How Dear Evan Hansen Changes the Musical’s Ending
Conversely, there are a couple fleeting sequences in the phase model the place the musical at least briefly appears to contemplate its darker implications. Evan’s loose team of (bad) friends in Alana and Jared lead to this element in the tune “Good for You,” the place they sing in unison, “Well, I guess if I’m not of use, go in advance, you can slash me loose. Go ahead now, I won’t brain.”
The Alana relationship is especially appealing in the exhibit due to the fact it is only after she needs of Evan “how” will he increase $17,000 that he displays her Connor’s “suicide notice.” He quickly protests soon after she decides to post it on line, but did he not on some amount show it to her in order for her to use it to elevate $17,000 and reopen the apple orchard? Immediately after this scene, Alana ghosts him, suggesting she was herself only making use of Evan to brandish her social clout in the college and, inevitably, her higher education applications.
The Pricey Evan Hansen film tries to wipe even this thorniness away. The context of Evan displaying the take note to Alana is handled a little bit differently, but as a consequence there’s no ambiguity on why he confirmed it to her—he did not intend for her to share it on line. She also, like Evan, is softened around the edges when she does respond to Evan’s ringing phone on-screen and cries that she tried to just take the letter down but it’s continue to all above social media.
The logic guiding the improve would appear to make both of those Evan and Alana far more purely sympathetic and blameless for their faults. In Alana’s situation, she is not a grasp manipulator, and in Evan’s scenario it is further than his command when other folks acquire factors too far. He then puts in the perform to help the Murphys, commencing by admitting to the globe his dishonesty.
These have been obviously acutely aware decisions built following the 5 several years and complete lifetime which handed due to the fact 2016—a calendar year in which Barack Obama was however president and the #MeToo motion hadn’t nevertheless happened. Now in an age in which social accountability, specially in online lifestyle, and alleged authenticity are valued much more than at any time, acquiring a hero who lies to the entire world and receives absent with it is inherently problematic. So the flaws in Evan’s possibilities, and even Alana’s, are “fixed” with crocodile tears of regret from Alana, and then Evan making an true exertion to atone for his errors.
Still I would argue it doesn’t truly boost the elementary challenges with the musical. In the case of Alana, obtaining a character display the hideous facet of social manipulation, even among the ostensibly sympathetic figures, was one of the truer impulses in a story that in any other case glorifies the healing energy of discovering validation from strangers on the internet. Even though equally the film and show also depict the draw back of online lifestyle with a discordant singing hydra coming right after the Murphys, it’s only because of a pair of misguided errors. And in the scenario of the phase display, the bigger concept is Evan’s musical platitudes are just much too highly effective (or lucrative) for the Murphys to shatter.
