Recommendations to whet the appetite for Dear Evan Hansen

This Friday sees the release of Dear Evan Hansen, the film adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect, The Politician, The Book Of Mormon), respiring his role from the stage production. Platt stars as Evan, a socially anxious teenager whose mental health struggles keep him isolated from everyone at school, including the girl he likes, Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever, Booksmart).

His therapist recommends that he write letters to himself detailing why each day will be good, addressing them to ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. One day, Zoe’s brother and Evan’s troubled classmate Connor Murphy steals one of Evan’s letters – and when Connor later dies by suicide, his parents mistakenly take the letter as evidence that Evan and Connor were best friends. Desperate with grief, Connor’s parents come to Evan looking for answers – and in an attempt to offer them some comfort, Evan ends up embroiled in a lie that rapidly spirals out of his control.

Exploring mental health, social media and grief, the musical is complex and asks uncomfortable questions about the burdens young people take upon themselves, and how we can learn to cope more openly and honestly.

Fans of musicals and emotional teen dramas are eagerly awaiting the film’s release, so in the meantime, we have a few recommendations for things to watch and listen to, which may make the wait a little easier.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Dear Evan Hansen deals with teen depression, anxiety and suicide, and much of the plot centres on characters trying to overcome their sense of isolation and shame regarding their own struggles with mental health. One of the songs, written specially for the film adaptation and performed by Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, The Hate U Give) is titled ‘The Anonymous Ones’, and addresses the “anonymous” teenagers and adults who struggle with their mental health silently – and assuring them that they’re not alone.

The film also features open conversations about therapy and medication, which are still not discussed enough in society. Another musical that has addressed the importance of being open about mental health struggles and seeking treatment is the ingenious comedy musical series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which centres on Rebecca Bunch, a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder. Many songs throughout the series address Rebecca’s mental health struggles, but an Emmy-winning highlight of the series is the joyous La La Land parody, ‘Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal.’ Featuring tap-dancing, a cute dog and Michael Hyatt, the incredibly talented British Jamaican actress and Broadway star, the song is a glorious, rainbow-hued number that breaks down stigma around mental health and medication:

36 Questions Podcast Musical

Ben Platt, who stars as the lead in both the stage and film productions of Dear Evan Hansen, has long been friends with fellow musical performer Jonathan Groff, who you might know from his roles in Hamilton, Glee, Mindhunter, and as the voice of Kristoff in Frozen and Frozen 2. Apart from his well-known work on stage and screen, Jonathan Groff is also part of one of the most gorgeous musicals of the past few years – which few people have heard of.

Also featuring Jessie Shelton, 36 Questions is a podcast musical, available on Spotify, about a broken-up couple trying to reconnect after a huge revelation creates a chasm in their relationship. The musical uses the New York Times’ ‘36 Questions To Fall in Love’ as its framework, and is a beautiful musical about love found, lost and possibly recovered.

Like Dear Evan Hansen, 36 Questions addresses difficult subject matter and a lie gone awry, and has beautiful, emotional songs – so put in your earphones and get lost in a stunner.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Dear Evan Hansen is directed by Stephen Chobsky, who is no stranger to stories about lost and struggling teenagers trying to find where they belong. Chobsky wrote the bestselling coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and wrote and directed the screenplay of the film adaptation, which starred Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman and Paul Rudd. The Perks Of Being a Wallflower tackled teenage depression and PTSD, and showed teenagers finding their support system in each other, and learning how to express themselves. The film is beautifully acted with a fantastic soundtrack featuring New Order, The Smiths, Sonic Youth and David Bowie, and is a great film to watch while you’re waiting for the release of Dear Evan Hansen.

‘Who Is The Bad Art Friend?’

Dear Evan Hansen starts with a letter, and a friendship that isn’t really a friendship, and a viral article from the New York Times centres on the same two confusions. This twisting tale explores the true story of writer Dawn Dorland, who donated a kidney to a stranger and posted a letter to the person who received her organ online, and another writer, Sonya Larson, who took Dawn’s words and used the letter in a short story about a kidney donation – without asking Dawn’s permission.

The story is a fascinating carwreck of two people with very different ideas about their friendship, and presents readers with multiple questions about the nature of art, ownership, friendship, and what we owe each other. The article had the internet buzzing for a week, and sparked endless conversations about social media, social anxiety, plagiarism and the morality of the groupchat. It’s uncomfortable and a bit of a personal Rorschach test – just like Dear Evan Hansen. Dive in here.

Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack

Of course, as you’re waiting for the release of the film, you could just listen to the soundtrack to Dear Evan Hansen to ease your impatience. The stage version for the songs are available with the cast from the stage production, but the film soundtrack also includes five of the songs covered by artists such as Sam Smith, Finneas, Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, and Tori Kelly. A version of ‘The Anonymous Ones’, the song written especially for Amandla Stenberg’s character in the film, has also been covered by SZA.

Dear Evan Hansen is out in cinemas this Friday, October 22. Take a look at the trailer below: