Posted: 1/9/17 at 7:27pm
I saw both shows Christmas weekend. I enjoyed Great Comet, but loved Dear Evan Hansen. Comet was fun if just for the sheer innovation of the show. But, like others have said, DEH just struck a chord with me.
Posted: 1/9/17 at 9:50pm
I saw DEH off-Broadway and The Great Comet this past weekend. Both casts are well... really well cast. Like they were made for their roles. The Great Comet much more so than DEH.
Buuuut... If I had to recommend just one, having no idea what your taste is, I'd go with DEH, mainly because of two reasons: Comet has more flaws overall and lacks emotional engagement. There's no cause to sympathize with the characters, it all feels very frivolous. If a show hasn't made me belly laugh AND made me cry a bucket, gotten me inspired by its music, AND wowed me with its cast performances, it hasn't FULLY done its job (for me, personally). DEH came closer to that - it is an emotional experience, while The Great Comet is more of a visual feast. I was 85% engaged with The Great Comet and 99% engaged with DEH. I enjoyed DEH's score more as well with its pop sensibilities, although there's a bunch of charming and highly unique gems in Comet.
Still I liked them both, would recommend both (depending on the person's tastes), and would easily want to see either again.
Posted: 1/9/17 at 10:57pm
It really depends on what you are looking for. I saw both this past weekend, and I liked Comet but LOVED Dear Evan Hansen!
IMHO Comet wins for creative staging, set design, and a "fun" theater experience, but really lacks on the story side of things. DEH brings layers of emotion and humanity that musicals like Les Miz and L5Y bring....this show touched me to the core.
My friends who are huge Josh Groban fans even liked DEH better. Again, it depends on what you are looking for in a night at the theater.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 1:18am
I LOVED Great Comet. Remember, Stephen Sondheim gave Dave Malloy the Richard Rodgers Award for the show... That aint just for the sets.
These are characters of endless depth, and performances that require repeated viewings to fully understand. Objectively, Tolstoy's story is endlessly relatable and is one of the greatest literary achievements of all time.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 6:50am
It's Comet for me. The show is innovative - the score mixes such a range of music styles and the design and performances are a force to be reckoned with.
Hansen had such a bland and repetitive score - whoever said Comet is repetitive is laughable when all of Hansen sounds essentially the same. Platt's performance had no emotional resonance with me, seeming like nothing more than ticks and a stutter. As another poster pointed out - the supporting characters are not fleshed out in Hansen despite some amazing performances. And those god awful projections.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 7:43am
mpkie said: "If a show hasn't made me belly laugh AND made me cry a bucket, gotten me inspired by its music, AND wowed me with its cast performances, it hasn't FULLY done its job (for me, personally).
"
Really? A show has to give you both a belly laugh AND cause you to cry? Tough audience.
As I've said, I'm torn between the two shows....there are things I like and dislike about each of them. I don't think either ranks up there in my top five show of all time....maybe not even my top 10. I left the theater FEELING after both of them - and that's pretty wonderful. Can't wait to see them again, although I suspect it will be the last time for both. (My next jaunt is all repeats: Hamilton, DEH & Comet (from the banquettes.)
Posted: 1/10/17 at 8:31am
The songs in Dear Evan Hansen are great, very fun to listen to but I felt Great Comet was a much richer experience overall.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 8:58am
The Great Comet is for adults. Evan Hansen is for the kiddies.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 9:22am
You really couldn't find two more different shows, but I think Great Comet is miles better. The staging and tech elements are rightfully praised, but I think the complexity and originality of the writing shouldn't be ignored. It seems that some people are left cold by it, but the last 15 minutes of the piece are quite beautiful and moving, as are several earlier segments (No One Else, Dust and Ashes, and Sonya Alone). I also think it's one of the best casts working on Broadway right now, full of unique voices and actors that usually wouldn't be seen in a typical Broadway musical.
Dear Evan Hansen has a nice score and some very good performances, but I can't get past the problems with the book. I cried when I saw it, but I was more frustrated by the shortcomings that went unfixed. I'm glad it's striking a chord with lots of people, but I don't understand the effusive praise.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 9:41am
I've seen both, and returning to see them in the same weekend in February. Personally, I think DEH is the safer choice overall, and I think Ben Platt was AMAZING. I left the show knowing immediately I wanted to see it again.
