Unexpected, But Profound: A Response to the 2017 Tony Awards
Watching the Tony Awards last night, my heart sank when Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 only snagged a couple of the awards of the ten or so categories for which it was nominated. I just knew Josh Groban was going to win for best actor in a musical, but behold - Ben Platt and the cast of Dear Evan Hansen won the night!
I remember exiting the Imperial Theater on a cold March night in New York earlier this year, full of soaring energy after watching the cast of The Great Comet. Yet, over the bustle of taxis and exiting theater-goers, I heard roars from the crowd down the street, who were waiting for the main star (a.k.a. Ben Platt) of a musical I didn't know.
I had never heard of Dear Evan Hansen before that March night, so I looked it up on the bus back to DC, seeing it was about teen anxiety, suicide & depression and finding where one belongs in a community. I remembered the musical of my era about youth struggles - Spring Awakening. It covered the range of sexual and chemical emotions part of growing up, yet in the confined realm of 19th-century German society. So, I figured a new musical about adolescence was no longer relevant to me.
"No, no," I told myself. "The Great Comet will win big at the Tony's for creativity, diverse casting, scriptwriting, musical score, costumes and so much more in this post-Hamilton world." I shelved the memory of Dear Evan Hansen until the night of June 11th when the Tony Awards appeared on television. One by one, Dear Evan Hansen took home Tony awards, ending its award run-up with Best Actor in a Musical (Ben Platt) and Best Musical. The crowd roared every time Dear Evan Hansen won another Tony.
Shocked, I knew that there had to be something special about this musical. The next day, I listened to the Dear Evan Hansen cast album. Song by song, I came to understand the relevance of this musical for a generation coming of age in a social media world. The audience, especially the teens, connected with Evan Hansen for his desire to belong to a community, to be recognized (not ignored) and to be loved. I can't forget that it was only ten years ago that I was an anxious sixteen-year-old high school student who was trying to make it in a new high school, find friends and get into college. It was my family and my community of friends that helped me navigate those difficult days of adolescence.
I had never heard of Dear Evan Hansen before that March night, so I looked it up on the bus back to DC, seeing it was about teen anxiety, suicide & depression and finding where one belongs in a community. I remembered the musical of my era about youth struggles - Spring Awakening. It covered the range of sexual and chemical emotions part of growing up, yet in the confined realm of 19th-century German society. So, I figured a new musical about adolescence was no longer relevant to me.
"No, no," I told myself. "The Great Comet will win big at the Tony's for creativity, diverse casting, scriptwriting, musical score, costumes and so much more in this post-Hamilton world." I shelved the memory of Dear Evan Hansen until the night of June 11th when the Tony Awards appeared on television. One by one, Dear Evan Hansen took home Tony awards, ending its award run-up with Best Actor in a Musical (Ben Platt) and Best Musical. The crowd roared every time Dear Evan Hansen won another Tony.
Shocked, I knew that there had to be something special about this musical. The next day, I listened to the Dear Evan Hansen cast album. Song by song, I came to understand the relevance of this musical for a generation coming of age in a social media world. The audience, especially the teens, connected with Evan Hansen for his desire to belong to a community, to be recognized (not ignored) and to be loved. I can't forget that it was only ten years ago that I was an anxious sixteen-year-old high school student who was trying to make it in a new high school, find friends and get into college. It was my family and my community of friends that helped me navigate those difficult days of adolescence.
So while I stitch my heart back together after the missed wins for the Great Comet, I know that a great message rang true last night with Dear Evan Hansen. To the youth: you are loved, and as the infamous lyric goes, "You will be found." To the adults who were once youth: how can you positively impact a young person's life today? I ran a Bible study for teen girls and volunteered with my church's youth ministry for two years after college. You can make a positive impact on youth, who are tomorrow's leaders.
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