On Wednesday I had the opportunity to see Dear Evan Hansen. Broadway shows are consistently filled with stellar acting, live music, and captivating storylines. Dear Evan Hansen met and exceeded my expectations. Before seeing the play, I read and had been told nothing, but great things, so being able to finally see it for myself was an exciting experience.
The play is about a high school student, Evan (Taylor Trensch), who suffers from extreme social anxiety. He does not speak often, but when he does he tends to say awkward things. His family life is rough as his parents got a divorce when he was younger, his father left, and his mom is struggling to provide. For a therapy assignment, Evan is asked to write a letter to himself starting with “Dear Evan Hansen.” He writes himself an uplifting note to himself, which then gets taken by Connor Murphy, who bullies Evan. The next day, Evan is informed that Connor committed suicide and uses this tragic event to work on improving his social anxiety. He essentially takes advantage of Connor’s grieving family as he likes Connor’s sister, Zoey. Throughout the show, Evan claims that he was Connor’s best friend and that the two emailed frequently. Evan, Alana, and Jared start the Connor Project to raise awareness about suicide and provide resources for people who feel alone. Over time, Evan’s efforts become more
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I feel like it enhanced the experience because the audience was more focused on the acting and the storyline than the background. The addition of digital screens projections were extremely unique to the show as a lot of it focused on the contents of Evan’s computer. Although the incorporation of screens was interesting, it was a bit inconvenient that the projections did not completely align as it made it difficult to read what was being written. The orchestra was located above the stage and could be viewed instead of in a pit underneath the stage like in other
The setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
The Music Man made interesting use of the technical aspects of theatre. Sound was used appropriately, as music from the monitors did not overpower the voices of the actors. Lights, however, did not leave any sort of impression on me. Hardly any lights were utilized to enhance the mood were present. This caused for less emphasization on spectacle than what would be expected of such a dramatic play. Although, intricate costumes and set made up for the dull lighting techniques.
In the beginning, the semi-transparent screen of the title made it seem as if we were going to watch a movie on the big screen. There were very little glitches. The lighting was on point; there was not once where the light shined on a spot that it was not supposed to shine on. If it did, it was not very obvious. The set was moved and taken apart fairly quickly. They made everything a show. For instance, when they transformed the nutcracker into an actual person and enlarged the set, it actually looked like the stage and everything else was becoming bigger. The tree kept expanding with the actor’s movements. Overall, the set directions and props were very
the play. It looks at the person he is and the person he becomes. It
I liked it because it showed that there was a time difference between each individual. The director introduced the computer chat with only Odessa on a computer, the others were just talking. I didn’t like that the others weren’t using a laptop or phone because I was confused of how they were talking at first. In the top right of the stage there were icons that glowed up whenever a person from the chatroom logged on. I liked that effect because every time I saw the glowing icons I knew they were talking online. Odessa the administrator to the chatroom was always shown in the front of the stage while on the chatroom. Others would come to the front of the stage for speech’s or arguments, but Odessa would always be the front to start every chat room scene. I liked that the director showed Odessa in the front of the stage mostly, because it gave me the idea that she was the most important person to pay attention to.
...transition between each stage was flawless. I enjoyed that screens were used to create the background for each scene allowing for the smooth transitions. The screens gave the appearance of being three-dimensional making the scenes seem much more real. I also enjoyed the lighting being used as spotlights during some of the scenes and being used as a transition between scenes, or day and evening.
Overall there was a strong script with excellent actors. The performance was very funny. There was a well designed set and costumes. The performance I saw influenced my opinions on theatre in general, in a positive way. I will definitely consider using theatre for my future entertainment(closing paragraphs are hard).
One of its numerous strengths was the costuming and set. This musical would not have been the same had these elements not come together to transport the viewer. In addition to the costuming and the set, the actors were very well cast. Each actor was in a role that fit them and they portrayed their characters very well. For example, the man who played Glen really seemed like a greedy Wall Street worker. The choreography was also well done. It fit true to the style of dance in the 1980s and added to the immersion experience. The only thing that could have made this experience better would be to add more music. This may just be a personal preference, but when I see a musical I like for the music to be central like it is in Hamilton or Les Miserables. However, this musical was very good and not much could be added to enhance the
The sound design and choreography intensified the overall musical. They created the time, place, and mood through rhythm and great energy. The actors had wireless, behind the ear mikes, that attached to the mike pack which amplified the sound, making it very clear. I could easily understand what they were talking about or singing.
Tracy’s identity development is heavily influenced by her new friendship with Evie from that moment on. Evie is so popular, but she makes very poor choices and Tracy follows her lead because she wants to seem just as “cool” as her new companion. This is a type of peer pressure that affects many teenagers daily.... ... middle of paper ... ...
In conclusion, everyone who enjoys the magic of Broadway and the fantasy world of Hollywood must watch Chicago. Although it is at most difficult to translate a stage musical to an Award-winning film, the vision of director was carefully carried making Chicago a very enjoyable film for the whole family.
Throughout the film a focus on family and the dynamics is prominent. A traumatic event, the loss of a son, brother, and friend, has influenced the Jarrett greatly. Due to the circumstances in which Conrad, a severely depressed teenager and the main character, was present during the death of his brother, feelings of guilt had built up in this young man. A great deal of stress and tension is built between the family members because of this tragic accident. Here is where the concept of, change in one part of the familial system reverberates through out other parts. (Duty, 2010) The relationship between the Conrad and his mother become even more absent because, in the film it is presented to show that the mother blames and has not forgiven Conrad for the death of his brother Buck. Six months after the death of his brother Conrad attempts suicide with razors in the bathroom of his home. His parents commit him to a psychiatric hospital and eight months later, he is trying to resume his “old” life.
Theresa struggles towards customer efficiency with sexism and school tuition as her obstacles. Bobby faces conflict with the mother of his newborn child. Maggie, our main character, battles depression, suicidal thoughts, debt, and estrangement all at same time. Like most plays, the characters come to a resolution with their lives while also gaining a better understanding of each other.