You Will Be Found

Dear Evan Hanson

By now, this  2017 Tony Award-winning musical for Best Musical, as well as five others, is pretty well known, especially among younger theatergoers. But for audiences who aren’t familiar with the story, Evan Hansen is a painfully shy high school senior who suffers from personal and emotional problems. The young man has very few friends. He’s terribly insecure and suffers from a poor self image. Heidi, Evan’s  overburdened single mother, works as a nurse’s aid while studying at night to become a paralegal. Somehow she scrapes up the money to send her son to a therapist on a weekly basis. Heidi has to work hard to provide for both Evan, and herself while strictly budgeting her money and time, so she can spend an evening with her son. 

In addition to medication, one of the exercises that Evan’s therapist prescribes is writing positive letters to himself every day. One of these letters gets stolen from the school printer by a kid named Connor Murphy, another loner with emotional problems, who enjoys bullying Evan. Shortly after he mockingly signs his name on Evan Hansen’s cast, we learn that Connor has committed suicide. Evan’s purloined letter to himself is found in the boy’s pocket, leading Connor’s grief-stricken parents to conclude that their son may have had at least one good friend in this world. In the letter, which Evan wrote, he mentions Zoe, Connor’s pretty, younger sister, to whom Hansen is secretly attracted.

The Murphys invite Evan to their home in an attempt to learn more about the hidden friendship between Hansen and their deceased son. When questioned about their secret relationship, Evan tries to set the record straight; but the young man soon realizes that, by stretching the truth a little, he can ease the pain for Zoe and her parents. 

Quickly the lies begin to snowball and soon Hansen’s other classmates latch onto the story and the fictional friendship between Evan and Connor. Thanks to some fabricated emails, created by Evan’s “family friend,” Jared, and Alana, an overzealous classmate looking for a cause to promote, the story goes viral. Suddenly Evan finds he’s achieved overnight popularity and is buoyed by his new success. But that’s when Evan’s life completely derails.

When this intensely moving and timely musical opened on Broadway nine years ago, one of its strongest selling points was that it was completely original. Unlike almost every other show on Broadway, this musical was fresh and groundbreaking because it wasn’t a revival or based on a popular movie or novel. Steven Levenson’s heartbreaking script, with a dramatic and contemporary-sounding score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, touched the hearts and souls of audiences of all ages. In particular, this brilliant, poignant play spoke directly to today’s youth, the adult theatre audiences of tomorrow. It gave everyone the hope that “You Will Be Found.” Now, like HAMILTON, it continues to attract new theatergoers and play to sold-out audiences. 

After touring to Chicago several years ago, area audiences have  yet another opportunity to experience this affecting, heartbreaking musical for themselves once again. Directed with integrity and passion by Jessica Fisch, this sparkling Paramount production creates the feeling of immediacy by bringing the story downstage toward the audience. Much of Evan’s dialogue and songs break the fourth wall and are delivered, like a Shakespearean monologue, directly to the audience. Evan’s story becomes personal, almost confessional and cathartic in quality. 

However, unlike the Broadway production, the technical enhancement in Ms. Fisch’s staging is much more modest. The production isn’t overloaded with distracting projections of computer images and Smartphone screens, continually scrolling and moving throughout the entire show. The musical is still about the impact of social media on our lives, but the show’s tech support is little more abstract in Andrew Boyce’s simpler scenic design. The show does have a small array of moving projections, created byAnthony Churchill, but they don’t dominate the production, as they did on Broadway and in the National Tour. Instead, the audience’s attention is wisely focused on the characters, all portrayed by an incredibly gifted cast. The colorful and often moody lighting, by Greg Hofmann, and a spot-on sound design, by Adam Rosenthal, adds yet one more layer to the overall effect.

Jessica Fisch’s talented cast deserves accolades for their fine performances. Likable Cody Combs, a multitalented actor and singer, makes both his Paramount and Chicago debut as Evan Hansen. Originally from Kentucky, Cody brings subtle nuances to this role that make Evan’s journey particularly realistic. Watch how this young man subtly uses his facial reactions and body language to convey more than his words, because Mr. Combs truly understands this character. And as Evan’s accumulation of lies snowball and begin to affect everyone around him—including himself—the boy’s physical and emotional persona begins to crumble. Cody’s Evan Hansen is believable, an earnest and likable young man who easily wins the hearts of the audience. He convincingly plays this social outcast, the nerdy kid who just wants to belong and be liked. Cody expresses this disconnect with the world in his Act I finale, “Waving Through a Window.” And Evan finally discovers his first glimmer of hope, singing the show’s pullout hit, “You Will Be Found.” But later, when all the lies are exposed and everything begins falling apart, Evan admits to himself musically that “Words Fail.”  

