Today is Dear Evan Hansen's last day on Broadway and I have a lot of thoughts and feelings.
May 1, 2022 was a good day and here's why. On that day, I got to see Dear Evan Hansen on tour. I first found the show in 2017 when a couple of my favorite YouTubers started taking about it and covering some of the songs. I immediately knew that this was a show I had to see. I spent the next several years avoiding spoilers, and even the soundtrack, hoping that one day I could experience the show first-hand the way it was intended to be experienced—at the theater. Finally, after 5 long years of waiting, the show found me.
I will never forget the feeling. Sitting in a room with hundreds of strangers, all of us crying together, laughing together, feeling together. Hearing the words "you are not alone" and actually believing them, because the proof was right in front of me and right behind me and directly to my left and directly to my right. We all saw ourselves on that stage that day. All of us. And we were anything but alone. It was magical. A picture perfect afternoon.
I have never connected so deeply to a piece of art before. Ever. Dear Evan Hansen has given me the language to express my most complex emotions. It taught me that I'm not the only one who slams on the brake before they even turn the key. It gave me hope that I could step into the sun. It convinced me that I still matter. And even when the dark comes crashing through or when I feel like letting go, Dear Evan Hansen is a constant reminder that I am me and that's enough.
Shows end all the time. I know that. But why is this one hitting me so hard? I've been thinking a lot about that and I think a big reason is because Dear Evan Hansen is not just a show that people enjoy. It is a show that saves lives, a show that heals people, a show that connects people, a show that helps us understand each other. I can't express how grateful I am to have gotten to experience it, and my heart hurts for those who may not ever have the chance to.
All this talk about endings, though, I think it's important to acknowledge that the memories aren't going anywhere. The memories are staying right here.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who made this show happen. The writers, the actors, the musicians, the crew, the fans—everyone. Dear Evan Hansen is one of the best gifts the world has ever received and I'm confident that its legacy will live on For Forever.
Sincerely, Me
