale was stunning, however, and definitely had me tearing up. 

Act one was so satisfying in emotion and then act two hit and it just left me cold. I really, really wanted to love it but just ended up liking it. I wish the cast and crew the best!

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 1:08pm

DeepVSexyWitch2 said: "I felt the show had a hard time finding what tone they were trying to set. We have these very poignant, serious moments paired with others that were campy and almost satirical. Characters that were completely fleshed out humans paired with two dimensional caricatures."

THANK YOU! You articulated this SO well. I saw the show off-Broadway earlier this year, and while I thought it has so much going for it (Platt and Bay Jones are total powerhouses), this was my fundamental issue with the show, and why I don't have any interest in revisiting it on Broadway. Thank you for phrasing this so articulately. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 2:22pm

That's an interesting point about the tone. It worked for me, but I totally understand that. I think the attempt is to lighten the mood, but as I remember with Next to Normal, once they got rid of those moments, it worked better. Interesting that Greif didn't choose to do that here.

[ebontoyan]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 3:09pm

I saw DEH on Saturday and I actually liked it a lot.  I didn't think I was the target audience for this storyline and glad I was proven wrong. I did find Act 1 was much stronger than Act 2. I was cringing how the story will be resolved once everyone figured out it was all a lie! I thought the show dealt with it just fine in the end. 

[GhostXmasPast]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 9:19pm

neonlightsxo said: "That's an interesting point about the tone. It worked for me, but I totally understand that. I think the attempt is to lighten the mood, but as I remember with Next to Normal, once they got rid of those moments, it worked better. Interesting that Greif didn't choose to do that here.

 

"

I found the "lighter moments" very plausible for two high school boys dealing with a situation such as the loss of a classmate.  Irreverent, black humor is certainly not out of the ordinary for that age group - who view themselves as invincible and immortal.   What WOULD be out of the ordinary would be for Evan and his classmates to deal with the death of a student like Connor by  joining in on a song like "Requiem"  Or if Evan was yucking it up with any of the parents.  I would be curious to see how other parents - or grandparents - feel about how their children - or grandchildren - would deal with a situation like Evan faces,

 

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 11/28/16 at 9:39pm

Everything about this show feels bang on accurate to me. I'm so mystified by reports that this isn't realistic... or this is way over the top... even the tone comments... I don't understand them. Often, when I love something, I can identify the flaws and relate to the criticisms. With this show... I'm just sort of shaking my head. This show feels exactly what my life felt like until, say, 20. I work with lots of high school kids and see them in these characters... even in the so-called two dimensional characters. Perhaps I'm just responding with too much emotion or sympathy. I obviously understand everyone is entitled to their opinion... I've just never been so mystified by the opposing voice.

Additionally... I think there's a lot to be said for the different ways people act when they're with other people and when they're alone. Sometimes folks, especially kids, come across as over the top... shallow... or even vapid... doesn't mean they don't have rich inner lives that aren't represented differently when they're alone. For the longest time I acted just as Evan does when interacting with others...but obviously that was a sort of act brought on by nervousness, awkwardness, and a deep desire to connect. I know many kids who act like the secondary, "two-dimensional' characters while at school... but are quite different when you get them alone.

Sigh. Anyway. I'm very interested in these differing opinions! Haha. No criticism intended. Just wanted to share my confusion, I guess.  

[tripelite]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 2:43am

I saw the show at Second Stage and loved it.  Can't wait to see it again.  One question: a plot point that bothered me was the fact that Evan kept discovering new emails, as if he couldn't do a simple search for all of them.  Doesn't this seem strange? (unless you work for the FBI, of course, as they keep finding new emails)  Did they resolve/change this in any way?

[skies]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 3:19am

 I'm so mystified by reports that can't see that the shift in tone is quite jarring.

I've just never been so confused by an opposing opinion that can't see the show as contrived and not quite hitting the right balance.

I dunno, Just wanted to share my confusion.

[clb10162]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 6:52am

KJisgroovy said: "Additionally... I think there's a lot to be said for the different ways people act when they're with other people and when they're alone. Sometimes folks, especially kids, come across as over the top... shallow... or even vapid... .but are quite different when you get them alone."
 

Exactly (I apologize for cherrypicking from your post).  When Alana says in Act 2 "I know what it's like to be invisible," it's easy to understand why she keeps making the distinction between "friend" and "acquaintance." The only teenager on that stage who has any kind of popularity is Zoe who, to me, is the least interesting of the kids.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 8:20am

skies said: " I'm so mystified by reports that can't see that the shift in tone is quite jarring.

I've just never been so confused by an opposing opinion that can't see the show as contrived and not quite hitting the right balance.

I dunno, Just wanted to share my confusion.

 

"

 

Because it's not jarring to everyone?   It's still just part of an opinion.   

 

[clb10162]

Posted: 11/29/16 at 8:28am

dramamama611 said: "skies said: " I'm so mystified by reports that can't see that the shift in tone is quite jarring.

I've just never been so confused by an opposing opinion that can't see the show as contrived and not quite hitting the right balance.

I dunno, Just wanted to share my confusion."
 

Because it's not jarring to everyone?   It's still just part of an opinion."

When I think of a "jarring" shift in tone, I think of Martin McDonough (whose work I love, btw) not "Dear Evan Hansen."

Updated On: 11/29/16 at 08:28 AM