Thank you for sharing your experience. This is my absolute favorite show. I managed to see it a total of 13 times before the tour closed this summer. I got to see 4 different actors play Evan, including Anthony Norman and Jeffrey Cornelius. Both are incredible. I was also lucky enough to meet most of the cast at one point or another - who are all just wonderful people. The reason I love this show so much is how layered it is. There's so many different layers and I think that's why people can walk away each taking something different from the show. The big debate has always been whether Evan is a villain or not in this story. I don't think he's a villain or a hero here, I think he's just human. He made mistakes like we all do, his just snowballed out of control and ended up hurting a lot of people. But if you really pay attention you'll notice that almost everyone lies - not just Evan. Alana lies about knowing Connor too, calling him her 'close acquaintance' and even going so far as to start a blog about their friendship. Jared lies about Connor in order to make money selling buttons, and then helps Evan with his lies too. There is mention of the rest of their classmates who all suddenly care so deeply about this kid that no one talked to or liked while he was there. Evan's lie is the only one that gets attention though and so the scrutiny ends up being focused on him, even though everyone else is essentially doing the same thing on a lesser scale. I also love how out of something bad, good things can still come. Throughout the heartache they faced, Connor's parents needed something to bring them back together and it was Evan's lies that did that. Alana needed something to make her feel relevant and it was the Connor Project that gave her a purpose. Zoe needed something to connect with her brother again and it was Evan that helped her do that. Even Larry, who seems to have got caught up in being the stern parent, had to remember that boy he raised and how important it is to be present in peoples lives instead of caught up in his work. They all needed something. Lastly, the music is incredible and relateable. I think we've all had moments of feeling alone. The story resonates with so many people because like you said, no matter who you are you can find something on that stage that hits home for you. We can see the flaws of each of these characters and recognize them in ourselves and it makes it feel very real and powerful. The ending is not exactly a triumph, because Evan loses everything he gained - he lost Zoe, all his new friends and his dignity in part. But he gained a renewed sense of self and repaired the relationship with his mother. Some good came out of the bad. But that's really life in a nutshell isn't it? We're not living in a Disney movie... life is messy and unkind, unpredictable and sometimes rough. But it has it's beautiful moments that blossom from the chaos and make it all worth it.
My daughter (in the photo) and I went to see the show on Saturday as well ! I , too, eagerly awaited seeing Anthony Normann, and was so disappointed to see the other guy. Nothing personal, but I don’t think he had what it took vocally, and there were times where it seemed like he was “acting.“ I have never seen it in person before, so it was still a wonderful experience. I loved the show, but I really want to go back and see Anthony!
Thank you for sharing your experience. This is my absolute favorite show. I managed to see it a total of 13 times before the tour closed this summer. I got to see 4 different actors play Evan, including Anthony Norman and Jeffrey Cornelius. Both are incredible. I was also lucky enough to meet most of the cast at one point or another - who are all just wonderful people.
The reason I love this show so much is how layered it is. There's so many different layers and I think that's why people can walk away each taking something different from the show. The big debate has always been whether Evan is a villain or not in this story. I don't think he's a villain or a hero here, I think he's just human. He made mistakes like we all do, his just snowballed out of control and ended up hurting a lot of people.
But if you really pay attention you'll notice that almost everyone lies - not just Evan. Alana lies about knowing Connor too, calling him her 'close acquaintance' and even going so far as to start a blog about their friendship. Jared lies about Connor in order to make money selling buttons, and then helps Evan with his lies too. There is mention of the rest of their classmates who all suddenly care so deeply about this kid that no one talked to or liked while he was there. Evan's lie is the only one that gets attention though and so the scrutiny ends up being focused on him, even though everyone else is essentially doing the same thing on a lesser scale.
I also love how out of something bad, good things can still come. Throughout the heartache they faced, Connor's parents needed something to bring them back together and it was Evan's lies that did that. Alana needed something to make her feel relevant and it was the Connor Project that gave her a purpose. Zoe needed something to connect with her brother again and it was Evan that helped her do that. Even Larry, who seems to have got caught up in being the stern parent, had to remember that boy he raised and how important it is to be present in peoples lives instead of caught up in his work. They all needed something.
Lastly, the music is incredible and relateable. I think we've all had moments of feeling alone. The story resonates with so many people because like you said, no matter who you are you can find something on that stage that hits home for you. We can see the flaws of each of these characters and recognize them in ourselves and it makes it feel very real and powerful. The ending is not exactly a triumph, because Evan loses everything he gained - he lost Zoe, all his new friends and his dignity in part. But he gained a renewed sense of self and repaired the relationship with his mother. Some good came out of the bad.
But that's really life in a nutshell isn't it? We're not living in a Disney movie... life is messy and unkind, unpredictable and sometimes rough. But it has it's beautiful moments that blossom from the chaos and make it all worth it.
My daughter (in the photo) and I went to see the show on Saturday as well ! I , too, eagerly awaited seeing Anthony Normann, and was so disappointed to see the other guy. Nothing personal, but I don’t think he had what it took vocally, and there were times where it seemed like he was “acting.“
I have never seen it in person before, so it was still a wonderful experience. I loved the show, but I really want to go back and see Anthony!
Thx for sharing 👍😁😁😁
Who was the actor that you saw as Evan?
Jeffrey Cornelius