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Dear Evan Hansen

 "Dear Evan Hansen" is a canonical example of "Second-Act Syndrome," in which a promising thought falls apart somewhere after the entr'acte.


The first act has several exciting moments; a troubled kid stumbles on a bad idea, and then the idea grows and grows, and there seems to be no way out of the mess. Unfortunately, in Act Two, the writers feel they *do* need to invent a way out of the mess, and they clearly get bored, and you get bored, too, because you're sitting in the audience.

That said, I'll remember "Dear Evan Hansen" for a few good reasons. The writers studied Rodgers and Hammerstein; they open with a scene-setting number that grows straight of the mighty trunk that is "O, What a Beautiful Morning." The song--"Does Anybody Have a Map?"--isn't especially original, but it sets a tone (anxious, funny), and it throws us into the world of two interesting families; we're hooked.

The writers also do a fine job with their "I Want" song--their version of "Skid Row," or "Belle," from "Beauty and the Beast." This is, of course, "For Forever," in which Evan rather indirectly tells us that he is just longing for a friend. The big "I Am" number--the new spin on "Cockeyed Optimist," from "South Pacific"--that's "Waving Through a Window," and it's not going anywhere; it's part of the American songbook, at least for the foreseeable future.

Finally, I admire the choice the writers make toward the end of Act Two; when Evan's mother has to comfort him, she reaches back to a memory of feeling desolate. She intuits that her own memory of pain will be helpful to Evan. She talks about being abandoned, in her marriage: "The house felt so big, and I felt so small. I knew I would come up short in a million different ways--and I did. And I do. And I will." This is a skillful way of informing Evan that he isn't the world's only fuck-up; it's an artful minute of writing, and it's hard not to get weepy just recalling the words.

So, Evan Hansen: You weren't perfect, but you gave me things to think about. You took a swing. Thanks for that.

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