Dear Evan Hansen Review: What I Learned Watching It Twice

Last September, I got to watch Dear Evan Hansen live in the theater. It was amazing. I’ve been listening to some of the songs from that musical since the pandemic. One thing I’ve always loved about musicals is how the songs feel like their own little stories. They make you imagine entire scenes just from the lyrics. My favorite song from them is “If I Could Tell Her”. That song made me think that the musical was going to be some kind of sci-fi story because of that line “a million worlds apart,” I imagined time travel or parallel universes.

I’ve first seen the movie version on Netflix maybe 2–4 years ago. I honestly didn’t like it that much back then. Maybe it was because I expected a different type of story, or maybe because I found myself cringing at Evan’s lies. Its hard to watch him dig himself deeper and deeper into the lies. It doesn’t make sense to me when he confessed in the end. The whole process was so uncomfortable for me that time.

Seeing it live felt different though. Since I already knew the story, I was able to focus more on the characters. Evan’s choices made a lot more sense. He didn’t start lying because he wanted to, it just happened after Connor’s family assumed things, and Evan couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth right away because he didn’t want to hurt them. Then, when they started treating him like family, he held onto that feeling because at home his mom was always working and he didn’t have that same kind of connection. What I liked most was how, in the end, he told them the truth because he doesn’t want Connor’s family to shoulder guilt or feel like they failed as parents. That moment showed his empathy and his bravery to tell the truth even though it will cost him everything. I cried on that scene.

The performance was so good. Evan’s voice was just as cool and calming as it was in the movie. I liked the unexpected little update they added with the timely “soda pop” line. Connor and Evan’s imaginary interactions were fun to watch too. I think it brought warmth to the show. And I was also fascinated by the way the stage design worked.

Watching Dear Evan Hansen again reminded me why I love musicals. They make you feel things differently depending on where you are in life when you watch them. The first time, I couldn’t get past the lies. The second time, I understood the characters especially Evan.