Comprehensive Study Notes: Dear Evan Hansen

Legal and Copyright Information

The play Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. All materials, including dialogue and music, are the property of the authors and protected under the United States Copyright Act. Licensed organizations are strictly prohibited from making changes to the music, lyrics, dialogue, song sequences, or the gender and characterizations of individuals within the play. They are also barred from adding new materials, such as scenes from film versions, or omitting any existing content. Unauthorized changes are considered willful copyright infringement. The provided script is a rental property of Music Theatre International (MTI) and must be returned after production. Standard performances require a license from MTI regardless of whether the audience pays for tickets or if the performing group is a school. Orchestrations were provided by Alex Lacamoire, with vocal arrangements by Justin Paul. The production originally premiered at Arena Stage on July $9$, $2015$, followed by a New York premiere at Second Stage on March $26$, $2016$. The copyright for the music and lyrics was secured in $2017$ by Pick in a Pinch Music (ASCAP) and breathelike music (ASCAP).

Musical Numbers and Dramatic Structure

Act I consists of the following sequences:

• "Be Yourself" (Evan)
• "Anybody Have A Map?" (Heidi and Cynthia)
• "Waving Through A Window" (Evan and Company)
• "Waving Through A Window (Reprise)" (Evan)
• "Give It Back" (Evan)
• "Alana Online" (Alana)
• "For Forever" (The Orchard Song) (Evan)
• "Sincerely, Me" (Connor, Evan, and Jared)
• "Requiem" (Zoe, Cynthia, and Larry)
• "Taco Tuesday Fail" (Evan and Heidi)
• "If I Could Tell Her" (Evan and Zoe)
• "Disappear" (Connor, Evan, Alana, Jared, Cynthia, Larry, and Zoe)
• "You Will Be Found" (Evan and Company)

Act II includes:

• "Sincerely, Me (Reprise)" (Connor and Jared)
• "To Break In A Glove" (Larry and Evan)
• "Only Us" (Zoe and Evan)
• "Wonder of Wonders" (Evan and Zoe)
• "Good For You" (Heidi, Alana, Jared, and Evan)
• "For Forever (Reprise)" (Connor)
• "You Will Be Found (Reprise)" (Company)
• "Words Fail (Part 1 and 2)" (Evan)
• "So Big / So Small" (Heidi)
• "Finale" (Company)

Character Profiles and the Virtual World

The cast includes Evan Hansen ($17$), a socially anxious senior; Heidi Hansen ($40s$), his overworked mother/nurse’s aide; Zoe Murphy ($16$), Connor’s sister; Connor Murphy ($17$), Zoe’s troubled brother; Cynthia Murphy ($40s$), Connor and Zoe’s mother; Larry Murphy ($40s$), Connor and Zoe’s father; Jared Kleinman ($17$), a cynical "family friend"; and Alana Beck ($17$), a highly motivated overachiever. The authors include a specific note regarding the "Virtual World" in segments such as "You Will Be Found." The script uses "Voices"—fragments of social media posts and direct messages—to represent the intrusion of the online world. These roles are for a Virtual Ensemble (VE), categorized into Virtual Lower Voices (VL) and Virtual Upper Voices (VU). Productions are encouraged to use various media, such as pre-records, video projections, or live actors, to represent the sensory overload of the internet.

Act I: The Genesis of the Lie and "Waving Through a Window"

The play begins with Evan Hansen sitting at his desk with a hard cast on his left arm, writing a pep-talk letter to himself as assigned by his therapist, Dr. Sherman. He instructs himself to be "confident," "interesting," and "approachable," while obsessing over his sweaty hands. He recalls a failed attempt to speak to Zoe Murphy at a jazz band concert the previous year. His mother, Heidi, reminds him that as a senior, he needs to be able to order dinner himself. She expresses concern about his isolation and encourages him to have other kids sign his cast as an icebreaker. Heidi and Cynthia Murphy simultaneously sing "Anybody Have a Map?" expressing their struggle to navigate parenting teenagers who they feel are "flying blind."

At school, Alana Beck discusses her productive summer, which included $3$ internships and $90$ hours of community service. Jared Kleinman mocks Evan’s cast, suggesting he broke it through masturbation, though Evan claims he fell out of a $40$-foot tall oak tree at Ellison State Park where he worked as an apprentice park ranger. Connor Murphy shoves Evan after a misunderstanding in the hallway. Evan sings "Waving Through a Window," a metaphor for his isolation, wondering if anyone would notice if he disappeared. Later, in the computer lab, Evan writes a darker letter to himself expressing his hopelessness and his secret crush on Zoe. Connor finds the letter on the printer, sees his sister's name, and steals it in a rage, leaving Evan in a panic.

