Dear Evan Hansen Previews- Page 5

[talinatter]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 5:09pm

They posted a code on twitter for $69 box seats for tonight 

[asmith0307]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 5:20pm

Not really a code, but there are box seats available at the box office for $69.

[HSky]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 5:27pm

For the curious, here are the lists of voices from the DC (top) and NY (bottom; same off and on Broadway) productions: http://imgur.com/tZdeDy1

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 5:59pm

talinatter said: "They posted a code on twitter for $69 box seats for tonight "

The tweet: https://twitter.com/DearEvanHansen/status/799013388697407488

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 6:17pm

tonight's show is also up at TKTS for 50% off. I wonder how well this show is selling/what's its advance is?

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 7:21pm

Decided to switch my tickets from front row Left Orchestra to Front Row Center Mezz. I think I made the right choice. Can anyone inform me on the leg space in the front row? Thanks!

[ethan231h]

Posted: 11/16/16 at 9:27pm

ACL2006 said: "tonight's show is also up at TKTS for 50% off. I wonder how well this show is selling/what's its advance is?

 

"

From what I saw on telecharge, they seem to be selling well...especially for a off broadway transfer with no major star or creative team. They will most certainly make it to the spring....think of all the school groups who will go the show!

[RussT2]

Posted: 11/17/16 at 8:54am

Was lucky to score two $50 tickets a few weeks back so the boyfriend and I saw the preview last night November 16th. I'd heard the buzz about this show but aside from knowing it was about a high school kid, we knew nothing of the plot, or even that it was a musical. We purposely kept ourselves out of the loop so we could be surprised  and we went into the show last night as blank slates. It's a great show and the cast is excellent, but Ben Platt is simply astounding as Even Hansen. I didn't cry at all, but my bf did as did some of the people around me.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 8:27am

Went back yesterday. Noticed some lyrics and arrangement changes since the first Broadway preview. It was my sixth time seeing the show and So Big/So Small still got me crying like a baby. I'm looking forward to revisiting it over and over again.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 8:52am

I was at last night's preview and was ready to reassess my feelings after being somewhat underwhelmed at Second Stage. I admit that I liked it more this time around, but I still wasn't completely won over. There were a few cosmetic changes to the lyrics and book, but essentially it's the same show that we saw off-Broadway. They have now made it very clear what really happened when Evan broke his arm, but other things I took issue with weren't changed. I think it still gives off a Next to Normal vibe, but it stood on it's own more for me on second viewing. 

I didn't mind the projections of social media posts off-Broadway, but I wish they would have built more of a set for the transfer. They've added more screens, but they serve to distract rather than enhance. 

I still wish Jennifer Laura Thompson had a song of her own. I still wish they opened up the show with a solo for Ben Platt. I still don't love Evan's two classmates or the ending, but obviously this is the show the creators are happy with and I really don't expect it to change at all during previews. 

The two things the show really has going for it are the cast and the intriguing premise/plot progressions. The melodies are often very catchy too; the lyrics aren't always as strong as the music, but certainly rise above those in A Bronx Tale-esque fare. 

I have a question for those who have followed this show more closely than I have: Has Platt or the creative team ever explicitly stated what condition Evan suffers from?  One of my friends last night, who hadn't seen the show off-Broadway, was convinced at intermission that Evan had Asperger Syndrome. It's an understandable assumption give his inability to connect socially, his dislike of being touched and Platt's general mannerisms. After the second act he was he felt they changed course and simply made him a kid suffering from social anxiety. I think this is a flaw in the writing and quite frankly in Platt's performance, which is otherwise very strong. If he is on all these meds, wouldn't he be more numb than manic as he acts in the first half of act one? Maybe they're trying to remain ambiguous with what's medically going on with Evan, but I think they should be a little clearer.

This is making me sound like I didn't like the show at all, which isn't true. I do think there's a lot of good stuff there and I'll be making a return trip for sure. I guess I'm harsher on this show because I think it has so much more potential than your average workman like Broadway musical and I just don't think it reached its full potential yet.    

