PLEASE REACT TO "SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON"! It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken. I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
@@tslex6477 The musical is about Evan a boy with severe anxiety who lies about knowing Connor, a boy who committed unalive, to get closer to his (Connor) sister Zoey who he likes; he lies to his friends and family until they all learn the truth
"Is this for the parents or for his sake?" Yes. The lies become not just for Connor's family, but for Evan himself, so he can feel like he had a friend who cared about him. Because in reality, when he jumped off a tall tree and broke his arm, he was alone. There was no one there to get him.
I highly suggest listening to “Requiem” it’s one of my favorite songs from this musical. It doesn’t just have beautiful harmonies from Connor’s family, but gives a lot of insight on how Zoe (Connor’s sister) felt about her relationship with him and the complexity of her grief and how the parents’ perspective differ
There is a version of just Zoe singing it that was made when the original cast switched and oh my gosh 😭 the second verse really just stabs you in the heart.
Dear Evan Hansen: Mate tried to kill himself by falling from a tree, he's very lonely. His therapist makes him make some letters to himself, and in his last one he talks about dissapearing. One day Connor Murphy passes and ironically signs his cast and then steals his therapist assignment note because it mentioned Connor's Sister, Zoey. That afternoon Connor kills himself in the woods I think, and Evan's note is taken as his suicide note, which directly connect Evan to Connor's death. This and the fact that he's the only one who signed his cast convince everyone, including Connor's grieving parents, that Connor had a friend, and it was Evan, who decides, first from anxiety and pressure, and then from having something similar to parent figures, to go on with the lie, until it became to tangled to untangle without it falling apart.
I agree but he also has to hear words fail because in my opinion it’s the most emotional song in the musical and it really cuts deep if you can relate to it
Context of For Forever: yes this is the song that Evan sings to Conner's parents but its also supposed to be a song that helps us to sympathise and understand Evan better. He broke his arm when he purposely jumped off a tree so while he is concocting this as a fake story, it is partly his own internal wish too - to have had a friend who would come to him after he broke his arm. That's why even in waving through a window there's that lyric "when you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around do you ever really crash or even make a sound". For forever coming after Waving Through a Window is kind of meant to be a response of sorts where Evan has created this imaginary ideal scenario where there is someone who is with him.
Do not make me defend Evan bc he did horrible shit but😭😭 at first making the letters and all wasn’t because of popularity. The parents and then other people ASSUMED he was friends, and he didn’t know how to tell the mom that her freshly dead son was actually a bully and had no friends. He did know Connor, Connor was literally a bully. So he tried to make the lie just for the parents, but he liked his sister and it just snowballed into keeping the lie for more personal gains later on. Not by sincerely me yet though.
THIS!! Like yeah he did horrible things but the situation was kinda put on him at first. I don't remember exactly but iirc he TRIED to tell Connor's parents too and the mom started freaking out?? I remember that being a distinct detail I used to point out when I talked about DEH to my friends back when I was hyperfixated on the musical and talked about all the details.
@@kudadaze yes! He started denying it and when he realised that Connor's mother essentially couldn't handle/accept the truth that her son was not only friendless but also didn't even actually leave a note for his family he just let them think they were friends
I actually really enjoy the musical version because it doesn't make Evan seem like the protaganist and that, in turn, makes him more sympathetic. You know he's wrong, HE knows he's wrong, and he doesn't defend it at the end. Neither does anyone else. But you can totally see why he did it at the same time. I haven't seen the movie, but I know from what I've heard about the ending I won't enjoy it nearly as much. It's so much more realistic that the family, and Connor's sister, don't end on an entirely good note with him. They'll get over it, but it is implied that it will take time, and that's important for Evan too.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 Exactly!! I haven't seen the movie and am not planning to, but I've loved the musical for years for this exact reason! It portrayed Evan (and other characters too tbh) as extremely flawed but still made them seem human, giving them actual motivations and reasoning for their actions while not defending them.
@@kudadaze yeah. And the girl with glasses (forgot her name omg) who at the beginning wasn’t friendly with him OR connor used that rumors to her benefit to put evan’s name in front of a bunch of things to “honor” connor even though she didn’t like either of them. And was the one who recorded his speech and uploaded it on the internet without his consent too. Which is what made the whole lie so much bigger than he planned. And never apologized for that.
Also Evan, before the show starts, has a broken arm because he tried to commit suicide. By jumping off a really tall tree. You’ll be found is him talking about being found after jumping off the tree and getting to survive. He didn’t share the vids, it was filmed and uploaded on youtube without him knowing. One thing about him, its that even when he started to keep the lie for personal gain, it was all about wanting a family bc his was broken (aka the support of connor’s parents) and the sister’s attention bc he liked her. It was never for popularity (doesn’t make it better, but it is an important distinction. He was never comfortable with the lie growing publicly).
@@lunarialoonatic have you seen the musical live? Its not explained in just the songs and i can’t remember if the movie revealed that or if they changed that/cut it. Ik in the musical i think is the mom who reveals it. He worked in the park, tried to commit by jumping, but instead when stayed in the floor in pain and conscious until someone else found him. Which is also why in for forever he talks about climbing the tree, falling and then being found by someone who genuinely cares for him.
@@valentinafangirling in the book he actually waits for so long for someone to come and find him that he eventually gives up and has to get up and seek medical attention entirely by himself. he lies to his mom and everyone else that his boss (the park ranger) took him to the hospital, which honestly is so much more devastating when put in context of how desperately he wanted someone to find him
He broke his arm when he jumped off a tree to kill himself and, in For Forever, he is more so saying what he would have liked to have happened. I believe he laid on the ground, all alone, for ages because no buddy came for him or were worried about him or were there for him, and that's why he sounded so emotional when he says "He's come to get me."
I know the musical has flaws (and the movie even moreso...) but i discovered it when it was preparing for it's Broadway run, and i was in a HELLA DARK place in my life and it was honestly kind of a lifeline to me, so it'll always be important to me
This is my favourite musical. Its something where you can really understand how/why he ended up doing what he did. Its about how everyone is struggling in one way or another and we all have our own place in the world. I think everyone should find the good in the story... I'd also recommend the movie to almost anyone (just don't look at Ben Platt's face too much.............)
@@janellehaines9705 I'll definitely defend this musical. It isn't a favorite of mine, but I think the musical does a great job of presenting everything as morally gray. The only problems I've really seen are people not understanding that Evan isn't the "good guy" in the play. I thought that was pretty clear when I saw it!! You aren't supposed to approve of what he's doing, but you are meant to understand why he did it in that moment.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 Exactly. Its a story about the challenges of mental health and social media and how these very real struggles can cause this type of situation. We know Evan is doing the wrong thing the second he starts lying, but we also know that his specific struggles made it so that doing the right thing felt impossible. This story has no hero and no villain, it just has people, and that's one of the things I really love about it.
Honestly, same! You Will Be Found had me sobbing the first time I heard it because I happened to be at the first part in my life where things were really up in the air and crashing down around me. I remember feeling so hopeless and lost, and not really knowing where my life was going to go, whether I was going to even have much of a life or not, and I heard that song. It helped me cling on. I will never regret loving this musical tbh!
@@bulletsandbracelets4140honestly peoples need for black and white morality has caused it to flip the opposite in response to that where now people make it seem like Evan was this cold calculating sociopath
It definitely wasn't done maliciously. Evan has some pretty serious anxiety issues and panicked when Connor's grieving parents confronted him. It was a little lie that spiraled completely out of control-it's a lot more complicated than "Evan is just a horrible person". I recommend looking into the story!
If you do more DEH songs, I would recommend: - Requiem - Good for you - Only us (ben ross and taylor trench version) - Anybody have a map? - In the bedroom down the hall (cut song) - So big/so small - Words fail
I’m shocked You Will Be Found wasn’t the song known going into this. Maybe it’s just me being a New Yorker who got ambushed with commercials for ages using the song, but I assumed that was the main song from the show for people. The musical is such a powerful and messed up story and this was a great watch
Its such a complex listening experience, you bop along or feel inspired/sympathetic before one little line will remind you of the context and you get hit with the “oh no, how is this gonna crash and burn eventually?” feeling. Also Evan was alone and purposefully jumped from the tree, and no one noticed him missing or came to get him. Thats why he rewrote it so that he wasn’t alone, he fell on accident, and someone was there to help him.
'Words Fail' is heartbreaking - it's when he's found out. You need to listen to this for the best context of his inner world - and 'Good For You' is a favourite as it's the start of his downfall! His mum and friends turning on him! Oh and the opening song 'Anybody have a map?' is also good for context. Thanks for another great reaction - would love another with the rest of the songs. 💙
Omg, whenever I'm singing 'Words Fail', I always start crying. As well as putting in emotion/an angry tone when singing 'Goos For You'. I love singing songs with the emotion that they originally have, really brings it to life.
more context! basically the reason why Evan started lying in the first place is because of a misunderstanding, Connor's parents thought they were friends because of a letter Evan wrote that Connor took from him (without context it sounded like Connor wrote it to Evan and the parents assumed it was his suicide note) and also because Connor signed his cast. when Evan tried to clear up that misunderstanding the parents started freaking out saying "no this is all we have left of him" "you must be in shock", Evan went with it to appease them and it snowballed from there
a song i really like is one that didn’t even make it onto the final soundtrack - “in the bedroom down the hall”!!!! honestly never fails to me me emotional, it’s connor and evan’s mums singing about how they wish they could help their sons be better and like. ow
You have to listen to Good For You from this musical! I will forever be mad they took it out of the movie, and its the song where you get a lot of catharsis for how fucked up Evan actions got to be, regardless of where those actions came from. It goes so hard.
Please please listen to the rest of the songs they’re so great !! I love your reactions and input. This musical has affected my soul deeply. My favorite songs are “Good for you” and “Words fail”
Your comments about "Sincerely, Me" show what's so great about musical theater: the multi-layered subtext and drama that you can put into a song - that you can write a jaunty, upbeat song about a kid forging letters pretending he was a dead kid's friend to make Conner's parents feel better, and literally putting words in the mouth of a dead man. Subtext is a wonderful thing :)
my favorites are anybody have a map and favorites with animatics are requiem and so big so small. I feel those two are really nice because of the perspective of grief and perspective. Also the duet with Lin Manuel miranda is really cool. They mix a song from evan hansen with hamilton.
Evan broke his arm after jumping off a tree, no one came to help him, after a long while his boss took him to the hospital, thats why in for forever its so key that he mentions conner coming to get him, he imagines what it would be like to have someone care and unknowingly builds a real relationship with a dead guy and uses it to be apart of their family where he feels cared about
PLEASE REACT TO "SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON"! It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken. I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
If you do another part for this, I highly recommend Good For You and the movie versions of Requiem and So Big/So Small! Those two are my favorite performances from the movie, I think they’re so impactful
You were right about Connor’s parents and sister being the ones in the audience/singing at the end of You Will Be Found 🙃 And For Forever is Evan singing about a supposed day out with Connor when he broke his arm (as you likely gathered) but the real event that took place was Evan purposely falling from the tree to try to commit suicide, and failing. So yeah, Evan has a lot of issues 💀 Also, its optional, but i think you should listen to the broadway version of sincerely me because its much better!!! (still lowkey uncomfortable knowing the context though lol) As for other songs you HAVE to listen to: - Requiem (Connor’s family singing about their personal experiences grieving Connor) - Disappear (the only context you need is that its Connor singing with Evan) - Good For You (Evan’s mom and his two “friends” singing to Evan (including the one who forged the emails with him) - Words Fail (Evan singing to Connor’s family) If you listen in that exact order, it would make the most sense plot-wise, but its up to you! i definitely recommend these songs since they’re the ones where you see more perspectives of other characters and make sense of why Evan did what he did.
The song to Connor's sister COULD be helpful IF she doesn't find out Evan is lying. If she does find out he is lying, then she learns that all of that was a lie and would have to grieve the loss of the Connor Evan invented.
As someone who only knows this musical for its songs and a synopsis, I know way too much about its storyline even if the story itself makes me very uncomfortable even if out of context I also love the songs. But yes, Connor found Evan's suicide note and signed Evan's cast at school (after Evan's failed suicide attempt by falling out of a tree). So when Connor's parents found both "Connor's" Note to Evan and saw that Connor signed Evan's cast, they assumed they were friends. Leading to Evan going along with it in 'For Forever' by talking about Connor as if they'd been friends, because they had just lost they're son. When things spiraled, and Connor and Evan's story became viral - 'You Will be Found' - Evan finally felt heard and seen after dealing with his own suicidal issues and depression caused by a lack of friends and messy family situation. Evan's words and note ended up being the words put into Connor's mouth, and Evan definitely made it worse - 'Sincerely, Me', and 'If I Could Tell Her' - even if his original intentions were to bring the family closure with a small lie about knowing Connor.
You might want to try and listen to Ben Platt’s original music. His style is stunning. Especially the music video of Grow as we go, Andrew, Ease my mind, New, Older, & Run Away. Pretty much anything on the sing to me instead album. And there are a lot of stunners on his Reverie album as well. His voice is angelic❤ He also has some amazing songs in the politician show on Netflix.
sincerely me is my Favorite song from the musical, i'd love for you to listen to the musical version too. the movie doesn't quite do it justice, the original broadway cast was literally perfect for their roles
Requiem is my favourite from this show… maybe I’m biased because I just connect to that song on a whole other level, but it’s beautiful. It captures the essence of complicated grief where it’s partly anger at the person and partly grief of what could have been if you had more time with them. It’s honestly just amazing. Though ‘bedroom down the hall’ and ‘so big/so small’ also capture it incredibly well, both different types of grief… I know people don’t like the musical because the lies, but coming from someone who spiralled like this (not entirely in this way though obviously), it means a hell of a lot to me and helped me so much when I was younger. I just love it
To keep on the musical theme, if you haven't before, PLEASE watch Newsies! (The recorded broadway version with Jeremy Jordan) the dancing and singing is amazing
8:39 evan did break his arm "intentionally!" !MENTIONS OF SU!C!D3! vvvvvvvvv He claims that he was climbing a tree and fell. but later in the story, he admits to his mother that it was his suicide attempt. "I didn't fall, I let go." -Evan Hansen. before admitting this to his mom, he was having an imaginary conversation with connor in his head about how he has to stop lying to himself, and admit that he actually let go. "Did you fall? Or did you let go?" -Connor Murphy.
14:58 He has anxiety and goes to therapy. Part of said therapy is him writing letters to himself on why today won't suck, but it soets turns into why it will and seems like a suicide note. It's written just like the emails Dear Evan Hansen, Sincerely Me. Connor takes it then commits suicide they think it's Connor's suicide note. He didn't explain, which is understandable sorta.
The biggest tear-jerker in this soundtrack for me is "So Big / So Small"... I highly recommend checking out the other DEH songs too, but especially "So Big / So Small" and "Requiem"!
Waving through a Window is one of my personal favourites. I was a lonely kid growing up (later found out that I had autism and that was a huve cause of my inability to communicate with most people), so I heavily related to the song.
God I would really love for you to react to the rest of the songs in this musical, with special emphasis on “Requiem”, “To Break In A Glove”, “Good For You”, and “Words Fail.” I feel like those songs really help explain the plot a bit more, and kinda give you more insight into the characters’ thoughts and motivations (along with being incredible performances)
I definitely recommend you listen to Ride the Cyclone. The songs are truly amazing and it’s such an underrated musical. The ending actually made me tear up a bit but it’s amazing. All the actors/actresses have beautiful, wonderful singing voices that always leave me in awe.
For Forever is hands down the best song in the whole show and, obviously, my absolute favorite! I cry every time. I also cry to You Will Be Found, but damn For Forever just hits different.
If I Could Tell Her is Evan telling the sister all the things he's noticed as if Connor told him these things. The original song (Obvious) is actually from Connor's POV where it is Connor's sincere feelings that he never felt he could say to her. It's Evan telling her about how much he has noticed, but he isn't confident enough to admit the truth due to fear of rejection (which is completely founded considering Good For You). Also Sincerely, Me is my friend and I's favourite song and we sing it together all the time it is so fun and silly, and the fact they're writing Connor makes it even more fun. For Forever also is because the parents questioned him about what he and Connor did together, which is why Evan sounds so reminiscent. In reality, it's Evan finally admitting how he broke his arm, and how it wasn't an accident as such. He's trying to reach out (still not in the best way but like that's the entire point of the musical) You Will Be Found is one of my favourite songs, and the message behind it is amazing, even if the reason Evan has to say it isn't a good thing. Thanks for this video Mathew, and just so you know - it's supposed to be uncomfortable to watch/listen to. You make amazing content and it's great to see someone really explore the fact the musical is made to make you think
I am less than a minute into the video, so I don't know which songs you listened to... however I remember thinking it would be cool for you to do 2 dear evan hansen videos. The first would be you listening to songs from the original broadway cast album, specifically just the songs that were cut from the movie version. The second video would be you watching the full movie. I thought this would be cool because they cut so many amazing songs but they also added 2 really good songs! So now its too late for this but maybe consider doing a video about the songs that are only in either the original show or the movie and not both. I think that would be so cool (I can't suggest specific songs because I haven't watched the video yet... I'm gonna do that now...)
