DEH worth it?

Listen, I LOVE BROADWAY. All of my friends love DEH. Though, it's really expensive. I love the soundtrack don't get me wrong. But is all that money worth it?

Define: really expensive? Is it worth waiting longer to get less expensive tix? Sure. Premium? No...but I don't think any show is worth premium pricing.

You really have to ask yourself....does the cost of the ticket change your enjoyment/expectations of a production. Is it going to eat away at you if you spend 159 bucks? Because if so, then no, it's not.



I'm not like that. I've never walked out of a show thinking I overspent....unless I've hated the show and free would have been too expensive. I like it or I don't....money doesn't come into play.

It's not a soundtrack. It's called a cast recording. The original Broadway cast was incredible, and it won the Tony for Best Musical. Tickets are expensive for Broadway, it's the best theater district in the world. I guess you have to figure out what "worth it" means to you.

If you have the funds to do it, why not. But if you're wavering because of money, I'd shy away from it until prices go way down. I paid $173 - the most I've spent for any show - to see it from the front row on Ben Platt's final weekend and was much more interested in his narrative as an actor than the actual show. I like about 4 songs from the cast recording. Somehow I think this show will be one that won't hold up in ten years. That said, I'm 100% in the minority here.

Totally self-indulgent personal anecdote that affects nothing, but I personally picked other shows when I had the chance to see it because I thought I'd rather pay Broadway prices for a bigger orchestra rather than a pop score. But that's just me!

Alex Kulak2 said: "I personally believe DEH is one of the most important works of musical theatre of the 21st century, and was disappointed when it wasn't a finalist for the Pulitzer, but to be fair, I fully recognize that I'm musical theatre trash, so take that for whatever you will."

Can you explain what exactly is “important” about it?

rubpasternak said: "Listen, I LOVE BROADWAY. All of my friends love DEH. Though, it's really expensive. I love the soundtrack don't get me wrong. But is all that money worth it?"

*Cast Recording.

dunebuddy said: "Often when a show is as hyped up as this one is, I go in expecting a lot."

Really setting yourself up for failure there, no?

Honestly, it wasn't for me. I'm disappointed in myself for buying a ticket for so much through stubhub

JPeterman said: "I’ve seen it with and without Ben Platt. I would say the high prices were worth it ... until Ben left. It is still a really good show, but Ben made it special."

I pretty much agree with this. I've seen it three times and was only really impressed the first time with Ben Platt. I left the theatre thinking that DEH was truly The Ben Platt show; his emotion and vocal skills elevated the material to something rare and special.

I also don't feel that the score is uniformly great. "Waving Through a Window", "For Forever", "You Will be Found", and "Words Fail" are very powerful songs, but most of the rest seemed merely serviceable, perhaps with the exception of one or two of the more comedic numbers.

On the subject of comedy, I also feel like the show sometimes swings too wildly between devastating heartbreak and utter silliness. At times, the sophomoric jokes come too fast on the heels of something quite serious, which occasionally makes the show feel somewhat bipolar.

When I saw Michael Lee Brown (a last-minute cast change because Mr. Platt was ill), the whole thing fell flat for me. He looked too old to be a teenager, and paired with the understudy for Rachel Bay Jones (who was also out), the two looked more like brother and sister than son and mother.

Noah Galvin was adequate through the first act but couldn't muster the requisite emotional credibility (or vocal power) when the second act progressed to the more intense scenes.

We're seeing it again in a few months because my husband (who did not see Ben Platt) wants to give Taylor Trensch a shot, and I'm hoping he can pull it off.

If my comments suggest that I don't think DEH is a great and important show, it's not my intention. It has a lot to say about the society we live in and I believe it is (or perhaps more accurately, was) a groundbreaking piece of theatre.

Updated On: 3/21/18 at 11:40 AM

Alex Kulak2 said: "it's call to action of sorts for other musicals to try harder to be something more than silly entertainment."

Unless you're writing a silly show that is meant to be entertaining?