Stephen Christopher Anthony as ‘Evan Hansen’ and the North American touring company of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2019.
By: Harrison Lorenzen
It is not often you can find such an elegant balance between comedy, love, and a heart-wrenching story of a community grieving in the aftermath of suicide. Dear Evan Hansen, stopping in Houston along its 50-city national tour, opened Tuesday to a sold-out house at the Hobby Center. The cast, working with quite intense subject matter, brought such emotion to the stage that they held the attention of the entire audience throughout the performance. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote beautiful songs to accentuate the emotions of the characters throughout, and the book by Steven Levenson helped to alleviate the sadness with expertly placed comedy. The actors delivered this constantly shifting material with ease and flair. The set is minimal, with a variety of pieces being brought on and off to create the spaces, but the possibilities are endless with the assortment of projections and screens utilized throughout.
Dear Evan Hansen follows the life of titular character Evan Hansen as he finally gets what he’s always wanted: a chance to fit in. Starting as a quiet outsider and being thrown into the limelight by a lost letter and an accidental lie, Evan finds love, family, friends, and happiness he never dreamed he’d have. While fighting with his conscience over the lie that he has built, Evan learns more about himself than he knew he could. The show brings viewers along on the rollercoaster of emotions that Evan, along with his family and friends, experience following the suicide of his fellow outsider, Connor Murphy.
Stephen Christopher Anthony perfectly embodies Evan, from his awkward conversations to anxious twitches. Apart from the acting, Anthony’s voice dominated in the theater. From the quiet thoughtful moments to his largest belting phrases, he could be heard throughout Sarofim Hall. His emotion brought tears to the eyes of every audience member. When joined by the rest of the cast, and accompanied by the beautiful harmonies from orchestrator Alex Lacamoire, the songs are hauntingly beautiful, capturing Evan at his best and worst moments. Stephanie La Rochelle as Zoe Murphy does an incredible job of managing her grief over her brother while trying to move forward, creating incredible moments alongside Anthony all the way through the end of the show.
With something for everyone to learn, Dear Evan Hansen is a must-see while it is in town through November 24th. Tickets are available at TheHobbyCenter.org. There is also a daily lottery for $25 tickets. More information on the lottery is available at DearEvanHansen.com.
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