Ok... These are the songs you need to do next... OG Broadway cast (not in movie): - Anybody have a map - Disappear - To Break In a glove - Good for you Movie (not in OG Broadway cast): - Annonymous ones - A Little closer From Both (and incredible): - Requiem - Words Fail Yes I am aware that there's only like 2 or 3 songs that arent on this list...... but I think you need to listen to these ones... You will love them!
I absolutely adore both the movie and stage production of DEH. I have family with a ton of different disorders whether it’s social anxiety, autism, Asperger’s, ADHD +more so i sympathise a lot with Evan and so does my mother because Ben really out did himself portraying a teen with social anxiety and potentially Asperger’s. Yes, I know people are uncomfortable and or hate the movie for several reasons also it’s dark plot but I think it’s more of the fact that Evan didn’t know what he was doing was going to lead him to all of the things he did that made me really feel bad for this character, who I find to be quite lost and alone just how Connor was in many more ways than one. This is just my little opinion on DEH and if you don’t agree it is completely fine as it is very understandable with his unintentional manipulation. Side note, Colton Ryan who plays Connor in the movie actually was Evan for the Broadway a while back.
Idk if you've reacted to Ride the Cyclone but you definitely should if you haven't yet especially "The Ballad of Jane Doe" (by Emily Rohm) specifically the performance of it because it's very impressive what's going on while she's singing
Please, if you haven’t yet, you need to listen to Requiem. It’s one of my favorite songs due to the emotions it portrays along with the amazing vocals.
You should def react to “for forever” performed by 4 Evan’s. They are all actors who have played Evan Hanson singing the song together and it’s INCREDIBLE
I really recomend you listen to Requiem, is my favourite song in the musical, and really adds so much more depth to Zoe's character, and her relationship with Connor.
It'd be awesome to see you react to "in the bedroom down the hall" and "so big, so small" from this same musical, specially with an animatic. They show more of the perspectives from the mothers here and very emotional tbh
If you listen to more, I recommend Requiem, but the version sung by Mallory Bechtel. They did a stripped back version with simple string instruments and a piano and its beautiful
Since alot has been covered I’ll just mention one thing at the end of you will be found you asked about why it sounded like tension at the end and that’s because Evan and Zoe kiss and officially become an item from that point
Seeing as you really enjoyed Colton Ryan as Connor in 'Sincerely Me', I would recommend checking out 'Alice By Heart'. It's created by the guy who also did Spring Awakening. Colton plays the main male role in it. While it has a completely different tone to Sincerely Me and most of Dear Evan Hansen (especially the movie version), it's still very enjoyable. If you do, I would recommend 'The Key Is' and 'Isn't it a Trial'.
i had to do you will be found my senior year for choir and i got the zoe solo at the end but BROKE DOWN CRYING IN THE MIDDLE so i couldn’t finish the solo I WAS SO UPSET WITH MYSELF LIKE
while you’re doing all these musicals, i strongly recommend newsies. some of my favorite songs are carrying the banner, the world will know, santa fe, king of new york and once and for all
Seeing Ben Platt in concert was a glorious moment in my life. I saw him on his Reverie tour and he sings like this the whole fricking time. It was so good, his live performances I feel like they are all great. He recently was in the musical "Parade" on Broadway, which was good as far as I heard. It is a musical that is oriented around a very very heavy topic, but it is very much worth checkin out.
I love this musical so much!! And I’m so happy you’re reacting to this! This will be a longer comment, but I hope maybe this helps if you read it. Now I love the stage show (and I do like the movie as well, but I still think they should’ve done a pro-shot when the original actors were still there). And while I understand some of the criticisms for the stage show, and a lot of them for the movie, I personally think a lot of people oversimplify the Dear Evan Hansen show and Evan Hansen himself. I feel the show is more complex than how some make it out to be. But I wanted to answer some of the questions you had throughout the video. 1:20 - I agree with the comments that you probably should’ve just listened to ‘Sincerely, Me’ from the broadway recording bc it’s a lot better. But if you want to react to any songs from the movie, you can probably react to the songs “The Anonymous Ones” and “A Little Closer”. Both songs were added to the movie but are not apart of the original Broadway show. I like them, I know some people don’t but I think they’re nice additions to the movie (still would rather they didn’t cut some of the original songs tho, that was stupid). 3:18 - You’re right that Evan and Jared are making up emails to him and Connor. When Evan was lying, he told the parents that they used a secret email account to talk to each other. The purpose wasn’t to get popular, he did it to help the parents, but he ended up getting known later from this. 10:24 - The two people who you hear singing are Alana and Jared. Jared was the one who was helping Evan write the fake emails. Jared was the closest thing to a friend to Evan and knew that Evan was never friends with Connor. But Jared helped him anyways. So he is the only other person who knows Evan is lying. The other person, Alana, doesn’t know. She’s the kind of student who does all the extracurricular activities and extra work she can. So when Evan made a project for Connor, she jumped at the opportunity to help Evan. So yea, Alana doesn’t know but Jared does. 12:50 - So about Evan and Connor’s sister, Zoe. Evan has a crush on Zoe, he has had this crush way before this event. When Even was writing the letter he wrote to himself, he wrote about Zoe, saying nice things about her. But at some point, Conner, trying to be nice and handing it back to Evan, sees Zoe’s name in it. Connor got upset and took the letter. For this song, Evan at this point was being invited to their home. Zoe asked Evan if what Connor wrote in the letter was true (of course not knowing it was Evan). Evan says yes, and when she asked if there was more he said, Evan panicked again and lied to try and help her. So, he did the only thing he could do at this point, he mentioned all the things that he liked about her, and made it seem like it came from Connor. (I’m not defending this by saying that makes it ok, but it’s a reasoning why he lied). 18:02 - You got it right that he’s singing to Connor’s family. At this point, the family invited him over for dinner. Evan’s goal was just to stay for a bit, smile and nod so he’s doesn’t lie too much and leave to get it over with. But at some point, the family starts fighting with each other, with Zoe saying the Connor wasn’t a good person and they had no good memories. When they ask Evan if there were good things, he panics and, wanting to make the family feel better, the makes up this “perfect day” to help them out. 18:40 - This was fabricated, but not planned. Like it said, he panicked and just made up this perfect day and this perfect friendship on the spot. 19:30 - I’d say it’s 95% for the sake of the family, and 5% for himself. But not in a selfish way to get known. I’ll explain a bit about this in the next point. 21:50 - So when he broke him arm, there is not a car involved. What truly happened was on that day, he attempted to take his own life, so he climbed up a tree and purposely “let go” and fell, but failed and broke his arm as a result. But during the show before we know that, Evan lies to everyone else that he was simply climbing and accidentally slipped and fell. So he’s lying again in “For Forever”. Not only to the parents, but about his attempt. He can’t accept what he tried to do that day, so when making up this perfect he finds a way to lie to himself again, by saying Connor was there to help him up, when in reality Connor was never there. That’s why I said in my last point that he’s also lying for himself a bit, not to get popular, but bc he’s stuck in a continuous lie about himself, and now he found a way to help himself. - I wanted to make a quick point here, if you react to “Good For You” at some point, please please please react to the animatic made by Ros Mo! (It has like 1.5 million views I think) It contains some of the stage speaking parts for the song that adds a lot of context and emotions to the song. So please react to that video for the song if you can. This show is very confusing without the context of the show in between songs, so it’s understandable why you’d be confused. I luckily got to see this show in New York two years ago and the music is 1000x better in person, it was so impactful and it made me cry way too hard lol. But yea, a lot of people hate on Evan, but I don’t see him as a hero or a villain. Just a protagonist. He doesn’t do any of these things to intentionally hurt anyone or to get fame, but he did it to help in the best way he knew at the time, but sadly it got out of hand. And sure Evan got a bit more rude later in the show, but still. I’m not excusing Evan, lying about this is bad no matter what, but this is just an explanation for why he did it. As someone with really bad anxiety, I can understand how Evan feels. Waving Through a Window is a song I always say is a representation of how my brain works and it’s hard. But seeing that on stage and on screen really helped me. Was this too long? Probably. But do I love this show too much to talk about it? Yep lol
Hey, if you liked "For Forever", there is a version where 4 different Evans sing this song and it sounds beautiful with godly harmonies. Also if you should do a part two, then you definitely have to react to Words Fail, Requiem and Only Us (the Zoe Songs), and probably So Big/So Small 🌸
HE LISTEND TTO WHAT NOWWW THIS IS SUCHHC ADREAM LIKE IVE WAITED AND SEACHER AND NOW I SE ETHIS N IK THIS IS 5 MONTHS AGO BUT I WA SUNAVALIBLE AT THAT TIME!! SQUEE
22:37 so much so that the camp I work at chose to have a bunch of elementary and middle schoolers perform this and a few other songs from Dear Evan Hansen (they choose a musical every year, and somehow this was the one they chose, even though the camp is generally very strict about clean language and keeping everything child appropriate).
