Dear Evan Hansen is a story about an anxious high schooler, Evan Hansen, who spins himself a tale and convinces everyone of a fake personality and story he made for himself. Throughout the plot, he gets deeper and deeper into this false role he created, and he can’t find a way out without exposing himself as a fraud. This story had a musical, book, and movie adaptation. I’ll be comparing the musical and book without major spoilers for either.

The story started out as a musical by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It opened on Broadway in 2016 and was nominated for 9 different awards. The most distinguishable feature of this play is the life-like acting that Ben Platt utilizes in his role as Evan. He brings with him both depth and comedy, as well as a natural sort of awkwardness that comes with every high schooler. One of the key features of the musical is, of course, the music. Dear Evan Hansen shows a grand display of emotions and development through their musical numbers. A great example of this is in the song “Words Fail,” where Ben Platt shows the true devastation that Evan feels through his raw tone and intentional voice cracks. 

The book came a few years after in 2018, written by Val Emmich. The main story is the same, following the descent of Evan’s self-sabotage. But while the musical uses songs to convey emotion, the book uses internal monologue and description. Emmich goes more into depth about Evan’s mental state and personal thoughts. We get a glimpse into Evan’s anxiety disorder and how it affects his desicions and actions. Another major difference is how Connor Murphy– a large character in the musical– is more thoroughly fleshed out in the book. We get flashbacks from his perspective, as well as friends he had, his social life, and the mental struggles he faced. Personally, I liked this element of the book and how it elaborated on Connor, whereas in the musical we don’t get much about him as a person. Another main difference between the book and musical is the resolution. While the fundamental concept of the resolution is the same, the book cleans up a few more loose ends. Without revealing too much, Evan basically takes a bit more time to reconciles with people he affected.

No matter whether you watch the musical or read the book, both tell Evan Hansen’s story beautifully. Especially for teens struggling with anxiety or depression, Dear Evan Hansen is a message of honesty, belonging, and individuality. 

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.