Dear Evan Hansen (NYC)

See it if will be one of the best shows you will see all year! Get acting, singing and staging. This is what I call a big time show that is must see.

Don't see it if Based on the topic and subject, some may be heart broken on the subject or have a bad remembrance .

See it if you're interested in new musicals on offbeat but meaningful topics with innovative, rock-based scores sung by a great cast

Don't see it if You don't like contemporary rock musicals about teenagers with lyrics sometimes screamed as well as youthful enthusiasm

See it if you want to see this giant hit. Ben Platt gives a unique and memorable performance. All the actors were excellent.

Don't see it if You want a light musical. This one is very intense and deals with many serious issues. Stressful to watch at times! Really a strange story

See it if The message that suicide is never the answer. You are not alone. It funny too. Great show for teens too.

Don't see it if About Suicide. It is a little too long.

See it if Confluence of mis-parenting, HS misfit, social anxiety & social media prove despite mistakes everyone matters and deserves love & friendship

Don't see it if Difficulty with serious issues including teenage suicide, social outcast, extreme shyness, isolation, and mental health & anxiety medication

See it if Lauded original pop musical feat. a young man yearning for love and acceptance. Depending on the lead, very affecting and moving.

Don't see it if Both rewards and punishes deceit. In his empathetic role, unfortunately, Ben Platt is irreplaceable.

See it if you like small wonderful musicals about family & adolescence w/ lots of emotion & plenty of tears. Really looking forward to the cast album!

Don't see it if You have no interest in teen angst, you have a strong moral opposition to lying no matter why, you need lots of dancing or big sets.

See it if You enjoy beautifully made theater that is both funny and sad, quirky and fresh, beautiful and at times heartbreaking.

Don't see it if This is all about anxiety and suicide. Don't see it if those are triggers for you.

See it if want to experience the next step in musical storytelling post-Hamilton, & shouldn't miss Ben Platt's perfect performance as Evan Hansen

Don't see it if social issue theatre makes you squirm in your seat, teen suicide, broken families, or pop rock are not your jam, jelly or preserves

See it if appreciate new and exciting musical theatre.

Don't see it if no reason not to see.

See it if you like inventive musicals that have an important message.This is a DO NOT MISS show. See it. As close to flawless as a musical can be.

Don't see it if you are brain dead! This is even stronger than when it was at Second Stage. Cast is brilliant, score is excellent, staging is marvelous. GO!

See it if It’s like the high points of Glee seasons 1-2 but w/ original songs. Distinctly modern: high stakes digitally compounded at untenable scale.

Don't see it if Otherwise conventional. Makes safe bets. Can’t go wrong pinning burden of your personal fulfillment on unavailable girl. #youwillbeforgiven

Also Pros: Strong songwriting fits right into the Top 40 Pop. Points on the currency of attention & commodification of grief are spot on & engrossing. Didn’t cry as I expected to but was reeling from how unbearably shortsighted all the chars are. This is so messed up! You can’t look away.

Cons: Expected it to be more transgressive than it really is. Makes comfortable choices & isn’t above ginning up laugh track jokes (We’re close friends but NOT gay since that would be the worst har har!) or equating women’s gratitude w/ their romantic attraction. I’m tired of giving these lonely protagonists a pass on their deception just bcz a foundation of comforting white lies can grow substantial enough to build an insecure community on.

See it before you age out. Catchy songs & book hit hard at the degeneracy of meme media/the desperation of its perpetuators. Maybe other plot points won’t age as well, but we’ll likely never be allowed to forget how much we all suffer when young men don't feel seen.... Read more Read less

See it if You are ready to ugly cry in public. This is moving, beautifully written, and superbly acted. Ben Platt is simply outstanding

Don't see it if You want traditional musical with dance breaks or are unprepared for being taken on an emotional journey

Also Suicide and being socially outcast/feeling isolated are central to this story. Bring the teens in your life to this show; too many believe they are alone and end their lives. This show may be what brings light into the depths of loneliness so many experience and can't find a way out of; went back May 2017 and it's still as powerful and the cast is even more excellent - such a special piece of theatre... Read more Read less

See it if We've all seen plays about teenage angst, but this one shares so generously. A cast who feel thoroughly committed to their stories and sing.

