"A gorgeous new musical. Rarely-scratch that-never have I heard so many stifled sobs and sniffles in the theater. For those allergic to synthetic sentiment, rest assured that the show, with a haunting score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, matched by a book of equal sensitivity by Steven Levenson, doesn't sledgehammer home its affecting story. On the contrary, the musical finds endless nuances in the relationships among its characters, and makes room for some leavening humor too. The musical is ideal for families looking for something more complex than the usual sugary diversions. But then it should also appeal to just about anyone who has ever felt, at some point in life, that he or she was trapped "on the outside looking in," as one lyric
has it. Which is just about everybody with a beating heart." -Charles Isherwood,
New York Times"Ravishingly bittersweet... A marvelous score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and an equally accomplished book by Steven Levenson...
Dear Evan Hansen rolls onto some highly sensitive terrain-the writers are taking a serious look here at the ways in which we a s a culture exploit others' misfortunes, a phenomenon abetted by the high-speed interventions of social media. The delight here is that Pasek, Paul, and Levenson do understand how to make this seemingly unmusical idea sing, and sing grandly." -Peter Marks,
Washington Post"So fine in its craft and rich in its themes that, like the best works of any genre, it rewards being seen again-and again." -Jesse Green,
New York Magazine"Terrific, gripping, and heartfelt. With a gorgeously melodic score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a smart and soulful book by the playwright Steven Levenson,
Dear Evan Hansen feels like a theatrical beachhead planted by (and, partly, for) millennials." -Adam Green,
Vogue"
Dear Evan Hansen is smartly crafted, emotionally open-hearted, and ideally cast. It has been embraced by millennials-yet its appeal is universal. Whatever your age, you'll watch
Dear Evan Hansen with the shock of recognition, and be touched by the honesty with which it portrays the smothering sensation of being an adolescent misfit, an awkward loser trapped in an indifferent world of self-assured winners." -Terry Teachout,
Wall Street Journal
