A Story That Sticks: Dear Evan Hansen @ The Ordway
Photo by Evan Zimmerman
During my second hour yesterday I texted my cousin asking if we should go see Dear Evan Hansen that night and I’m so glad I did. Dear Evan Hansen is one of those musicals that people either hate or love, and I definitely fall into the latter category. While I understand the criticisms, nothing will shake my love for this show. I first fell in love with the story when I read the 2017 novel in fifth grade, which led me to explore the musical’s wiki and soundtrack. Later that year, my dad was able to get us tickets to see it at the Orpheum through Project Success, and it was an incredibly exciting experience (pictured below). The show resonated deeply with me entering middle school, being one of the first productions I had ever seen that addressed teenage struggles in the digital age. Even though at that point I was only a performer, I was mesmerized by the lighting design and use of projections to tell the story. This show had such a huge impact on my life and was a staple of my COVID playlist, so seeing it live again felt incredibly emotional and full-circle.
Dear Evan Hansen follows the story of Evan, an anxious high school senior just trying to make it through the year. As part of his therapy, he writes letters to himself—hence, "Dear Evan Hansen." After a tense encounter, classmate Connor Murphy takes one of Evan’s letters, which happens to mention Connor’s younger sister, Zoe. Shortly afterward, Connor dies by suicide, and his parents jump to conclusions, before Evan can explain himself, he becomes trapped in a lie—that he was Connor’s best friend. Suddenly, Evan has everything he’s ever wanted: a caring mother and father figure, a connection with Zoe, new friends, and even popularity at school. But as the lie spirals out of control, the story reveals an undeniable truth—what goes up must come down.
This time, I attended the show with my sister and cousin, both equally obsessed with the musical. We rushed the show, which I had never done at the Ordway before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was. Unlike some venues where you need to line up hours in advance, the Ordway’s rush line begins accepting attendees at 7:00 PM, just 30 minutes before the show starts. Even with the show’s popularity, there were still a good number of seats left when we arrived around 6:50. We were fourth in line and managed to snag three seats together in the front row mezzanine. My cousin, however, got caught in the downtown St. Paul parking nightmare, which left my sister and me short of $10 in cash. Between a broken ATM and a very fast box office worker, we were scrambling—but thankfully, a kind woman in line behind us spotted us the difference. (Note to self: the student and educator rush line is where you’ll find the nicest people ever!)
Unlike some recent musicals where listening to the cast recording gives almost the same experience as watching it live, Dear Evan Hansen offers so much more in person. I recently saw Wicked live and after rewatching the movie I found that the lack of contextual scenes in the film made it feel rushed (more to come in a review soon). With Dear Evan Hansen, though, the smaller soundtrack allows for more in-between moments, adding depth and context that you simply can’t get from Spotify alone. Seeing the characters interact, feeling the tension in real-time, and experiencing the nuances of each performance gave me stronger opinions on the characters. My sister, cousin, and I all had differing takes on character choices, which led to some lively debate on the way home. That’s one of my favorite things about productions like this—it allows space for different interpretations.
Michael Fabisch was incredible as Evan Hansen. I recently watched a MsMojo video claiming Evan is the hardest male role to play, and at first, I thought that was an exaggeration. But my friend Indigo explained the challenge of portraying Evan’s visible anxiety—his nervous habits, stutter, rambling, and even the way his hands get sweaty when he’s anxious (not to mention how difficult Ben Platt set the bar vocally). The stutters aren’t things you can just memorize from a script; they have to feel real every night. Michael did an incredible job bringing that authenticity to the role, and his rendition of You Will Be Found was absolutely heartbreaking. Say what you will about Evan as a character, but I will forever find him understandable and even relatable in many ways.
Bre Cade’s performance as Heidi Hansen was another standout for me. The film adaptation frustrates me so much for cutting Anybody Have a Map and Good for You, which diminishes Heidi’s impact as a character. I loved getting to see her in her entirety in this production, as she is one of the most human and complex figures in the show—flawed, loving, and desperately trying to connect with her son. After Words Fail, everything Evan has is broken, and after how her son treated him, Heidi has every reason to be the last thing to fall apart—but she doesn’t. Instead, she picks up his broken pieces and stands by him.
No questions asked—she’s there, simply because he needs her to be. Cade’s voice was incredible and her portrayal of the role reminded me of how well crafted her character is.
Alex Pharo’s Connor Murphy was also fantastic. Connor is an interesting character because we only see his real self briefly at the start of the show, as after his death, he exists only as a projection of others’ imaginations and lies. Watching Pharo shift between these different versions of Connor while maintaining the core essence of the character was fascinating.
Ultimately, Dear Evan Hansen is a deeply personal and impactful show for me, and seeing it live again only reinforced my love for it. Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying the emotional depth and relevance of this story in today’s world.
Their run in the Twin Cities was short unfortunately and I’m happy I caught it while I could but there is one final performance tomorrow! I 100% recommend rushing it, and I will be back to provide information on how to for their next shows including Mean Girls and Legally Blonde!!
Rush Info: $30 cash, student or educator ID, line starts moving 30 minutes before the show
Me at Dear Evan Hansen in 2019
