Dear Evan Hansen Question

[northlandfan]

Posted: 10/15/17 at 11:03pm

Having seen the show last month I was wondering if both the Hansen family and The Murphy family are Jewish. The reason why I ask is because Jared Kleinman  is a family friend who is clearly Jewish and at one point in the show Connor's mother hands a tie that once belong to Connor to Evan saying he never had a chance to go to many bar mitzvahs. Anyone think the same?

I also wonder what the significance was of the entire cast walking around with an object either in their hand or strapped to their back during the waving through a window song?

When Ben delivers his very emotional performance for the song words fail his face is all wet and greasy. Wondering if that was a combination of tears and mucus or if additional make up was applied to give that effect! That was the showstopper for me!

Thanks in advance for any insight provided.

 

Updated On: 10/15/17 at 11:03 PM

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/15/17 at 11:56pm

In response to your first question: Hard to tell. Neither Heidi nor Evan make any reference to their religious beliefs. While Cynthia does reference bar mitzvahs, Larry references that he may have gotten Connor a baseball glove for Christmas. They may just know a lot of Jewish people, since it's likely the show takes place in New Jersey (A La Mode is an ice cream parlor in Ocean City), which has the third highest Jewish population in the country. Both Benj Pasek and Steven Levenson are also Jewish, and you know, write what you know.

 

Question 2:They're probably just carrying their props from the last scene. Heidi isn't carrying anything.

Question 3: It's unlikely, since he almost never leaves the stage, there'd never really be an opportunity to apply extra make up. Maybe they add extra powder so his makeup doesn't run, and that mixes with the tears and sweat and what-not.

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 9:19am

Yeah I agree it is hard to tell. There wasn't any mention of Connor celebrating his own bar mitzvah. I grew up in NJ and when I was 13 the norm was to at least invite the people to your bar mitzvah who invited you to theirs.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 12:03pm

I just took it to mean a very Jewish community, although I could see Evan and Heidi possibly being Jewish.  It would be a sign of popularity.

 

[ashleyjena]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 12:46pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "In response to your first question: Hard to tell. Neither Heidi nor Evan make any reference to their religious beliefs. While Cynthia does reference bar mitzvahs, Larry references that he may have gotten Connor a baseball glove for Christmas. They may just know a lot of Jewish people, since it's likely the show takes place in New Jersey (A La Mode is an ice cream parlor in Ocean City), which has the third highest Jewish population in the country. Both Benj Pasek and Steven Levenson are also Jewish, and you know, write what you know.



Question 2:They're probably just carrying their props from the last scene. Heidi isn't carrying anything.

Question 3: It's unlikely, since he almost never leaves the stage, there'd never really be an opportunity to apply extra make up. Maybe they add extra powder so his makeup doesn't run, and that mixes with the tears and sweat and what-not."

I read somewhere that the show takes place in Maryland (a la mode is a very common name for an ice cream place), but I don't know if there is any truth to that. But I do agree, that they may just know many Jewish people, given that Larry notes that he could have given the glove for Christmas. 

[godlessondheimite]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 12:50pm

northlandfan said: "When Ben delivers hisvery emotional performance for the song words fail his face is all wet and greasy. Wondering if that was a combination of tears and mucus or if additional make up was applied to give that effect! That was theshowstopper for me!

"

I sat in the third row of the orchestra during previews, and that was all Ben. He's clearly living every moment. 

 

[MyLife]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 1:22pm

Not that this holds all that much weight with intermarriage and such but neither Hansen nor Murphy are typical Jewish surnames. Kleinman, on the other hand...

[Steve C.]

Posted: 10/16/17 at 1:54pm

You guys may be analyzing this too much. These seem to be bits and pieces of everyone's (the authors, producers, actors) experiences.

The garage scene with Mr Murphy and Evan about the baseball memorabilia is basically a lot of Baltimore Oriole stuff. Marc Platt grew up in Pikesville/Randallstown a largely Jewish area in MD, hence all the Oriole stuff...It's a great mix of Jersey/95/New York/Baltimore etc. It has just as many mentions or clues that resonate well together. 

I'm so glad I got to see this show with this cast; sure, there are plot droppings and mixed electronic messages dropped, but this cast and that book really do hold together a new "coming of age" piece...the baffling early years of social media.

and that new "Getaway" disco video is "hellacute"!

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/VIDEO-DEAR-EVAN-HANSEN-Trio-Platt-Galvin-Trensch-Return-to-the-Disco-Era-in-New-Getaway-Video-20171016

at first I thought they were doing "Getaway" by Saint Motel, they are kind of new....very retro, very entertaining musically, and what music group today still treats us to trumpets, trombones and horns? Give them a listen...

Their song "Move" is the new theme song for Uber (you've heard of UBER)?

Getaway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq-sldxEyU0 

Move:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9DZkj8Rq6g

Updated On: 10/16/17 at 01:54 PM

[JayElle]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 5:32pm

Murphy is an Irish name. I presumed it meant he had no friends who would invite him.  Bar/bat mitzvah tend to be teen years, 

[JayElle]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 5:37pm

As for people walking around.....Evan Hansen is looking out window from his bedroom and waving at the people outside walking by, which is why he asks “is anyone waving back at me?”   The people walking around are symbolically outside

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 6:03pm

JayElle said: "As for people walking around.....Evan Hansen is looking out window from his bedroomand waving at the people outside walking by,which is why he asks “isanyone waving back at me?” The people walking around are symbolically outside"

I don't think that's what's happening during that song.  I'm pretty sure the window that he's waving through is supposed to be his cellphone.  He's actually at school when he sings that song so he's definitely not in his bedroom.  It's supposed to comment on how social media has made it so hard for people to connect with each other and how social anxiety has become more and more common among young people.

