Dear Evan Hansen (NYC)

"With its near perfect score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul...Subtle direction by Michael Grief, combined with a layered and truthful book by Steven Levenson, it has Tony Awards written all over it. Add to that the winning performances by the cast, especially Ben Platt, this musical will get under your skin and speak to you in so many ways...Here is an original musical that didn’t skip any steps, wraps its audience in its arms and allows the music, the story and the characters to do their jobs." Full Review

"Platt is giving one of the greatest leading male performances I’ve ever seen in a musical, and the thrillingly modern and moving 'Dear Evan Hansen' is worthy of it...The musical benefits mightily from Greif’s dynamic direction, Korins’s vivid set design, Nigrini's cascading projections and an excellent cast...Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s score brims with tuneful and thoughtful songs...And Levenson’s book is unfailingly smart...'Dear Evan Hansen' must be seen to be believed." Full Review

"It is a musical of our time and for generations to come...Michael Grief has taken this complicated tale and directed it with the lightest of touches. He knows it’s a heady topic and he treats all the action and movements with the utmost respect. The book by Steven Levenson is brilliant; he combines teenage angst and pains with today’s social media and all its trappings. The score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is a marvel." Full Review

"An original, emotional, affecting musical, free of stunt casting, is on Broadway...Levenson's book is both funny and touching; Pasek and Paul's score features accessible pop and smart, raw lyrics that reveal depth of character. It's going to be a great day because Rachel Bay Jones knocks you out with her portrayal of a frazzled, trying mother, and because Ben Platt gives a stunning, star-making performance as the exposed nerve that is our title character...Platt is the real thing." Full Review

"Full of heart, led by an extraordinary central performance from Ben Platt, and featuring a score of rapturous and rhapsodic joy, this is a wonderful, wonderful piece of theatre…It is splendid and moving, truthful and hopeful, tragic and humorous...There is not a single moment when energy or skill flags…'Dear Evan Hansen' is a masterpiece, a truly inspirational musical and a theatrical marvel...Completely different from, but ultimately better than, 'Hamilton.'" Full Review

"So fine in its craft and rich in its gathering of themes that it rewards being seen again—and again...Platt imbues the character with so much pathos and lively detail that he succeeds as the story’s engine despite being almost pathologically passive...That Levenson has been able to find spots for humor at all in this grippingly sad story, and that Pasek and Paul have been able to turn those opportunities into songs of comic relief is a sign of the size of the ideas in play." Full Review

"The marvelous young actor Ben Platt is giving a performance that’s not likely to be bettered on Broadway this season. What’s more, this gorgeous heartbreaker of a musical has grown in emotional potency during its journey to the big leagues...The musical finds endless nuances in the relationships among its characters...Under the superb direction of the veteran Michael Greif, the show has been subtly refined, its brasher comedy softened, and the performances have grown in delicacy." Full Review

"Platt nails each shifting mood and tone as a socially inept outcast. Original and up-to-the-minute, the musical has a lot to say—about parents and children, social media, and more...Stirring ballads and rousing group songs in the vibrant, varied score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ooze emotions. Director Michael Greif excels at guiding actors through complex stories—and his work has never been better...The show's so satisfying it deserves a thank-you note." Full Review

"A smart, deeply felt and altogether extraordinary new musical...Pasek and Paul have crafted a haunting soft rock score that is neatly integrated into Levenson’s captivating book. Greif presents a tight and compelling production built around finely-textured ensemble acting and a seamless visual design of shifting panels and floating video imagery. Platt is giving one of the most vulnerable and shaded performances you’ve ever seen." Full Review

"Ben Platt is stripped down to his emotional skivvies for us voyeurs to judge, gawk at, and pity. His breathtaking performance in the show's title role is just one of the reasons Pasek, Paul, and Levenson's new musical moves audiences to their feet before the lights even come down...This musical offers a truly 21st-century story...The composers strike a balance between substance and popular appeal with memorable melodies and character-driven lyrics." Full Review

"What's perhaps most distinctive about Pasek and Paul's melodic emo-pop score is how beautifully it captures the peaks and valleys of adolescence, in the thoughtful lyrics and in the music itself...Playwright Steven Levenson matches the musical components beat for beat in his terrific book, which sets up with persuasive conviction what could easily have been a contrived premise...Across the board, the ensemble is superb, each of them registering rich moments of emotional complexity." Full Review

"This isn’t your usual Broadway musical–it’s better! It’s funny, sad, tragic and filled with great heart. This is a powerful story of a young, high-school misfit played by the remarkable Ben Platt, whose physical and emotionally nuanced performance is so compelling and sensitive that one is in awe...Michael Greif helms the cast with a magical directorial hand...Many Tony nominations and expected awards for this one!!" Full Review

"Trensch claims the role in a unique way - adding nervous tics and vocal inflections that allow us to see a different if nonetheless equally compelling star turn...Happily, the rest of the cast stayed on and the performances have deepened believe it or not...But let’s not forget the humor, which has only become more pointed and rich...'Dear Evan Hansen' will touch you in ways you probably never expected." Full Review

