The deh novel, no matter how it was written, would NEVER have been good.
Or at least, never been able to come close to matching the musical in quality.
(warning, overcomplicated theatre theory ahead)
First we need to look at why deh works so well on stage, and for that we need to specifically look at the staging, and the role it plays on the presentation.
One of the key themes the show presents is loneliness and isolation. The set is reflective of this- it only features one specific part of a room, for example a bed or a sofa, or no set at all. This amplifies the sense of isolation, since the scenes play out against a complete black background. The audience sees this as snapshots of the real world, not the real world itself, but is still able to relate to the characters through the naturalistic acting.
Another theme, social media, is conveyed through the screens suspended above the stage, and with the fourth wall breaks in Evan and Jared's conversations. It's physically presented as a void of swirling messages that is detached from reality.
It also goes without saying that music is an integral part of the show- as is the sound design. That plays into the social media theming, especially in the scenes during YWBF and before Words fail, where disembodied voices represent comments. Once again, creating a physical presentation of something that would otherwise not be heard, increasing its prominence within the narrative.
There is a certain level of suspension of disbelief that comes with any theatre production, mainly when it comes to musicals. This is how the Connor of Evans conscience can appear physically on stage, without needing an explanation of how that would work in real life. It is also how the audience realises that this is Evans portrayal of Connor, and not the person he actually was. And, it ties in to the aforementioned theme of social media presented physically.
This kind of suspension of disbelief is entirely impossible to create with a novel.
Dear Evan Hansen is not a fantasy. It is deliberately written to make the audience feel as if the events could happen in real life, and that's where its emotional power comes from.
But if a book is presented as being realistic, there is almost no suspension of disbelief from the reader. They won't accept Connor and Evan talking, because they will expect a reasoning for it. In the musical, it is Evans internal monologue- in the novel, it would make him come off as a psychopath, or make Connor seem like a ghost. Unless it is explained in depth, which removes all subtlety.
But without Connor's conversations with Evan, his intentions become clouded. Visually, we forget that Evan is the one making up his arguements with Connor, and see that he genuinely believes he has good reasoning to continue lying. When this is removed, we're left with a character entirely convincing himself that it's okay, without any outside input.
Let's say, however, that they would manage to make this work. That means it's fixed, right?
Remember what I said about the importance of staging to the theme of isolation?
In a novel, it's only natural to explore the setting a scene takes place in. Every story needs a universe, and that requires worldbuilding. The reader pictures the settings in their mind, and pictures the events taking place there.
So the sense of isolation built up by the staging is entirely null and void.
Think about the staging of Words Fail, for example. Think of how crushingly alone Evan looks, a speck on a huge, blank stage, a single spotlight illuminating him and nothing else. Think of how much it seems like he is worlds away from reality.
Now think about the image of Evan, stood alone in the Murphy's dining room.
That can be applied to most of the more impactful moments. The simplistic choreography of WTAW, the bright blue light of Finale, even just the conversations between Evan and Jared on the internet. They all lose a lot of their impact when they become too realistic.
This also means that the key theme of social media- arguably one of the most, if not the single most important theme of the show- is lost completely. Reading about a character seeing mean comments is miles away from being able to physically hear them, piling on top of each other until the amount of voices becomes overwhelming, and being able to physically see them on stage.
The impact of Dear Evan Hansen is something that can never be brought to justice with words alone. Words, in this way, truly do fail.
