Dear Evan Hansen: Positive Feedback In The Broadway Industry

The majority of musicals that receive positive feedback in the Broadway industry are so popular because of their ability to relate and appeal to their audiences. I can attest to the popularity from my own experiences with and in musicals. For example, Dear Evan Hansen is a musical that is rapidly growing to be known to the public as one of the best musicals of all time. It is based off of a true story about the modern day trials and tribulations of high school life. A normal high school student Evan suffers from social anxiety and lacks motivation to make any emotional connections with anyone. One of Evan’s classmates commits suicide and Evan becomes involved in the tragedy. The concept for this story was based off of true events that occurred

The digital age has caused a shift in the way musical theatre is marketed and who it is marketed to. Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen, are part of a new and young generation of musical theatre writers who try to connect with potential audiences and the existing fanbase. ***“Original musicals are really tough to write. What we tried to do is write a story that would appeal to us and to our generation” (Pasek) The writers and the show are active on several social media platforms and encourage fans to record covers of Dear Evan Hansen’s popular songs. Since technology and social media are themes addressed in the show itself, it seems appropriate that the writers are using it for promotion. This method of using social media as promotion and advertisement for the show has seemed to be productive in the economic standpoint and popularity and seems to have already become more popular than one of the biggest Broadway shows, Hamilton in some ways. Although Dear Evan Hansen has a long way to go before it outpaces the modern Broadway darling Hamilton, it is already on track to be a huge