"While maintaining that improbable balance between pathos and audacious irreverence for over two hours, director Michael Greif expertly sets forth an intricately crafted plot...Benj Pasek and Justin Paul also make the familiar sound fresh by blending rock, country and folk rhythms...More remarkable still is the philosophical depth of Levenson’s book, which provocatively suggests a comforting illusion might be preferable to grim reality in the internet age." Full Review

"A highly imaginative and moving musical…If anything, 'Dear Evan Hansen,' with the extraordinary Ben Platt in the title role, has grown in stature and lost none of the intimacy that made it so effective in the original…The material is well plotted, and it builds to a smashing climax which raises the stakes and gives Mr. Platt a chance to soar with eloquence…'Dear Evan Hansen' is a major contribution to musical theatre and the Broadway season." Full Review

"Rarely does a show come along that sits in the pit of my stomach, evoking those intense waves of emotion that come at life-altering moments...Levenson’s book offers just enough twists to keep the audience engaged without diverting into too many subplots. His success is in the development of fully realized, nuanced characters...Ultimately it’s the ensemble of eight actors that delivers the impact of 'Dear Evan Hansen.' as well as a message of hope that we could all use right now." Full Review

"The musical boasts a darkly textured and deeply nuanced book and provocative songs that are drenched in feeling and fearless commitment. It never sentimentalizes its subject, but feels constantly truthful...This show registers its emotions with a frank, fearless ambivalence. The tone of uncertainty and palpable unease is stunningly projected by Platt...There are equally impressive performances from the other seven actors in the tight ensemble of Greif's deeply felt production." Full Review

"It’s not simply that the songs are tuneful. It’s that they have a way of instantly piercing your heart and burrowing into your consciousness, while also illuminating character and propelling the plot (no small achievement!)...Credit librettist Steven Levenson for creating such a believable young character, from the anxiety meds to the self-deprecating dialogue. It also doesn’t hurt that Platt possesses, on top of a powerhouse voice, a seemingly limitless reserve of charm." Full Review

"I was practically heaving with sobs by the end…Ben Platt is giving an extraordinary, star-making performance as Evan Hansen…His singing is first-rate, of course, but his complete immersion into this awkward, idiosyncratic kid is totally complete…The entire score is fantastic and I can't wait until I can get the cast album…The entire cast is incredibly wonderful…It made me think about so many things, alongside having the enjoyment of seeing a terrific piece of theater." Full Review

"It’s a winner in every sense of the word. There is laughter and plenty of tears, soaring melodies, a brilliant scenic design and a message that teens and parents both will understand…Beautifully directed…With this performance, Platt will become a Broadway star. He may not have the most powerful voice, but it seems to be perfect for the role…The surrounding cast is excellent." Full Review

"The whole sorry story is treated by the authors with a remarkable double vision, keeping us engaged with Evan as he careens ever closer to disaster...The songs similarly combine real feeling with sharp-eyed observation as they briskly move the story along...Greif's staging is both well-paced and nuanced, never losing sight of the heartbreak at the story's center; he has also assembled a cast of performers who wear their characters like old clothes." Full Review

"'Dear Evan Hansen' has changed now that it’s on Broadway, in ways that make it an even more affecting musical. Ben Platt’s performance, impressive from the get-go, is even better...The transfer feels seamless. The unchanged score holds up, comprised of the same tuneful and moving songs...All give superb performances. Platt has toned down his nervousness – he fidgets less – which makes his performance all the more credible, all the more heartbreaking." Full Review

"Not since 'Next to Normal' has a score tapped so deeply into the troubled psyche of its needy protagonist...The lyrics go beyond the spoken thought and reach for the unspoken feelings hiding behind the words. Better yet, there’s not a hint of sentimentality...Under the thoughtful direction of Greif, Platt goes beyond physical specificity to get under Evan’s skin and into his unsettled mind. And the introspective, gentle score becomes the language of his troubled thoughts and yearnings." Full Review

"'Dear Evan Hansen' has not lost any of its power and tension. It soars with an intense beauty that still captures our hearts and plays havoc with it all at the same time...Not much has changed with 'Dear Evan Hansen' beyond a tightening of its components. Visually it’s as perfect and awe-inspiring as it was Off-Broadway. Maybe even more so...I’m not sure if I will ever feel completely content with the final moments, but all in all, 'Dear Evan Hansen' delivers us a deeply felt rich story." Full Review

"Heart-stirring and often shattering. But it’s not just the show’s universal and topical subject matter, smarty explored by Steven Levenson’s mostly well-written book or Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s lovely, deeply felt score, that lends the work such pathos. What makes 'Evan Hansen' so special, and oddly lovable, is the brave and extraordinarily raw performance by Ben Platt...In the end, 'Dear Evan Hansen' is both a must-see musical and a tribute to the singular talents of its rising star." Full Review