 There isn't really any significance to the objects that they're holding.  They're all just supposed to be milling around doing whatever their character does.

 

[northlandfan]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 6:28pm

Thank you so much for that interpretation. That scene make so much more sense now!

[akmiller_98]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 6:29pm

I can't seem to find it, but I saw an interview with Ben and he was asked whether or not Evan is Jewish and he said Evan is not.

[coreman009]

Posted: 10/17/17 at 8:45pm

The Murphy family definitely isn’t Jewish. But they do live in a community with a good amount of Jews (figure Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or California). And there’s no reason to believe the Hansen family is Jewish. 

[JayElle]

Posted: 10/18/17 at 12:47am

George&Dot "There isn't really any significance to the objects that they're holding.  They're all just supposed to be milling around doing whatever their character does."

Don't agree.  His life is about being alone. He has only one "family friend."  He wants to belong, even with Conner's sister.  His mother questions where he's going and if he needs refills, he says no.  He doesn't tell her he's hanging at the Murphy's house.

The waving thru the window is he watches those around him and wants to be part of it, but he doesn't know how. It's a metaphor for the state of his life.

"On the outside; always looking in; Will I ever be more than I've always been; Cause I'm tap tap tapping on the glass waving thru a window; I try to speak, but nobody can hear; So I wait around for an answer to appear; While I watch, watch, watching people pass...waving thru the window..Oh can anybody see? Is anyone waving back at me?"

Go to genius lyrics website for DEH.  They have annotations for the lyrics of all songs.  It pretty much says the same thing I did and I just read it now.  The people walking around him is his state of life. He's never part of anything, but just an observer of what's around him. So true of Connor.   

I saw the show 4 times and it took the 3rd time before I got the line when Connor talks to Evan about him not falling out of the tree but that he  "let go," meaning he tried to jump but didn't succeed like Connor.

 

[tazber]

Posted: 10/18/17 at 7:28am

Connor Murphy is definitely an Irish name.

Jewish kids always invite their Jewish and non-Jewish friends to their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.

 

Regarding Words Fail, I saw  it twice and that was all Ben. He is really in the moment for the entire show. It's a stunning performance.

 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/21/17 at 3:04am

Ben Platt is the living embodiment of "living truthfully under imaginary circumstances"

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 10/21/17 at 4:06am

JayElle said: "George&Dot "There isn't really any significance to the objects that they're holding. They're all just supposed to be milling around doing whatever their character does."

Don't agree. His life is about being alone. He has only one "family friend." He wants to belong, even with Conner's sister. His mother questions where he's going and if he needs refills, he says no. He doesn't tell her he's hanging at the Murphy's house.

The waving thru the window is he watches those around him and wants to be part of it, but he doesn't know how. It's a metaphor for the state of his life.

"On the outside; always looking in; Will I ever be more than I've always been; Cause I'm tap tap tapping on the glass waving thru a window; I try to speak, but nobody can hear; So I wait around for an answer to appear; While I watch, watch, watching people pass...waving thru the window..Oh can anybody see? Is anyone waving back at me?"

Go to genius lyrics website for DEH. They have annotations for the lyrics of all songs. It pretty much says the same thing I did and I just read it now. The people walking around him is his state of life. He's never part of anything, but just an observer of what's around him. So true of Connor.

I saw the show 4 times and it took the 3rd time before I got the line whenConnor talks toEvan about him not falling out of the tree but that he "let go," meaning he tried to jump but didn't succeed like Connor.

"

I mean, yeah we seem to basically agree on what the song means and everything, but the song definitely isn't about him watching people pass by his house through his bedroom window.  Also, I still don't think there's any particular significance to the objects in their hand and even though you told me that you don't agree, you never did explain why you believe otherwise.

 

[herewegoabc]

Posted: 10/23/17 at 5:37am

I don't believe there's any significance to the objects they're holding. The kids are all holding backpacks, which they do through a significant part of the show. The adults are holding objects related to where they're going that morning (yoga mat, briefcase- Heidi comes through smelling a sandwich in a plastic bag at the end of Anybody Have a Map).

The real significance of that song is the choreography. The song isn't just about Evan. It's the literal disconnect of every individual on that stage. If you pay attention, there is zero physical contact between any of the characters during Waving through a Window. The closest we get is when Evan almost shakes Zoe's hand during the spoken part.

The placement of the characters is very important. They form a circle around Evan, and then in a very climactic moment, they all spin around to face away from him- all in their own individual directions. They then form a diagonal line, and Evan runs in between them, never making contact with any of them. The song then concludes with everyone rushing past Evan and each other in their own directions, no connection, no interaction, etc.

All of that choreography is directly paralleled in You Will Be Found. The characters once again form a circle around Evan (sans Heidi and Connor), but instead of spinning outward, they spin inward. They are all facing Evan and each other. The characters then directly interact with both Alana and Jared rushing forward to grab/cling to Evan. Cynthia and Larry hug, and Zoe watches. Cynthia hugs Evan. Eventually, Zoe and Evan end the song kissing.

I put far more significance into the circle (the spinning inward/outward) and the lack of and then visual representation of actual connection than I do any props that the characters are holding during either of the songs.

Updated On: 10/23/17 at 05:37 AM