I really loved the song The Annonamous Ones in the movie. But I feel like the musical is so mutch better and I really hope I get to see it in the theather one day
You should react to Be More Chill. If you want song recommendations I Love Play Rehearsal, Squip Song, More Than Survive, and Micheal in the Bathroom (Secondary recommendations: The Pitiful Children, Smartphone Hour(Rich Set a Fire) The Pants Song, Halloween) They're all great but I tried giving you the best ones and then some more because it was close, you can make two if you like the songs. Edit: Just noticed you did react, but here's some more I'd love to hear?
I would highly recommend listening to "To Break in a Glove" it's such a unique duet between Connor's dad and Evan. One of the few pieces of media in which a dad gets to express his feelings and work through grief in song. Which is another reason I like "Requiem" from this same show.
If you decide to do another of this I highly recommend doing Waving through a Window, No Requiem, and Good for You, and also maybe Anybody have a Map All of those songs from this musical are very good and will probably make you cry and also have very good animatics made for them
I was in my school production of DEH, and watching Mathew react to it was so much fun. I think you'll really like "anybody has a map" because of the duet, disappear, good for you, so big so small, and waiting through a window
Spoiler for the musical if you want to and haven't seen it!!!!!!! Someone else put it best that in the first act Evan's problem was never speaking up and by the third his problem is not shutting up. Thing is Evan doesn't start off as a bad person and he doesn't mean to be one he's just a kid who is very lonely and only has one friend. His friend (Jared) then claims to only hang out with him because his mom pays him to, so Evan feels like he has no real friends. Evan is recommended to write letters to himself about how he feels so Evan writes one and Connor (who is a bully with no friends at school) finds it and ends up basically using Evan's letter as a suicide note. His parents find it and confront Evan who is an awkward person already (and how really do you explain that you never knew this guy to his crying mom?) Evan's mom is away from home a lot and his dad left when he was a kid. So now because of this letter Connor's parents want to get closer to him to hear stories about their son, these stories are what Evan and Jared make up. When Connors speech goes viral (Evan didn't mean for this only to give Connor a sendoff and be done with the lies) it brings him new friends and popularity which leads him to keep lying instead as he gets close with Connor's family. By the end it all blows up in his face and he's left with just his mom again. A lot of great songs were left out from the movie so I'd recommend the musical album for more great songs.
One of the many things I find powerful about DEH is the fact that there's so much positivity and goodness that comes out of a messy and objectively flawed situation. Like Evan's not a paragon, he's a messed up and traumatized kid in a really difficult situation just trying to make the best of things and do right by everyone as best he can without destroying himself in the process and damn if that doesn't resonate with me. There's beauty and goodness in the world and you don't have to be a paragon to be part of that and you don't have to do perfect acts of goodness to do good. You will be found, yes, but you are also worthy of being the one who finds.
I really loved your analysis in this video. 21:38 FYI, Evan broke his arm from falling off a tree. And what breaks my heart every time that he lies that Connor came to get him after his attempted suicide, because no one was there for him then.
WHY THE MOVIE VERSION OF SINCEERLY ME, MATHEW??? NOOO THE BROADWAY IS SO SO SO MUCH BETTER 😭😭 _P.S. you _*_NEED_*_ to react to "Good For You", and "So Big / So Small" YOU _*_NEED_*_ TOO_
I’m so happy u listened to for forever!! It’s such a pretty sounding song but I can’t believe you didn’t listen to requiem, good for you, anybody have a map or so big / so small. requiem is so messed up with context but it’s so pretty and heartbreaking
13:07 "Please tell me it's not with the sister...maybe it won't be as bad as I'm thinking" with "If I Could Tell Her" as the background is peak dramatic irony.
on the outside always looking in
PLEASE REACT TO "SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON"! It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken. I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
Will I ever be more than I've always been
Cause I’mtap tap tappin on the glass
Waving through a window
Hoping that DeathNote & Epithet Erased are on your list for the future :)
DEH with context 😬🫥
DEH without context 🥹🥰
Ya I was appalled when I learned the context but the songs on their own are great 😅.
Yeah lmao the songs definitely get more uncomfy when you know
@@lunarialoonaticwould you mind to tell me context please?
Ya Spotify recommended ‘sincerally me’ so many times before I watched the movie I had no idea what was going on I thought the movie was a gay romance
@@tslex6477 The musical is about Evan a boy with severe anxiety who lies about knowing Connor, a boy who committed unalive, to get closer to his (Connor) sister Zoey who he likes; he lies to his friends and family until they all learn the truth
NOOO NOT THE MOVIE VERSION OF SINCERELY ME. THE BROADWAY VERSION IS SO MUCH BETTERRRR
I was thinking the same 😢
Thought the exact some thing, I said “OF ALL THE SONGS-???”
broadway version is always better but i’m biased
IKR😭
NO BECAUSEN ITS LITERALLY THE ONE SONG IM EXCITED FOR HIM TO REACT TOO😭😭
"Is this for the parents or for his sake?" Yes. The lies become not just for Connor's family, but for Evan himself, so he can feel like he had a friend who cared about him. Because in reality, when he jumped off a tall tree and broke his arm, he was alone. There was no one there to get him.
Well it starts because of his social anxiety and the pressure he feels to make the family happy when they think he had a friend.
When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around do you ever really crash, or even make a sound?
When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around, do you ever really crash, or even make a sound
I believe it was in a failed suicide attempt
@@NezukosCatit was
I highly suggest listening to “Requiem” it’s one of my favorite songs from this musical. It doesn’t just have beautiful harmonies from Connor’s family, but gives a lot of insight on how Zoe (Connor’s sister) felt about her relationship with him and the complexity of her grief and how the parents’ perspective differ
Yesss
HOLY CREPE YES, I GOT SHIVERS THE FIRST TIME I LISTENED TO REQUIEM
There is a version of just Zoe singing it that was made when the original cast switched and oh my gosh 😭 the second verse really just stabs you in the heart.
YESS OMG I LOVE THAT SONG ITS SO BEAUTIFUL ❤
@@alyssanielsen8521Where can I find that at?
Dear Evan Hansen:
Mate tried to kill himself by falling from a tree, he's very lonely. His therapist makes him make some letters to himself, and in his last one he talks about dissapearing. One day Connor Murphy passes and ironically signs his cast and then steals his therapist assignment note because it mentioned Connor's Sister, Zoey.
That afternoon Connor kills himself in the woods I think, and Evan's note is taken as his suicide note, which directly connect Evan to Connor's death. This and the fact that he's the only one who signed his cast convince everyone, including Connor's grieving parents, that Connor had a friend, and it was Evan, who decides, first from anxiety and pressure, and then from having something similar to parent figures, to go on with the lie, until it became to tangled to untangle without it falling apart.
Evan just wanted to go to therapy and what did he get for it
@@singingofsilver Even more trauma, probably.
Please do a part two where listen to „Anybody Have a Map!“, „Disappear“, „Good For You“ and „Waving Through a Window“
Don't hate me.... "Annonymous Ones"? I know its from the movie but it is actually one of the best things about the movie!
Omfg I LOVE good for you
And Only Us! Their duet is absolutely beautiful 😍😍😍
But like Requiem
I agree but he also has to hear words fail because in my opinion it’s the most emotional song in the musical and it really cuts deep if you can relate to it
Context of For Forever: yes this is the song that Evan sings to Conner's parents but its also supposed to be a song that helps us to sympathise and understand Evan better. He broke his arm when he purposely jumped off a tree so while he is concocting this as a fake story, it is partly his own internal wish too - to have had a friend who would come to him after he broke his arm. That's why even in waving through a window there's that lyric "when you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around do you ever really crash or even make a sound". For forever coming after Waving Through a Window is kind of meant to be a response of sorts where Evan has created this imaginary ideal scenario where there is someone who is with him.
Do not make me defend Evan bc he did horrible shit but😭😭 at first making the letters and all wasn’t because of popularity. The parents and then other people ASSUMED he was friends, and he didn’t know how to tell the mom that her freshly dead son was actually a bully and had no friends. He did know Connor, Connor was literally a bully. So he tried to make the lie just for the parents, but he liked his sister and it just snowballed into keeping the lie for more personal gains later on. Not by sincerely me yet though.
THIS!! Like yeah he did horrible things but the situation was kinda put on him at first. I don't remember exactly but iirc he TRIED to tell Connor's parents too and the mom started freaking out?? I remember that being a distinct detail I used to point out when I talked about DEH to my friends back when I was hyperfixated on the musical and talked about all the details.
@@kudadaze yes! He started denying it and when he realised that Connor's mother essentially couldn't handle/accept the truth that her son was not only friendless but also didn't even actually leave a note for his family he just let them think they were friends
I actually really enjoy the musical version because it doesn't make Evan seem like the protaganist and that, in turn, makes him more sympathetic. You know he's wrong, HE knows he's wrong, and he doesn't defend it at the end. Neither does anyone else. But you can totally see why he did it at the same time.
I haven't seen the movie, but I know from what I've heard about the ending I won't enjoy it nearly as much. It's so much more realistic that the family, and Connor's sister, don't end on an entirely good note with him. They'll get over it, but it is implied that it will take time, and that's important for Evan too.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 Exactly!! I haven't seen the movie and am not planning to, but I've loved the musical for years for this exact reason! It portrayed Evan (and other characters too tbh) as extremely flawed but still made them seem human, giving them actual motivations and reasoning for their actions while not defending them.
@@kudadaze yeah. And the girl with glasses (forgot her name omg) who at the beginning wasn’t friendly with him OR connor used that rumors to her benefit to put evan’s name in front of a bunch of things to “honor” connor even though she didn’t like either of them. And was the one who recorded his speech and uploaded it on the internet without his consent too. Which is what made the whole lie so much bigger than he planned. And never apologized for that.
Also Evan, before the show starts, has a broken arm because he tried to commit suicide. By jumping off a really tall tree. You’ll be found is him talking about being found after jumping off the tree and getting to survive. He didn’t share the vids, it was filmed and uploaded on youtube without him knowing. One thing about him, its that even when he started to keep the lie for personal gain, it was all about wanting a family bc his was broken (aka the support of connor’s parents) and the sister’s attention bc he liked her. It was never for popularity (doesn’t make it better, but it is an important distinction. He was never comfortable with the lie growing publicly).
Wait I’m such an idiot how did I not catch onto that sooner
@@lunarialoonatic have you seen the musical live? Its not explained in just the songs and i can’t remember if the movie revealed that or if they changed that/cut it. Ik in the musical i think is the mom who reveals it. He worked in the park, tried to commit by jumping, but instead when stayed in the floor in pain and conscious until someone else found him. Which is also why in for forever he talks about climbing the tree, falling and then being found by someone who genuinely cares for him.
@@valentinafangirling in the book he actually waits for so long for someone to come and find him that he eventually gives up and has to get up and seek medical attention entirely by himself. he lies to his mom and everyone else that his boss (the park ranger) took him to the hospital, which honestly is so much more devastating when put in context of how desperately he wanted someone to find him
Spoileeeers, kinda hope he won’t read this, but doubt it
@@vickycastillo9214 spoilers to what he’s not watching the musical nor the movie lmao
You definitely need to listen to Good For You from DEH too, it’s my fave song from the musical and is so good!
I COMPLETELY agree!💙
YES!!! And Words Fail... I feel like that song would explain so much to him
AGREED! I’m still so upset that it was cut from the movie adaptation.
Good For You is one of my favorite angry belty songs when i just need to let some emotions out
@@TheWiseGrif Same
He broke his arm when he jumped off a tree to kill himself and, in For Forever, he is more so saying what he would have liked to have happened. I believe he laid on the ground, all alone, for ages because no buddy came for him or were worried about him or were there for him, and that's why he sounded so emotional when he says "He's come to get me."
I know the musical has flaws (and the movie even moreso...) but i discovered it when it was preparing for it's Broadway run, and i was in a HELLA DARK place in my life and it was honestly kind of a lifeline to me, so it'll always be important to me
This is my favourite musical. Its something where you can really understand how/why he ended up doing what he did. Its about how everyone is struggling in one way or another and we all have our own place in the world. I think everyone should find the good in the story... I'd also recommend the movie to almost anyone (just don't look at Ben Platt's face too much.............)
@@janellehaines9705 I'll definitely defend this musical. It isn't a favorite of mine, but I think the musical does a great job of presenting everything as morally gray. The only problems I've really seen are people not understanding that Evan isn't the "good guy" in the play. I thought that was pretty clear when I saw it!! You aren't supposed to approve of what he's doing, but you are meant to understand why he did it in that moment.
@@bulletsandbracelets4140 Exactly. Its a story about the challenges of mental health and social media and how these very real struggles can cause this type of situation. We know Evan is doing the wrong thing the second he starts lying, but we also know that his specific struggles made it so that doing the right thing felt impossible. This story has no hero and no villain, it just has people, and that's one of the things I really love about it.
Honestly, same! You Will Be Found had me sobbing the first time I heard it because I happened to be at the first part in my life where things were really up in the air and crashing down around me. I remember feeling so hopeless and lost, and not really knowing where my life was going to go, whether I was going to even have much of a life or not, and I heard that song. It helped me cling on. I will never regret loving this musical tbh!
@@bulletsandbracelets4140honestly peoples need for black and white morality has caused it to flip the opposite in response to that where now people make it seem like Evan was this cold calculating sociopath
YOU SHOULD REACT TO REQUIEM!!! It shows more of the sister's perspective about Connor's death. And its SO HEARTWRENCHING.
I was really hoping I wouldn't see this comment because HOW DID HE NOT LISTEN TO THIS SONG IN THIS VIDEO?!
@@Netsports22 IKR????
I'm looking at the comments and thinking "how did he not listen to all of these good essential songs???" 😭@@Netsports22
words fail is the most revealing of his mental state, kind of? there's also waving through a window, though
It definitely wasn't done maliciously. Evan has some pretty serious anxiety issues and panicked when Connor's grieving parents confronted him. It was a little lie that spiraled completely out of control-it's a lot more complicated than "Evan is just a horrible person". I recommend looking into the story!
There’s a video called “4 Evans sing For Forever” w/ the Evans from some of the different broadway adaptations and it is SO GOOD!
Theyre all from the west end version of Deh i believe, or at least Sam tutty is
The BROADWAY VERSION OF SINCERELY ME IS SM BETTER RAAHHHHH😭😭😭
Facts! He needs to react to that version soon!
He could have reacted to both. It was the best song in the movie and worked well with the visuals.
If you do more DEH songs, I would recommend:
- Requiem
- Good for you
- Only us (ben ross and taylor trench version)
- Anybody have a map?
- In the bedroom down the hall (cut song)
- So big/so small
- Words fail
I’m shocked You Will Be Found wasn’t the song known going into this. Maybe it’s just me being a New Yorker who got ambushed with commercials for ages using the song, but I assumed that was the main song from the show for people. The musical is such a powerful and messed up story and this was a great watch
You should listen to four Evans sing for forever. It’s four people who played Evan singing it together and it’s amazing.
Its such a complex listening experience, you bop along or feel inspired/sympathetic before one little line will remind you of the context and you get hit with the “oh no, how is this gonna crash and burn eventually?” feeling.
