there are gigantic screens everywhere. even as you sit down in the theatre, various forms of social media are scrolling and scrolling across the stage. twitter, instagram, facebook, everything. itâs all going and going and going. it never stops (except for in key emotional moments, such as âso big/so smallâ). itâs a constant stream of light and noise and motion.
[some early designs from set designer david korins] (also! none of these photos are mine! theyâre either from google images or a screenshot of the boot.)
during key scenes, itâs almost as though the stage is a character. thereâs notifications constantly lighting up behind characters. it so clearly encapsulates the constant attack of alerts and buzzing and reminders (most of which lead to no real human connection) that todayâs teenagers face every single day.Â
theyâre always there. the light, the projections, itâs there constantly, just barely in the background, nagging at the edge of your mind and the charactersâ minds.
the hazy greens and blues that constantly surround evan whenever heâs alone really focus on his pure, unadulterated, all-consuming solitude.Â
evanâs letter blares across the stage constantly as well, during âfor foreverâ, ârequiemâ, etc. almost every time the letter is mentioned, really, it appears, either in its entirety or in small parts. (also, note the projections of trees during this scene where cynthia sits on connorâs bed and reads some of the faked emails).
the letter is constantly there, shining either behind evan or across his face. a constant reminder of what heâs done, of what made everything fall apart, of how he really feels, deep inside.
as he talks to âconnorâ, who is really a manifestation of either evanâs guilt or his anxiety or his depression depending upon who you ask, the letter is thrown across the stage, seen in snippets. a never-ending reminder to the audience that this (connor and evanâs ârelationshipâ) isnât real and was founded upon a miscommunication (in this age of constant communication!!!) and then a lie.
also, chat posts are projected during âwaving through a windowâ (all the times evan tried to reach out, or wanted to, but failed).
thereâs one moment, during âyou will be foundâ where larry finally begins to accept his sonâs death. when he finally breaks down, finally cries. he rushes over to his wife and hugs her close. then:
the image of their son is projected around them, his memory flooding every aspect of the show. connor is so constantly present, whether itâs through the lighting (connorâs face, name, or his ânoteâ are almost always somewhere in the set)
it keeps going and going and going. all the time. constantly. itâs never ending.
whenever one of the characters is directly addressing an audience (see: livestreaming about the connor project) their exact image with real-time video is projected all around them. a reminder of how everything we do nowadays is amplified, seen, watched, and judged.
[some of the designers for dear evan hansen look over their projection boards] do you see how complicated this all is!
but not only is the lighting of dear evan hansen astoundingly intricate. the set itself is also complex. while, from the outside, the stage is fairly standard, with no big adornments, this is just a first-glance. the entire stage is constantly in motion. behind the six or seven gigantic panels (and more slightly smaller ones) that are constantly raised up and down, the items on the stage also move.
during âanybody have a mapâ, evanâs bed (with evan atop it) moves backwards, mechanically, gliding across the stage, while the murphysâ dining table slides in from the right. the entire show is automated. no stagehands ever enter the picture. itâs just the characters. just the eight actors and the frenzied world around them.
while the actual items on the stage are fairly simpleâall in order to be realisticâthe methods used for this type of movement are not. itâs incredibly complex and difficult to easily and swiftly move gigantic pieces of set, such as the table above, with actors on top, off the stage without fail.
then, thereâs the final scene. the final look. the set shifts. the panels rise, the seemingly otherwise constant notifications disappearing. the band and orchestra, who had been hanging from the ceiling, attached to a pole and the left edge of the stage, this entire time, are fully seen. the orchard is revealed, small trees, signs of new growth. evan stands off to one side, gazing out into the audience. the blue color of the projections fade, revealing a pink and purple sunset. the lights dim on the other actors and raise on evan.Â
the lighting and set design of dear evan hansen is beyond innovative. itâs something that hasnât been done before, at least not to this level, and it makes the entire experience of seeing the show that much more immersive and overwhelming. itâs truly amazing, and i applaud everyone involved with the creative aspects of this incredible show.
dededos
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
vaporwave
areudirty
kianamaiart
janainaart