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 9:14am

WhizzerMarvin said: "

I have a question for those who have followed this show more closely than I have: Has Platt or the creative team ever explicitly stated what condition Evan suffers from?  One of my friends last night, who hadn't seen the show off-Broadway, was convinced at intermission that Evan had Asperger Syndrome. It's an understandable assumption give his inability to connect socially, his dislike of being touched and Platt's general mannerisms. After the second act he was he felt they changed course and simply made him a kid suffering from social anxiety. I think this is a flaw in the writing and quite frankly in Platt's performance, which is otherwise very strong. If he is on all these meds, wouldn't he be more numb than manic as he acts in the first half of act one? Maybe they're trying to remain ambiguous with what's medically going on with Evan, but I think they should be a little clearer.

 

"

I think Evan's relationship with Jared rules out the possibility of Asperger Syndrome. He does have difficulty connecting socially, but even if Jared is only his "family friend" to begin with, Evan's interaction with Jared definitely suggests considerable social capacity. 

Regardless, I did find one "fault" of Ben Platt's performance in the two Broadway previews I saw. In Sincerely Me, Evan was first at ease to shake hands with the Connor as his conscience but was then afraid to hug him? I remember at 2nd Stage Evan was consistently uncomfortable with the idea of being close to Conner during the number. The directorial change really confuses me.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 9:16am

I went to a talkback at Second Stage and from what I remember, Platt said he avoided picking or naming any one particular condition Evan might have. But I felt the same way you did in the way he changes so drastically between acts (I felt that way in DC as well).

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 9:24am

Ben Platt said in an interview that he drew from his own prior struggles with anxiety in shaping Evan's personality. But the musical itself never specifically names a condition.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 9:49am

Whizzer, I'm glad you had a similar opinion because I thought I was the only one! I went to the second preview, and while I really liked it, I wasn't "over the moon." It's one of the strongest contemporary musicals in recent history, but I didn't find it as innovative as people made it sound like it would be. Maybe I had too high of expectations?

Pasek and Paul wrote a great score, but their formula for this show was really apparent: almost all songs had  an addition refrain before the chorus, a key change, a flip in to head voice/falsetto, or a mix of the three. At first, the show gave off that whiny teenage vibe, but luckily once the plot kicked in that tone kind of vanished. (And YES Whizzer, Ben needed a song in the opening. Even a verse or two with the moms.)

I still loved it. I still sobbed during "You Will Be Found." (Like, ugly sobbed.) I'm glad to see original musical theatre is still alive and well. I just don't get why people want this show to win for Best Musical, especially in such a busy season! (Also, Ben Platt was stellar, as were both Rachel Bay Jones and Jennifer Laura Thompson!)

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:02am

I know I'm a bitch, but I think if someone was open-heave-sobbing next to me in the theatre I would be tempted to slap them.  Thanks for all the reports - I'm really looking forward to seeing this!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:22am

Thanks for the responses stating that Platt and Co are specifically not putting a label on Evan's issues. While I think that's fine in theory, the problem with not telling us coupled with Platt's ambiguous performance is that the entire show hinges on how we judge Evan's actions. My ability to empathize with what he did could greatly change based on whether he's a neurotypical kid or if he lands somewhere on the autistic spectrum (or something other specific condition that would engender understanding).

 BraveSirRobin: At first, the show gave off that whiny teenage vibe, but luckily once the plot kicked in that tone kind of vanished.

I agree with you. I wish they had kind of overhauled the beginning; the first act feels too long and the first 15 minutes is where they could make cuts and clean things up. I find all the interactions on the first day of school cringeworthy and annoying. I made me dread what was to come at first too because I didn't want to sit through 2h45m of teens whining. Once we get to the meat of the story the show takes such an interesting turn for the better that you almost forget about the shaky start by the end, but upon second viewing the opening stuck out even more so with the knowledge of what was to come.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:29am

How was Rachel Bay Jones?  Her solo killed me at 2ST.

[clb10162]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:41am

I have a question for those who have followed this show more closely than I have: Has Platt or the creative team ever explicitly stated what condition Evan suffers from?  One of my friends last night, who hadn't seen the show off-Broadway, was convinced at intermission that Evan had Asperger Syndrome. It's an understandable assumption give his inability to connect socially, his dislike of being touched and Platt's general mannerisms. After the second act he was he felt they changed course and simply made him a kid suffering from social anxiety. I think this is a flaw in the writing and quite frankly in Platt's performance, which is otherwise very strong. If he is on all these meds, wouldn't he be more numb than manic as he acts in the first half of act one? Maybe they're trying to remain ambiguous with what's medically going on with Evan, but I think they should be a little clearer.
 