Also Evan was alone and purposefully jumped from the tree, and no one noticed him missing or came to get him. Thats why he rewrote it so that he wasn’t alone, he fell on accident, and someone was there to help him.
'Words Fail' is heartbreaking - it's when he's found out. You need to listen to this for the best context of his inner world - and 'Good For You' is a favourite as it's the start of his downfall! His mum and friends turning on him! Oh and the opening song 'Anybody have a map?' is also good for context. Thanks for another great reaction - would love another with the rest of the songs. 💙
I honestly can't beleive he skipped Word's Fail.......
@@circa81 I'm choosing to believe he'll do a part 2 🙏
Words Fail is a MUST for part 2!!
Words Fail is such a fire song dude-
Omg, whenever I'm singing 'Words Fail', I always start crying. As well as putting in emotion/an angry tone when singing 'Goos For You'. I love singing songs with the emotion that they originally have, really brings it to life.
more context! basically the reason why Evan started lying in the first place is because of a misunderstanding, Connor's parents thought they were friends because of a letter Evan wrote that Connor took from him (without context it sounded like Connor wrote it to Evan and the parents assumed it was his suicide note) and also because Connor signed his cast.
when Evan tried to clear up that misunderstanding the parents started freaking out saying "no this is all we have left of him" "you must be in shock", Evan went with it to appease them and it snowballed from there
a song i really like is one that didn’t even make it onto the final soundtrack - “in the bedroom down the hall”!!!! honestly never fails to me me emotional, it’s connor and evan’s mums singing about how they wish they could help their sons be better and like. ow
You have to listen to Good For You from this musical! I will forever be mad they took it out of the movie, and its the song where you get a lot of catharsis for how fucked up Evan actions got to be, regardless of where those actions came from. It goes so hard.
My favorite Dear Evan Hansen songs are Good For You, Requiem, Anybody Have a Map, In the Bedroom Down the Hall (which is a demo version)
Please please listen to the rest of the songs they’re so great !! I love your reactions and input. This musical has affected my soul deeply. My favorite songs are “Good for you” and “Words fail”
I always get so excited when you do Broadway stuff because I get to giggle while someone experiences the music that makes up my life lol
THAT SO REAL
SAME
Your comments about "Sincerely, Me" show what's so great about musical theater: the multi-layered subtext and drama that you can put into a song - that you can write a jaunty, upbeat song about a kid forging letters pretending he was a dead kid's friend to make Conner's parents feel better, and literally putting words in the mouth of a dead man. Subtext is a wonderful thing :)
my favorites are anybody have a map and favorites with animatics are requiem and so big so small. I feel those two are really nice because of the perspective of grief and perspective. Also the duet with Lin Manuel miranda is really cool. They mix a song from evan hansen with hamilton.
I AM ABSOLUTELY BEGGING for you to react to for forever but the version with the four evans singing. It’s absolutely gorgeous
YES
Evan broke his arm after jumping off a tree, no one came to help him, after a long while his boss took him to the hospital, thats why in for forever its so key that he mentions conner coming to get him, he imagines what it would be like to have someone care and unknowingly builds a real relationship with a dead guy and uses it to be apart of their family where he feels cared about
PLEASE REACT TO "SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON"! It's a story about a strong, beautiful horse with a spirit that can never be broken.
I cry every time i watch it! It's a INCREDIBLE film, and the songs are so cool! But it's not a musical and the animals can't talk. 😭💔🔥
Oh yes! My childhood favorite movie. The reason I fell in love with horses. I would be over the moon if he reacted to Spirit! ❤❤❤
Omg yes please!
THE MUSIC IS AMAZINGGGG
PLEASE LISTEN TO THE MUSICAL VERSION OF *SINCERELY ME*
😊 yeah. 🥺 please 7:35
I think the caption sums up eveything i feel about DEH
If you do another part for this, I highly recommend Good For You and the movie versions of Requiem and So Big/So Small! Those two are my favorite performances from the movie, I think they’re so impactful
NOT THE MOVIE VERSION, NEVER THE MOVIE VERSION 😭. Please do the original soundtrack version of Sincerely Me if you get the chance
Me: Oh Matthew made a reaction to dear even Hansen? Thats aweso-
**THE movie starts playing**
Me: Wh.. wai- wait no- WAITNONONO-
NOOOOOO!!!!!
You were right about Connor’s parents and sister being the ones in the audience/singing at the end of You Will Be Found 🙃
And For Forever is Evan singing about a supposed day out with Connor when he broke his arm (as you likely gathered) but the real event that took place was Evan purposely falling from the tree to try to commit suicide, and failing. So yeah, Evan has a lot of issues 💀
Also, its optional, but i think you should listen to the broadway version of sincerely me because its much better!!! (still lowkey uncomfortable knowing the context though lol)
As for other songs you HAVE to listen to:
- Requiem (Connor’s family singing about their personal experiences grieving Connor)
- Disappear (the only context you need is that its Connor singing with Evan)
- Good For You (Evan’s mom and his two “friends” singing to Evan (including the one who forged the emails with him)
- Words Fail (Evan singing to Connor’s family)
If you listen in that exact order, it would make the most sense plot-wise, but its up to you! i definitely recommend these songs since they’re the ones where you see more perspectives of other characters and make sense of why Evan did what he did.
YES
The song to Connor's sister COULD be helpful IF she doesn't find out Evan is lying. If she does find out he is lying, then she learns that all of that was a lie and would have to grieve the loss of the Connor Evan invented.
As someone who only knows this musical for its songs and a synopsis, I know way too much about its storyline even if the story itself makes me very uncomfortable even if out of context I also love the songs.
But yes, Connor found Evan's suicide note and signed Evan's cast at school (after Evan's failed suicide attempt by falling out of a tree). So when Connor's parents found both "Connor's" Note to Evan and saw that Connor signed Evan's cast, they assumed they were friends. Leading to Evan going along with it in 'For Forever' by talking about Connor as if they'd been friends, because they had just lost they're son. When things spiraled, and Connor and Evan's story became viral - 'You Will be Found' - Evan finally felt heard and seen after dealing with his own suicidal issues and depression caused by a lack of friends and messy family situation. Evan's words and note ended up being the words put into Connor's mouth, and Evan definitely made it worse - 'Sincerely, Me', and 'If I Could Tell Her' - even if his original intentions were to bring the family closure with a small lie about knowing Connor.
You might want to try and listen to Ben Platt’s original music. His style is stunning. Especially the music video of Grow as we go, Andrew, Ease my mind, New, Older, & Run Away. Pretty much anything on the sing to me instead album. And there are a lot of stunners on his Reverie album as well. His voice is angelic❤ He also has some amazing songs in the politician show on Netflix.
sincerely me is my Favorite song from the musical, i'd love for you to listen to the musical version too. the movie doesn't quite do it justice, the original broadway cast was literally perfect for their roles
Requiem is my favourite from this show… maybe I’m biased because I just connect to that song on a whole other level, but it’s beautiful. It captures the essence of complicated grief where it’s partly anger at the person and partly grief of what could have been if you had more time with them. It’s honestly just amazing. Though ‘bedroom down the hall’ and ‘so big/so small’ also capture it incredibly well, both different types of grief… I know people don’t like the musical because the lies, but coming from someone who spiralled like this (not entirely in this way though obviously), it means a hell of a lot to me and helped me so much when I was younger. I just love it
despite any other video i know nothing about dear evan hansen and only heard a couple of lyrics so i’m excited of watching it for the first time too
To keep on the musical theme, if you haven't before, PLEASE watch Newsies! (The recorded broadway version with Jeremy Jordan) the dancing and singing is amazing
8:39 evan did break his arm "intentionally!"
!MENTIONS OF SU!C!D3!
vvvvvvvvv
He claims that he was climbing a tree and fell. but later in the story, he admits to his mother that it was his suicide attempt. "I didn't fall, I let go." -Evan Hansen. before admitting this to his mom, he was having an imaginary conversation with connor in his head about how he has to stop lying to himself, and admit that he actually let go. "Did you fall? Or did you let go?" -Connor Murphy.
14:58 He has anxiety and goes to therapy. Part of said therapy is him writing letters to himself on why today won't suck, but it soets turns into why it will and seems like a suicide note. It's written just like the emails Dear Evan Hansen, Sincerely Me. Connor takes it then commits suicide they think it's Connor's suicide note. He didn't explain, which is understandable sorta.
