This article was originally published in the Long Beach Post, a nonprofit news organization, on Feb. 13, 2025.
Who among us has never felt anxious, alone or disconnected from others? For some, it’s a way of life.
Those feelings are explored in depth in the musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” set to perform for four shows this weekend at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts — just up the freeway from Long Beach.
The musical centers on Evan Hansen, a lonely high school teenager who suffers from social anxiety. When a letter he writes gets mistaken for coming from a classmate who has committed suicide, Evan is put in the awkward position of having to create a backstory of the fake friendship for the boy’s parents and sister.
This national touring production is “a life-affirming story about how to handle great crisis and move on.”
While you may have heard of the 2021 film of the same name, it wasn’t reviewed as well as this critically acclaimed, award-winning stage musical that ran on Broadway for six years. Its six Tony Awards in 2017 and three Olivier Awards in 2020 include best musical and best score, and it also won a Grammy Award in 2018 for best musical theater album.
Songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul complement Steven Levenson’s book by bringing forward the characters’ inner feelings, with titles like “Waving Through a Window,” “If I Could Tell Her” and “You Will Be Found.”
Besides music, “Dear Evan Hansen” has been lauded for depicting bullying and anxiety among teens, and these problems have only increased as social media makes it easier for youth to fall prey to both, with suicide rates among young people rising over the past 20 years, according to the CDC.
And while the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about 9% of young adults suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) — which is Evan’s diagnosis in the play — 70% of teens say anxiety and depression are a “major problem” among their peers, whether diagnosed or not, according to a Pew Research study.
Due to its sensitive themes, the Cerritos Center recommends the show for ages 12 and up, describing it as “an intimate and poignant story about mental illness, the fragility of life and the human need for connection with each other.”
Michal Fabisch, who plays the role of Evan in this national touring production, says the musical has evolved to be more than just about Evan.
“Energetically, the show has shifted from a show centered around one character into a show that centers around everyone involved,” he said. “It is about an incredibly gut-wrenching situation and how everyone involved handles it.”
The national tour bringing this meaningful musical to the Cerritos Center launched this past fall with scheduled stops around the country — including right up the street from us this weekend.
“Everyone who comes will recognize themselves in it, and recognize the modern world,” notes Michael Greif, the show’s original director. “It’s a life-affirming story about how to handle great crisis and move on.”
“Dear Evan Hansen” will perform at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Dr., Cerritos, Feb. 14-16, with shows Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-916-8500 or visit CCPA.cerritos.gov. Free parking is available at the theater. Run time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.
Comentarios