Heidi, Evan’s mom, is exquisitely played by Broadway actress, Megan McGinnis. This lovely, very likable actress makes everything look and sound authentic, natural and completely earnest, much like Mr. Combs. She creates the character of an honest, deeply devoted mother who’s survived so much and still continues to move forward with her life. Heidi has sacrificed and provided everything for her son. Ms. McGinnis especially brings every ounce of passion to her eleventh hour ballad, sung to her son, “So Big/So Small.”

Isabel Kaegi, seen at Writers Theatre in NATASHA, PIERRE, AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, is fresh, youthful and  natural as Connor’s sister, Zoe. When audiences see her bright smile and hear her lovely, crystal clear voice, it’s easy to understand why Evan is attracted to her. Talented Chicago and Broadway actress, Bri Sudia, portrays Cynthia Murphy, Zoe and Connor’s mother, and another heartbreaking character in this musical. She’s a mother who feels she failed her rebellious son and possibly driven him to suicide. Cynthia’s no longer able to connect with her daughter, Zoe, and finds her husband, Larry (beautifully played by Chicago favorite, Devin DeSantis) remote and unreachable. Mr. DeSantis’ touching duet with Combs, 

“To Break in a Glove,” is one of the highlights of this production, and guaranteed to bring a tear to the eyes of every father in the audience. A wonderful young Chicago actor/singer, Jake DiMaggio Lopez, who returns to the Paramount appearing in WHITE CHRISTMAS, CATS and FROZEN, touchingly plays Connor Murphy in a performance that is both strong, humorous and heartfelt.

A talented young actor/singer, Pablo David Laucerica is remembered from his appearance in the First National Tour of DEAR EVAN HANSEN. He steps back into the role of Evan’s “family friend,” the annoyingly manipulative Jared Kleinman, and he joined the cast just days ago! Jared is a kid whose skill with computers enable him to be invaluable to Evan, seeing a way to make some extra pocket change in the process. Mr. Laucerica, a recent Northwestern graduate, is even more assured and polished in this role than before. Pablo recently appeared on Broadway in THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES. And Elaine Watson makes her auspicious Paramount debut as Alana Beck, Evan’s geeky schoolmate who latches her devotion onto Evan, in order to raise her own profile and exploit the boy’s secret friendship with Connor Murphy. She helps Evan keep his friend’s memory alive with their money-raising, online Connor Project. Together these two talented actor/singers round out the cast of high school students and add powerful vocal dimension to the company.

This highly-accoladed show is a masterpiece in many ways. It profoundly illustrates what Winston Churchill said about falsehoods: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” The musical also plays into society’s continued obsession with smartphones, computers and all things electronic. The story illustrates the power of technology and the profound effects of social media on individuals. 

DEAR EVAN HANSEN is one of the most honest, emotionally moving and truly contemporary pieces of theatre since NEXT TO NORMAL. Jessica Fisch’s exquisite Chicagoland production is filled with powerful performances overflowing with honest emotion. The Tony Award-winning score is catchy but often tends to sound the same, as the musical travels toward its finale. Still, one of the strongest reasons to recommend this show is because it’s an original musical, something rare these days. It’s also a show that appeals to audiences of all ages, but particularly speaks to the younger theatergoer. And because it’s so important to cultivate new audiences, this is a show that will hook even the most reluctant audience member. Promising to both entertain and release a floodgate of forgotten emotions, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is sure to continue its popularity with audiences of all ages at the Paramount Theatre. And, as the character of Evan Hansen promises, “You Will Be Found.”     

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented February 13-March 22 by Paramount Theatre, 23 East Galena Blvd., Aurora, IL.

Tickets are available in person at the Paramount Theatre box office, by calling 630-896-6666 or by visiting www.paramountaurora.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com