Also fun fact, the duo who wrote the songs for this show also wrote the songs for The Greatest Showman
Masters of catchy pop musical theatre
I loved Dear Evan Hansen! Hamilton was very popular around this time as well as Heathers and Be More Chill, some of my favorite musicals.
The biggest tear-jerker in this soundtrack for me is "So Big / So Small"... I highly recommend checking out the other DEH songs too, but especially "So Big / So Small" and "Requiem"!
Waving through a Window is one of my personal favourites. I was a lonely kid growing up (later found out that I had autism and that was a huve cause of my inability to communicate with most people), so I heavily related to the song.
God I would really love for you to react to the rest of the songs in this musical, with special emphasis on “Requiem”, “To Break In A Glove”, “Good For You”, and “Words Fail.” I feel like those songs really help explain the plot a bit more, and kinda give you more insight into the characters’ thoughts and motivations (along with being incredible performances)
Oh man, if you do a part 2, you should ABSOLUTELY listen to "For Forever" done by four Evan Hansen actors
I definitely recommend you listen to Ride the Cyclone. The songs are truly amazing and it’s such an underrated musical. The ending actually made me tear up a bit but it’s amazing. All the actors/actresses have beautiful, wonderful singing voices that always leave me in awe.
17:02 Til the entire sun shines on his face
For Forever is hands down the best song in the whole show and, obviously, my absolute favorite! I cry every time. I also cry to You Will Be Found, but damn For Forever just hits different.
If I Could Tell Her is Evan telling the sister all the things he's noticed as if Connor told him these things. The original song (Obvious) is actually from Connor's POV where it is Connor's sincere feelings that he never felt he could say to her. It's Evan telling her about how much he has noticed, but he isn't confident enough to admit the truth due to fear of rejection (which is completely founded considering Good For You).
Also Sincerely, Me is my friend and I's favourite song and we sing it together all the time it is so fun and silly, and the fact they're writing Connor makes it even more fun.
For Forever also is because the parents questioned him about what he and Connor did together, which is why Evan sounds so reminiscent. In reality, it's Evan finally admitting how he broke his arm, and how it wasn't an accident as such. He's trying to reach out (still not in the best way but like that's the entire point of the musical)
You Will Be Found is one of my favourite songs, and the message behind it is amazing, even if the reason Evan has to say it isn't a good thing.
Thanks for this video Mathew, and just so you know - it's supposed to be uncomfortable to watch/listen to. You make amazing content and it's great to see someone really explore the fact the musical is made to make you think
I am less than a minute into the video, so I don't know which songs you listened to... however I remember thinking it would be cool for you to do 2 dear evan hansen videos. The first would be you listening to songs from the original broadway cast album, specifically just the songs that were cut from the movie version. The second video would be you watching the full movie. I thought this would be cool because they cut so many amazing songs but they also added 2 really good songs! So now its too late for this but maybe consider doing a video about the songs that are only in either the original show or the movie and not both. I think that would be so cool (I can't suggest specific songs because I haven't watched the video yet... I'm gonna do that now...)
Ok... These are the songs you need to do next...
OG Broadway cast (not in movie):
- Anybody have a map
- Disappear
- To Break In a glove
- Good for you
Movie (not in OG Broadway cast):
- Annonymous ones
- A Little closer
From Both (and incredible):
- Requiem
- Words Fail
Yes I am aware that there's only like 2 or 3 songs that arent on this list...... but I think you need to listen to these ones... You will love them!
I absolutely adore both the movie and stage production of DEH. I have family with a ton of different disorders whether it’s social anxiety, autism, Asperger’s, ADHD +more so i sympathise a lot with Evan and so does my mother because Ben really out did himself portraying a teen with social anxiety and potentially Asperger’s. Yes, I know people are uncomfortable and or hate the movie for several reasons also it’s dark plot but I think it’s more of the fact that Evan didn’t know what he was doing was going to lead him to all of the things he did that made me really feel bad for this character, who I find to be quite lost and alone just how Connor was in many more ways than one.
This is just my little opinion on DEH and if you don’t agree it is completely fine as it is very understandable with his unintentional manipulation.
Side note, Colton Ryan who plays Connor in the movie actually was Evan for the Broadway a while back.
Idk if you've reacted to Ride the Cyclone but you definitely should if you haven't yet especially "The Ballad of Jane Doe" (by Emily Rohm) specifically the performance of it because it's very impressive what's going on while she's singing
Please, if you haven’t yet, you need to listen to Requiem. It’s one of my favorite songs due to the emotions it portrays along with the amazing vocals.
“HOW DID HE HIT THOSE RUNS?!”
me too mate, me too 😭
SOMONE GIVE THIS MAN SOME CONTEXT AND "WORDS FAIL"
You should def react to “for forever” performed by 4 Evan’s. They are all actors who have played Evan Hanson singing the song together and it’s INCREDIBLE
You should react to “4 Evans sing for forever”, the harmonies and notes they hit are incredible!
I really recomend you listen to Requiem, is my favourite song in the musical, and really adds so much more depth to Zoe's character, and her relationship with Connor.
It'd be awesome to see you react to "in the bedroom down the hall" and "so big, so small" from this same musical, specially with an animatic. They show more of the perspectives from the mothers here and very emotional tbh
If you listen to more, I recommend Requiem, but the version sung by Mallory Bechtel. They did a stripped back version with simple string instruments and a piano and its beautiful
Since alot has been covered I’ll just mention one thing at the end of you will be found you asked about why it sounded like tension at the end and that’s because Evan and Zoe kiss and officially become an item from that point
Seeing as you really enjoyed Colton Ryan as Connor in 'Sincerely Me', I would recommend checking out 'Alice By Heart'. It's created by the guy who also did Spring Awakening. Colton plays the main male role in it. While it has a completely different tone to Sincerely Me and most of Dear Evan Hansen (especially the movie version), it's still very enjoyable. If you do, I would recommend 'The Key Is' and 'Isn't it a Trial'.
i had to do you will be found my senior year for choir and i got the zoe solo at the end but BROKE DOWN CRYING IN THE MIDDLE so i couldn’t finish the solo I WAS SO UPSET WITH MYSELF LIKE
Musical theatre content?? Hell yeah Mathew!!
while you’re doing all these musicals, i strongly recommend newsies. some of my favorite songs are carrying the banner, the world will know, santa fe, king of new york and once and for all
Seeing Ben Platt in concert was a glorious moment in my life. I saw him on his Reverie tour and he sings like this the whole fricking time. It was so good, his live performances I feel like they are all great. He recently was in the musical "Parade" on Broadway, which was good as far as I heard. It is a musical that is oriented around a very very heavy topic, but it is very much worth checkin out.
I recommend watching and/or reacting to Legally Blonde the musical! It's incredibly underrated!!
I love this musical so much!! And I’m so happy you’re reacting to this! This will be a longer comment, but I hope maybe this helps if you read it. Now I love the stage show (and I do like the movie as well, but I still think they should’ve done a pro-shot when the original actors were still there). And while I understand some of the criticisms for the stage show, and a lot of them for the movie, I personally think a lot of people oversimplify the Dear Evan Hansen show and Evan Hansen himself. I feel the show is more complex than how some make it out to be.
But I wanted to answer some of the questions you had throughout the video.
1:20 - I agree with the comments that you probably should’ve just listened to ‘Sincerely, Me’ from the broadway recording bc it’s a lot better. But if you want to react to any songs from the movie, you can probably react to the songs “The Anonymous Ones” and “A Little Closer”. Both songs were added to the movie but are not apart of the original Broadway show. I like them, I know some people don’t but I think they’re nice additions to the movie (still would rather they didn’t cut some of the original songs tho, that was stupid).
3:18 - You’re right that Evan and Jared are making up emails to him and Connor. When Evan was lying, he told the parents that they used a secret email account to talk to each other. The purpose wasn’t to get popular, he did it to help the parents, but he ended up getting known later from this.
10:24 - The two people who you hear singing are Alana and Jared. Jared was the one who was helping Evan write the fake emails. Jared was the closest thing to a friend to Evan and knew that Evan was never friends with Connor. But Jared helped him anyways. So he is the only other person who knows Evan is lying. The other person, Alana, doesn’t know. She’s the kind of student who does all the extracurricular activities and extra work she can. So when Evan made a project for Connor, she jumped at the opportunity to help Evan. So yea, Alana doesn’t know but Jared does.
