‘Dear Evan Hansen’ reminds Manila audiences to seek hope amidst dark clouds

In tackling mental health, Dear Evan Hansen allows audiences to witness the unravelling of a flawed character. Throughout the play, one would traverse from empathy to judgment towards Evan Hansen, as well as to the people around him that either enabled or ignored his actions. Ultimately, what makes the show truly inspiring are the words Evan Hansen writes. They may seem lies as for the unfolding of the story, but they speak of truth about a person who feels himself as invisible.

Ellis Kirk, who plays the titular role during gala performances, shares with the press that among the songs of the musical, it is Words Fail that hits him the most. It is where Evan Hansen finally unmasks himself and speaks his truth, yet the lyrics provide a striking and contrasting thought that words do fail.

Sonny Monaghan, who alternates with Kirk for the matinee shows, meanwhile portrays Evan Hansen with much vulnerability. Both actors perform beautifully but each gives a different window to the character’s psyche through their distinctive nuances.

The technical and stage production of Dear Evan Hansen in Manila are also worth commending. The dynamic scene backdrop is made of LED screens bordered with aluminium panels, providing an expansive perspective into each scene. Perfectly blending into the set and lighting design, the backdrop provides seamless continuity to the story. Complementing this are some of the sets’ remote-controlled pieces and the well-calculated choreography of stagehands and ensemble cast. Lastly, the live orchestrations truly bring life to the musical, which incorporates a crisp sound mix that make the actors’ articulation well audible.

“Dear Evan Hansen has thrilled audiences on both sides of the Atlantic since it first premiered in 2016. Evan’s powerful story grips and moves people, told through a captivating script and musical score,” director Adam Penford shares in a statement. “This exciting UK and International tour production offers the opportunity to reexamine some of its contemporary themes and present this brand-new version to more people."

This UK touring production was made possible by GMG Production’s partnership with the ATG Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Nottingham Playhouse.

First premiered on Broadway in 2016, prior to a West End run in 2019, Dear Evan Hansen is the result of the ingenious collaboration between songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Through the years, much has changed in the social media landscape and our understanding of it, which further helped the various companies that touched on this material to have a more comprehensive grasp of the story’s possibilities. Pasek explained in an article that the story was inspired by a boy in his own school.

“There was an incident in my high school involving a kid who ended up passing away in questionable circumstances,” he says. “And after his death people claimed friendship and joined a ‘grief parade’. When people die there is sometimes a posthumous claiming of friendship. A lot of that is because we, as people, want to be part of something. So, we developed this musical from that.”

Dear Evan Hansen reflects our social ills, behavioural tendencies and complex relationship dynamics that make us understand why and why not society should be. From the lens of a teenager’s life struggling to be seen in a cynical and critical society, this musical reminds us that truth and courage will gift us with freedom that will make us appreciate our distinctive selves better. No matter how dark the world may seem, we must not allow our perspectives to be clouded, and our days spoilt by challenges. Remember, “Today is going to be a good day, and here‘s why...”

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