When I saw Comet, I wasn't sure I liked it; at intermission, I thought it was a miss for sure. It took me a couple of days to digest it all and then I bought the cast recording and fell in love with the whole thing. I personally would choose Comet over DEH, but for someone like my husband who's not a major theatergoer, I think he would prefer DEH.
Sorry- no help here!
Updated On: 1/10/17 at 09:41 AM
Posted: 1/10/17 at 9:43am
dramamama611 said: "mpkie said: "If a show hasn't made me belly laugh AND made me cry a bucket, gotten me inspired by its music, AND wowed me with its cast performances, it hasn't FULLY done its job (for me, personally).
"
Really? A show has to give you both a belly laugh AND cause you to cry? Tough audience.
As I've said, I'm torn between the two shows....there are things I like and dislike about each of them. I don't think either ranks up there in my top five show of all time....maybe not even my top 10. I left the theater FEELING after both of them - and that's pretty wonderful. Can't wait to see them again, although I suspect it will be the last time for both. (My next jaunt is all repeats: Hamilton, DEH & Comet (from the banquettes.)"
I will also be sitting in the banquettes next month after my orchestra sojourn. Maybe we'll be there at the same time!
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:00am
Dear Evan Hansen is so so unbelievable relevant to today. I walked out of comet feeling like what was that...idk how I feel did I like it? I walked out of Hansen feeling so amazed by the story and staging and of course Ben Platts performance. He's giving such a complex and emotional performance. I'm sorry but anyone to say he's just stuttering and stuff...you clearly missed much of the performance. And those projections and video design are so intricate and beautiful showing that you will be found (no pun intended). Dear Evan Hansen is such a beautiful show with a huge heart
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:01am
Was disappointed in both so as a massive Matilda fan I'm hoping I like Groundhog Day the most.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:07am
My husband and I saw DEH a few weeks ago and Great Comet the next night. We both really enjoyed the spectacle of Great Comet but felt that, aside from a few great moments, the spectacle of the redesigned theatre and the cast all over it was all it really had going for it (aside from solid performances, and Josh's amazing voice). It didn't live up to its potential or really its hype. It didn't help that to do a completely sung through musical, those book/recitative scenes better be strong, and they really weren't. DEH, on the other hand, seems like a small show but every moment hits you so hard and it's all so incredibly moving. I was shocked at how much my husband loved it and how much he has been recommending it to people as being 'amazing'. I feel like this contest is style vs substance, and DEH's way more substantial feeling and true art is my winner.
Updated On: 1/10/17 at 10:07 AM
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:11am
I saw Dear Evan Hansen back in May, and honestly... I can recall very little of it, other than loving Rachel Bay Jones, being impressed with Ben Platt, and thinking that the show ends on a massive copout.
Great Comet stuck with me from the first time I saw it back in 2013 and my fondness for it has only grown more intense since.
Updated On: 1/10/17 at 10:11 AM
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:34am
being impressed with Ben Platt, and thinking that the show ends on a massive copout.
I totally agree with this statement!!
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:34am
I think regarding DEH'S score, my problems were they really didn't progress the plot other than You Will be Found (and arguably Words Fail). I was also kind of irritated by all the Waving Through a Window reprises, the song itself is outstanding, but at times when they repeated lines from it I just felt as though it was cheesey.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:39am
Very interesting how the board seems to be completely 50/50 on this.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 10:44am
I probably sound like a total Debbie downer but I really did enjoy the show, just moreso the performances/plot over the score.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 12:49pm
SO what do we think as far as Tonys? I really am rooting for Ben Platt--Haven't stopped thinking about his performance. .
Posted: 1/10/17 at 1:03pm
I LOVED Great Comet, especially the score but was underwhelmed by DEH.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 1:11pm
I'm hoping DEH wins Actor and Featured Actress, and Comet wins everything else. Just my two cents.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 1:21pm
aaaaaa15 said: "Very interesting how the board seems to be completely 50/50 on this."
I'm curious where people sat in the theater as that may have influenced how they felt about the show. Normally it's a different experience to sit in rear mezz (where it's hard to see facial expressions) vs front side orchestra especially when watching an intimate show.
Posted: 1/10/17 at 1:29pm
I could see this as a "Everyone gets a little love" kind of Tony year with Comet ultimately getting Best Musical.
However, Ben Platt will totally be nominated against Gyllenhaal in Sunday. And purely from Jake Gyllenhaal's shockingly fantastic and classically trained musicality to tackle one of the hardest Male Vocal scores in all of Musical Theatre, this could be a close competition.
Updated On: 1/10/17 at 01:29 PM
