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The social pressures of high school are an ordeal for a difficult teenager like Evan Hansen and his mother It doesn't help that . Constantly nagging him to interact with his peers instead of isolating himself in front of a computer screen.
To make matters worse, he faced his senior year, young Evan broke his arm over the summer and had to start the new semester in Gibbs. it won't work. It makes him even more awkward and socially insecure.
Her mother, who works hard as a single parent and tries to help other children, I suggest you get Gibbs to sign it. An icebreaker, she calls it optimistic and a great way to make friends. And the only person to sign a white bandage on his wrist is Connor, the school bully who smokes cannabis. He takes Evan's Sharpie and scribbles his name in big block letters, leaving little room for anything else Murphy.
This unfolds in the opening scene of the award-winning contemporary musical Dear Evan Hansen, presented by Broadway Across Canada in Ottawa. This is the setting for the plot. The tour opens at the National Arts Center on Tuesday and runs through August 14th.
Dear Evan Hanson may be one of the fewest when it comes to Broadway musicals. A simple set that makes good use of lighting and video projection to convey the character's online activities, and a wardrobe of outfits that reflect current trends, such as skinny jeans, frayed hems, and student backpacks.
Even the music written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is subdued, played by a small ensemble of musicians on a dark platform overlooking the stage. The score is moving and melodic, mostly acoustic, and surprisingly, there is room for silence. This is not a musical that carries a non-stop barrage of sounds. There are moments full of emotion where you can hear the proverbial pin drop.
That's part of what makes this story so effective. The tricky part is that it deals upfront with suicide, which is unfamiliar in popular culture, and its impact on friends, family, and community. Found with a letter beginning with Everyone thinks it's his farewell letter.
This letter was actually written by Evan as part of his therapy. His always caring mom found a therapist to work through her son and son's anxiety. Evan thinks it's a silly idea and lashes out a letter expressing his loneliness instead.
At school, he prints letters in his lab on a computer, but Connor his Murphy grabs the letter from his printer tray and tortures Evan with it. , refuse to return. When Evan next saw the letter, it was in the hands of grieving Connor's parents in the principal's office. Parents think Connor and Evan must have been friends.
From there, the lie grows and becomes more complicated as Evan spends more time with Connor's family. Zoe gave them details about her "friendship" with Connor. Others jump on the bandwagon, including one who wants to capitalize on death by selling pins and his t-shirts. Meanwhile, Evan delivers an impassioned speech at a school assembly that goes viral. The Connor Project is launched with a fundraiser to create a memorial space in the orchard.
The show has a great cast, led by lead actor Anthony Norman. With twitching hands, stuttering, and avoidance of eye contact, Norman perfectly captures the anxiety of his teenage boy while proving to be a confident performer with a commanding voice and impressive range. . Another of his outstanding works is that of Mikaela Lamas. She plays student networker extraordinaire Alana her Beck, providing comedy while shedding light on every scene in which she appears.
Connor reappears posthumously, well performed by the light-footed, burly, vocally expressive Ian Corsey. Connor's nervous mother (Lili Thomas), strict father (John Hemphill), and Evan's caring but often absent mother (Colleen Sexton) are also great parents, whose roles are the challenges of parenting in the digital age. is highlighted.
begins to wonder if the spider web of lies that Evan has built will collapse, but after a dramatic scene where Evan's mother and Connor's parents first meet, it finally ends. The truth will be revealed in. Time. The range of emotions can range from anger and embarrassment to sadness and denial. At the end of this emotional catharsis, Evan loses his chance with Zoe, but he matures and learns to be comfortable in his own skin.
Despite an overly simplistic expression of hope intended to reassure the socially awkward teenage misfit that he is not alone, the film is a poignant exploration of family dynamics. Offer and have a moment of laughter. -Loud humor and heartbreaking scenes that bring tears to your eyes. This is a show worth watching as you prepare to send your teens back to school.
lsaxberg@postmedia.com
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