What makes you think he's on "all these meds" because he "has something"?  His mother asks him twice during the show if he needs a refill but otherwise there's no mention of it.  Perhaps he takes one (or one-half) pill a day of some anti-anxiety drug. Doctors today tend to over-medicate anyway--even teenagers--perhaps because patients demand it (a pill can fix anything; we've seen the commercials!).  Fifty years ago, the doctor would have told Evan's mother that he was just very shy and would outgrow it.  And I never got the impression that Evan was averse to touching people.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:43am

Did they cut a line about him not wanting to touch the delivery person and that's why he doesn't order food?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:48am

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't track Evan's change from Act 1 to Act 2. I know it's never officially stated, but I deal with a mild amount of social anxiety myself, and there are definitely things that help you cope and a manage, but you can't make it disappear. The way the show is written (at least from Second Stage) it comes off that Evan gets a girlfriend and is popular so he's totally fine- it doesn't really work that way. 

I really like the cast and the score of this show, but at Second Stage I thought the book had serious issues and it doesn't sound like they've done much to work that out. 

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 10:56am

Wickedrocks, Rachel was sublime. Her solo in Act Two was a highlight for me.

[whatdoesntkillme]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 11:17am

WhizzerMarvin said: "While I think that's fine in theory, the problem with not telling us coupled with Platt's ambiguous performance is that the entire show hinges on how we judge Evan's actions. My ability to empathize with what he did could greatly change based on whether he's a neurotypical kid or if he lands somewhere on the autistic spectrum (or something other specific condition that would engender understanding)."

Thank you. My biggest issue with the show was a lack of empathy for Evan. Since we can't figure out what exactly he's dealing with, it's hard to understand where he's coming from and how his actions are justified. Overall I found the book the least enjoyable part of the show, with the set following closely behind. 

[ethan231h]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 11:34am

I have to say, I really agree with what some of you are saying about the beginning, having Evan sing a verse or 2 in "anybody have a map" would be really nice. But I also think the writers wanted to strictly just show the rocky relationships the mothers have with their kids. Yes, some things could be changed especially with the time they had. Clearly the creative team is happy, the public seems to be happy and this show is just so relevant to today's society. So excited to see it tomorrow!

Predicting tony noms for Ben, Rachel, Pasek And Paul, Grief and Levenson 

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 11:36am

In DC, Evan did have a big role in the opening number, but the song was earwormy and not in a good way. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 11/18/16 at 11:36am

clb, perhaps I overstated by saying "all these meds," but his mother does check to make sure he's taking his meds the way a mother might nervously be checking to make sure a bi-polar child is not going off their meds just because they're having a high/manic day. (Platt plays the opening scene in a very comic/manic way, so it's hard to think this is a possibility right off the bat.)

He has an extreme aversion to strangers. His mother walks in with $20 asking why he didn't order dinner the other night. Evan replies that he would have to speak to someone on the phone in order to get food delivered. She responds that you can order online nowadays to which he shoots back that he would still have to interact with delivery person while they fumble with making change.

Evan flinches everytime his mother touches him, whether in an attempt to hug him or pat him on the shoulder. He makes a comment about how he doesn't like that (a very common trait with autistic/Asperger's children).

His therapy plays an integral part in the plot- his mother is so worried about him that she schedules an extra, earlier therapy session for Evan at the start of the play. Maybe it would be helpful for us to actually see some of the these therapy sessions to get a better understanding of what is going on in his mind.

As I said, a lot of my confusion over this is the way Platt is physically playing the role. Lots of nervous tics, etc that are very reminiscent (to me) of Max Burkholder's portrayal of Max Braverman on Parenthood, which remains one of the best fictional performances/handling of Asperger's I've seen.

If Evan only has social anxiety but is otherwise neurotypical then I think Platt is overdoing it a little in act one. Either way I think the creators could add some clarity about what is going on with Evan.

WR- Rachel Bay Jones is excellent.