The Discovery of the Letter and the Fabrication of "Sincerely, Me"

Days later, Evan is called to the principal's office to meet Larry and Cynthia Murphy. They reveal that Connor took his own life. They found Evan’s letter in Connor's pocket and, because it begins with "Dear Evan Hansen," they believe it is Connor's suicide note written to his "best and most dearest friend." Evan tries to explain it is his own letter, but the Murphys, desperate for a connection to their son, misinterpret the "Connor" scrawl on Evan's cast as proof of their bond. Jared warns Evan that he could go to jail for perjury since he has technically lied to the grieving family.

To maintain the illusion, Evan recruits Jared to help him backdate and forge a series of emails between him and Connor. They created a "secret email account" to explain the lack of records on Connor’s official devices. In the song "Sincerely, Me," they draft emails depicting a wholesome but fabricated friendship where they discuss "smoking drugs" and nature. Evan uses these emails to provide the Murphys with comfort. Cynthia is overjoyed to see a side of Connor that laughed and had a friend. However, Zoe remains skeptical, as her memory of Connor is defined by his aggression and "monster"-like behavior, singing that she will sing "No Requiem" for him.

The Connor Project and the Orchard Story

Evan grows closer to the Murphys, eventually creating a romanticized story of a day he and Connor spent at an abandoned apple orchard (Autumn Smile Apple Orchard). In "For Forever," Evan describes a perfect afternoon of friendship, which never actually happened. Alana, feeling "invisible" like Connor, helps Evan launch "The Connor Project" to keep Connor's memory alive and raise funds to reopen the orchard. Evan gives a speech at a school assembly about the orchard story. He has a panic attack on stage but recovers, delivering a moving speech that emphasizes that no one deserves to be forgotten. A video of the speech goes viral, garnering over $16,000$ views and creating a massive virtual community built around the message "You Will Be Found."

Act II: The Kickstarter and Expanding Deception

Act II opens with Evan as the co-president of The Connor Project. Alana serves as the associate treasurer, media consultant, and various other titles. They set a Kickstarter goal of $50,000$ in $3$ weeks to memorialize the orchard. Tensions rise as Jared feels neglected by Evan’s newfound popularity and closeness with the Murphys. Heidi Hansen discovers the Connor Project video and is hurt that Evan lied about knowing Connor and about how he broke his arm. Evan lashes out at her, accusing her of never being home due to her paralegal classes and nursing shifts.

Larry Murphy invites Evan to his garage and teaches him how to break in a baseball glove ("To Break In a Glove"). This scene highlights the father-son bond Evan lacks. Larry offers Evan his own expensive glove and eventually, the family offers to use Connor’s college fund to pay for Evan’s tuition. Heidi refuses the offer when she meets the Murphys, leading to a confrontation between her and Evan, where he claims the Murphys are a better family than theirs.

The Turning Point: Backlash and Confession

Alana becomes suspicious of the inconsistencies in the forged emails. To satisfy her, Evan provides her with the original "Dear Evan Hansen" letter, claiming it was Connor's suicide note. Alana posts it online to generate more donations. The internet's reaction is "congealed" and cruel; the public begins to blame Larry and Cynthia for Connor's death, accusing them of being rich and neglectful. The Murphys are doxxed, their address is leaked, and they receive threatening calls. In the Murphys' living room, as the family descends into a bitter argument, Evan can bear the guilt no longer. He confesses, "I wrote it," explaining the letter was a therapy assignment and that he and Connor were never friends. He sings "Words Fail," acknowledging that he simply wanted to be part of something perfect and that he "made it true" in his mind. The Murphys are devastated, and Zoe leaves Evan.

Resolution: "So Big / So Small" and the Finale

Evan returns home and confesses everything to Heidi. She finally understands the depth of his pain and loneliness during the previous summer. She explains that the day his father moved out by U-Haul, she felt the house grow "so big" and herself feel "so small." She promises Evan that she is "staying right here" no matter what. Evan also reveals the truth of his broken arm: he didn't fall; he let go of the branch on purpose, an attempted suicide that he survived alone.

One year passes. Evan has been working at Pottery Barn and taking classes at a community college to save for a transfer. He meets Zoe at the now-reopened Connor Murphy Memorial Orchard. Zoe tells him the orchard has helped her parents heal and that they never told the public the truth about the letter, allowing Evan to move on. Evan reads a final letter to himself. He acknowledges that while the Connor Project may be forgotten, he is finally okay with being himself. He concludes that "just you" is enough. The company joins him for the Finale, emphasizing the image of sky and light "For Forever."