Week 10 - Musicals and Musical Postmodernism: Darrell Christie, Mental Health and Dear Evan Hanse Flashcards
What is the plot of Dear Evan Hansen
Evan has social anxiety, he takes meds to manage it. He writes letters to himself to sort out his feelings. He fabricates a relationship with a deceased student (Connor) who killed himself and pretends they were good friends through fabricated emails. As his popularity increases, so does the lie and he goes out with Zoe. Eventually, he gives in and tells the truth to Zoe and her family once it goes too far
How is Evan Hansen a moving experience
Presented in a way that it wants to make connections to the audience
Intimate theatre
Developed on aspects of intimacy and connection
What type of accompaniment is in “Waving Through a Window”
Strong accompaniment from the start of the song continuing through all 5 minutes
Constant one note (A) that keeps repeating
What type of rhythm is in Waving Through a Window
Offset rhythm - constant displacement occurs
How are the lyrical phrases in Waving through a window short
Sharp breaths
No held notes
Talking about not saying the right things
Worried about taking up space, he doesn’t know who he is/what he is doing
How does the music in Waving though a window showcase the constant anxiety
Constant interruption- got into a groove then got interrupted by an aggressive chord that comes out of the middle of nowhere and knocks Evan off track just when he is getting comfortable
Spends the next section trying to catch up, makes it feel like he is always behind
What is the change in texture in Waving Through a Window
Great change in texture - small number of instruments, add more, than take them away
Evan is left vulnerable - hanging by himself
What is the instability of dynamics in Waving Through a Window
Growing, growing, and then gets quiet again
What is “You Will Be Found”
The Act 1 Finale
Musical moments in You Will Be Found
Takes up more space, longer notes
Sings slightly offbeat but isn’t purposely offbeat
Strong sense of pulse
Sustained chords - sense of room to speak, confident in what he is saying, owning the space around him
Repeating note (B)
Is more grounded instead of fighting against the note
Evan feels stabilized
Strong sense of consonants
Clear, defined sections
Why is “You Will Be Found” a lie
An eulogy for people who are grieving
Evan himself tried to kill himself
Connor killed himself due to his mental health, but the song is uplifting
Because it is so uplifting, it makes us feel good even though the song comes from a dark place
How is Dear Evan Hansen promoting mental health in a irresponsible way
Hypocritical that Evan Hansen has thrived off of the #youwillbefound due to the theme of the show
Co-opted this feel good feeling as a tool for marketing the show
This cynic would say DEH provided a safe space for people to talk about disconnection and feeling invisible, but it does so using the vehicle of using people in genuine mental health crisis
It takes a complex issue of getting back up when you are down but doesn’t argue the complexities of the issue that it is addressing
