When you’re falling in a forest and there’s nobody around / do you ever really crash or even make a sound?
“Waving Through A Window” from the musical Dear Evan Hansen was played to me by a coworker in the middle of a workday over two years ago. I had no context for the musical, but she was passionately sharing her love for it and played me this song. It hit all my pressure points. It’s not the first time I’ve cried at work.
I have since listened to the soundtrack many times over, but last night I got the opportunity to finally see the show on tour at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin. I went with my friend Madeline who is an angel and initiated the plan to go together months ago.
It is an amazing show. Probably the best I’ve seen since Hamilton and the emotional portrayal of loneliness and the search for connection is a lot closer to home.
It’s the story of Evan Hansen, a teenager with a lot of anxiety and no friends, who tells a lie (with arguably good intentions) that gets out of control. It’s ultimately about finding a connection in others and finding strength in yourself.
I have a piggy bank of songs I listen to when I need some cathartic crying; “Waving Through a Window” and “Words Fail” are pretty high on the list. But so are “Disappear” and “You Will Be Found”. I have no eloquence to describe this but the soundtrack is really beautiful. And sometimes funny and mostly with a big emotional punch.
I’ve never seen someone outright sob and sing before — it’s masterful to witness.
Seeing it live has deepened my love for the music — and filled in some gaps I didn’t piece together from the soundtrack and a quick synopsis read a few years ago. Plus the set design was mesmerizing.
As Madeline said, the only thing it was missing was a good dance number. But it really wasn’t that kind of show.
As a reminder, Billy Elliot exists. The best of them all.
With Love,
Natalie