12:50 - So about Evan and Connor’s sister, Zoe. Evan has a crush on Zoe, he has had this crush way before this event. When Even was writing the letter he wrote to himself, he wrote about Zoe, saying nice things about her. But at some point, Conner, trying to be nice and handing it back to Evan, sees Zoe’s name in it. Connor got upset and took the letter. For this song, Evan at this point was being invited to their home. Zoe asked Evan if what Connor wrote in the letter was true (of course not knowing it was Evan). Evan says yes, and when she asked if there was more he said, Evan panicked again and lied to try and help her. So, he did the only thing he could do at this point, he mentioned all the things that he liked about her, and made it seem like it came from Connor. (I’m not defending this by saying that makes it ok, but it’s a reasoning why he lied).
18:02 - You got it right that he’s singing to Connor’s family. At this point, the family invited him over for dinner. Evan’s goal was just to stay for a bit, smile and nod so he’s doesn’t lie too much and leave to get it over with. But at some point, the family starts fighting with each other, with Zoe saying the Connor wasn’t a good person and they had no good memories. When they ask Evan if there were good things, he panics and, wanting to make the family feel better, the makes up this “perfect day” to help them out.
18:40 - This was fabricated, but not planned. Like it said, he panicked and just made up this perfect day and this perfect friendship on the spot.
19:30 - I’d say it’s 95% for the sake of the family, and 5% for himself. But not in a selfish way to get known. I’ll explain a bit about this in the next point.
21:50 - So when he broke him arm, there is not a car involved. What truly happened was on that day, he attempted to take his own life, so he climbed up a tree and purposely “let go” and fell, but failed and broke his arm as a result. But during the show before we know that, Evan lies to everyone else that he was simply climbing and accidentally slipped and fell. So he’s lying again in “For Forever”. Not only to the parents, but about his attempt. He can’t accept what he tried to do that day, so when making up this perfect he finds a way to lie to himself again, by saying Connor was there to help him up, when in reality Connor was never there. That’s why I said in my last point that he’s also lying for himself a bit, not to get popular, but bc he’s stuck in a continuous lie about himself, and now he found a way to help himself.
- I wanted to make a quick point here, if you react to “Good For You” at some point, please please please react to the animatic made by Ros Mo! (It has like 1.5 million views I think) It contains some of the stage speaking parts for the song that adds a lot of context and emotions to the song. So please react to that video for the song if you can.
This show is very confusing without the context of the show in between songs, so it’s understandable why you’d be confused. I luckily got to see this show in New York two years ago and the music is 1000x better in person, it was so impactful and it made me cry way too hard lol. But yea, a lot of people hate on Evan, but I don’t see him as a hero or a villain. Just a protagonist. He doesn’t do any of these things to intentionally hurt anyone or to get fame, but he did it to help in the best way he knew at the time, but sadly it got out of hand. And sure Evan got a bit more rude later in the show, but still. I’m not excusing Evan, lying about this is bad no matter what, but this is just an explanation for why he did it. As someone with really bad anxiety, I can understand how Evan feels. Waving Through a Window is a song I always say is a representation of how my brain works and it’s hard. But seeing that on stage and on screen really helped me.
Was this too long? Probably. But do I love this show too much to talk about it? Yep lol
Hey, if you liked "For Forever", there is a version where 4 different Evans sing this song and it sounds beautiful with godly harmonies.
Also if you should do a part two, then you definitely have to react to Words Fail, Requiem and Only Us (the Zoe Songs), and probably So Big/So Small 🌸
HE LISTEND TTO WHAT NOWWW
THIS IS SUCHHC ADREAM LIKE IVE WAITED AND SEACHER AND NOW I SE ETHIS N IK THIS IS 5 MONTHS AGO BUT I WA SUNAVALIBLE AT THAT TIME!! SQUEE
I could bare tomlook at the fisrt 1 song tho..
22:37 so much so that the camp I work at chose to have a bunch of elementary and middle schoolers perform this and a few other songs from Dear Evan Hansen (they choose a musical every year, and somehow this was the one they chose, even though the camp is generally very strict about clean language and keeping everything child appropriate).
I really loved the song The Annonamous Ones in the movie. But I feel like the musical is so mutch better and I really hope I get to see it in the theather one day
i am obsessed with the For Forever version that the 4 evans sang i highly recommend it it’s an amazing display of vocal talent
You should react to Be More Chill. If you want song recommendations I Love Play Rehearsal, Squip Song, More Than Survive, and Micheal in the Bathroom (Secondary recommendations: The Pitiful Children, Smartphone Hour(Rich Set a Fire) The Pants Song, Halloween) They're all great but I tried giving you the best ones and then some more because it was close, you can make two if you like the songs. Edit: Just noticed you did react, but here's some more I'd love to hear?
I would highly recommend listening to "To Break in a Glove" it's such a unique duet between Connor's dad and Evan. One of the few pieces of media in which a dad gets to express his feelings and work through grief in song. Which is another reason I like "Requiem" from this same show.
absolutely love dear evan hansen soundtrack 😩😩
22:19 Because no one came to get him
I can't believe that good for you wasn't reacted to.
If you decide to do another of this I highly recommend doing Waving through a Window, No Requiem, and Good for You, and also maybe Anybody have a Map
All of those songs from this musical are very good and will probably make you cry and also have very good animatics made for them
Sincerely Me is the best song from this musical, no question
I was in my school production of DEH, and watching Mathew react to it was so much fun. I think you'll really like "anybody has a map" because of the duet, disappear, good for you, so big so small, and waiting through a window
since you are doing a bit more of Broadway right now, please do Hadestown. It is one of the best of the modern musicals.
please! im begging!
Spoiler for the musical if you want to and haven't seen it!!!!!!!
Someone else put it best that in the first act Evan's problem was never speaking up and by the third his problem is not shutting up.
Thing is Evan doesn't start off as a bad person and he doesn't mean to be one he's just a kid who is very lonely and only has one friend. His friend (Jared) then claims to only hang out with him because his mom pays him to, so Evan feels like he has no real friends. Evan is recommended to write letters to himself about how he feels so Evan writes one and Connor (who is a bully with no friends at school) finds it and ends up basically using Evan's letter as a suicide note. His parents find it and confront Evan who is an awkward person already (and how really do you explain that you never knew this guy to his crying mom?) Evan's mom is away from home a lot and his dad left when he was a kid. So now because of this letter Connor's parents want to get closer to him to hear stories about their son, these stories are what Evan and Jared make up. When Connors speech goes viral (Evan didn't mean for this only to give Connor a sendoff and be done with the lies) it brings him new friends and popularity which leads him to keep lying instead as he gets close with Connor's family. By the end it all blows up in his face and he's left with just his mom again. A lot of great songs were left out from the movie so I'd recommend the musical album for more great songs.
One of the many things I find powerful about DEH is the fact that there's so much positivity and goodness that comes out of a messy and objectively flawed situation. Like Evan's not a paragon, he's a messed up and traumatized kid in a really difficult situation just trying to make the best of things and do right by everyone as best he can without destroying himself in the process and damn if that doesn't resonate with me. There's beauty and goodness in the world and you don't have to be a paragon to be part of that and you don't have to do perfect acts of goodness to do good. You will be found, yes, but you are also worthy of being the one who finds.
I really loved your analysis in this video. 21:38 FYI, Evan broke his arm from falling off a tree. And what breaks my heart every time that he lies that Connor came to get him after his attempted suicide, because no one was there for him then.
WHY THE MOVIE VERSION OF SINCEERLY ME, MATHEW??? NOOO THE BROADWAY IS SO SO SO MUCH BETTER 😭😭
_P.S. you _*_NEED_*_ to react to "Good For You", and "So Big / So Small" YOU _*_NEED_*_ TOO_
You should react to the 4 Evans version of For Forever… the harmonies are 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
I’m so happy u listened to for forever!! It’s such a pretty sounding song but I can’t believe you didn’t listen to requiem, good for you, anybody have a map or so big / so small. requiem is so messed up with context but it’s so pretty and heartbreaking
Watching other people react to Ben Platt's angelic voice is hilarious to me 😂 he has his own music too, and I highly recommend you check it out!
I’ve been wanting that reaction for so long!!!
13:07 "Please tell me it's not with the sister...maybe it won't be as bad as I'm thinking" with "If I Could Tell Her" as the background is peak dramatic irony.