Michael Lee Brown as Evan Hansen
*Minor plot spoilers ahead
Michael has a gorgeous voice. He uses more vibrato than either Ben or Colton, which was a tiny bit jarring only because I'm not used to it in this role with these songs, but he sounded GREAT at all times. I also think he really doesn't need to use the vibrato as much; when he holds a high note without it, his voice is to. Die. For.
I was struck how Michael's Evan is most believably a high school teenager. I have no idea of MLB's actual age, but he's the only Evan during which it never once seems like this is an adult man playing a teen, if that makes sense. This lends an added vulnerability to his portrayal.
It also makes the eventual Evan/Zoey romance a bit less believable, because since he feels so young, Zoey actually seems like the older student. For her to fall for Evan in this dynamic doesn't feel quite as realistic. I honestly think a few more performances in the role would easily take care of that, though, and help them find a more credible romantic bond.
There are acting choices that MLB makes that I like very much; specifically a part where he got an audience laugh out of a line that had never gotten one before (that I don't even think was written for a laugh.) Naturally, because I slept before posting this, I now CANNOT REMEMBER the line. GAH!
WTAW was sung spectacularly. I think the singing was the focus here because of the importance of the song to the show, and he was holding back a bit acting-wise in favor of getting the notes right, which he definitely did. More turns in the role will also help there, as it will with You Will Be Found. It was sung *beautifully*, and just needs more palpable panic from MLB's Evan when he drops his note cards mid-speech.
I love love LOVED MLB's dynamic with Rachel. It felt like Michael's different portrayal of Evan gave her something substantively new to work with, and she KILLED it. This was one of the best performances for her of the seven I've seen. At the moment when out of pain, Heidi sarcastically apologizes for not being able to give Evan certain things, and Evan bites back, "It's not my fault other people can!", the audience audibly gasped. It was this huge "oh no he DIDN'T" moment, which I've never seen happen quite like that at that point in the show. VERY dramatic.
Particularly because that moment was so harsh, Evan needs to be especially overwhelmed by what he's done in "Good For You," and I didn't quite feel that. Again, I believe this is down to the newness of performing the role. I think remembering where he had to move on stage during the song was likely the priority here.
I also felt that Will Roland's performance got a new life playing opposite Michael. He had the audience in the palm of his hand every time he opened his mouth. It was fantastic.
Words Fail. Boy howdy, there aren't enough ways to say how thoroughly Michael CRUSHED this. Snot bubbles glistening and visible from Row L, y'all. What I especially like is how he was able to act this full-out, yet made the conscious choice to almost never drop the melody in favor of the drama (something both BP and CR do more of.) I don't think it's necessary to growl the lyrics quite so much to sustain the dramatic effect, and Michael proved this definitively last night. So, so good.
In conclusion, this performance just solidifies my belief that as great as he is, this show doesn't need Ben Platt to survive and thrive. The audience was all in for Michael's performance, just as they are for Colton when he plays the role. If you see the show, #YouWillBeFound no matter which Evan you're fortunate enough to experience. <3