Don't see it if ...so well, relatable and modern themes that are compelling, result in a production where the audience of all ages cries with the actors.

See it if This Wed. mat had no gray haired matrons, young audience.Characters were one dimensional,story was less than compelling. Not an empty seat!

Don't see it if Do not see if you perfer dramas .

See it if you want to see an intelligent musical whose subtitle could be "What a tangled web we weave!".

Don't see it if modern set design and lighting irritate you (think Curious Incident).

Also I found this piece more appealing intellectually than viscerally, and that might be because I can't seem to identify with a teenager any longer. That said, I found other aspects of the story compelling, such as the need some people have to make someone else's grief their own. Perhaps we all need drama in our lives, and when it's not their, we will create it, or borrow someone else's. Or, as we do, go to the theatre!

Don't miss this show--clear front-runner so far for awards season.... Read more Read less

See it if you like musicals that blend timeless morals and modern settings. Screens highlighting digital media are juxtaposed with domestic scenes.

Don't see it if you don't want to be moved, dislike contemporary musicals, prefer a show with a lot of bells and whistles in choreography, or lack a heart.

Also I'd purchased a Dear Evan Hansen ticket months ago, mostly out of curiosity due to the buzz it generated off-Broadway. I went into the show knowing nothing about Ben Platt, who plays the eponymous figure, and left with total admiration for him (and his fellow actors). The play had a familiarity to it--a bit reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time + Fun Home + Kingdom Come (the latter being a recent off-Broadway work)--but I think most of the familiarity comes from the feeling that we are all, in some way, Evan Hansen. I felt emotional during the last half of the show, and I could hear people behind me blubbering and blowing their noses. Platt gives his all, at one point singing through tears and a runny-nose/snot, which doesn't damper the spirit of the musical at all. Some of the songs are stronger than others, but it's been a while since I've had the pleasure of witnessing a new work on Broadway that has so much heart. Kudos to the young song-writers as well.... Read more Read less

See it if If you want to see a musical about issues that affects teens and how to fit into this all too difficult world

Don't see it if Don't see it if you want a light cheerful evening....

See it if Believe the hype . It really is that good .

Don't see it if Just go. If you can get a ticket .

See it if You like a brilliant original score performed by an outstanding cast. Excellent and humorous handing of a serious and timely issue.

Don't see it if do not like musicals or staging of serious timely topics.

See it if The ticket prices don't scare you away. It's a great show. You really feel his anxiety. It's a struggle to watch, but very thoughtful.

Don't see it if You have serious anxiety and watching a kid get deeper and deeper in a hole he can't dig himself out of will trigger you.

See it if you want to go on an emotional rollercoaster with a contemporary story. FYI: You WILL cry.

Don't see it if you want a happy show or are extremely sensitive to the themes of: suicide, social anxiety, lying.

Also Ben Platt was out when we went, but after a moment of glumness, we were completely enthralled with Michael Lee Brown. He brought out Evan's awkwardness in every move, word and action. I do want to go back and see it with Ben though.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see an original play about teenage struggles, beautifully acted with beautiful songs. Relevant to anyone who has felt alone.

Don't see it if You are triggered by serious teenage issues and problems. This is a heartbreaking story.

Also Ben Platt is an extraordinary actor and singer. It was an honor to see his work.... Read more Read less

See it if you are looking for a totally surprising new kind of Broadway musical.

Don't see it if you aren't interested in a new theater experience.

See it if You go for the performances and can suspend your disbelief. If you take a teenager.

Don't see it if You like to hear all the words in the songs.

Also I don't think the songs add anything to the central story, so I question its need to be a musical. The central character has social anxiety and seems unlikely to speak in front of a crowd--a central action in the show. The actor playing Evan's performance is good, but most of the others are superficial. The hoopla must be that it appeals to a young audience.... Read more Read less