“Even when the dark comes crashing through, when you need a friend to carry you, and when you’re broken on the ground, you will be found.” I will never forget those lyrics to Dear Evan Hansen’s “You Will Be Found”. A wave of hope washing over as the words swirled and wrapped themselves around me. If I were to describe Dear Evan Hansen, it would be an emotional rollercoaster of fear and hope, love and loss, and the most genuine, heartfelt portrayal of grief and mental illness I have and likely ever will see. Like so many others, Dear Evan Hansen has changed my life for the better, and it will change so many more. Its soundtrack is one that will remain in my mind for the rest of my life, and I am sure that it will capture your mind as well.

Act One is full of the most recognizable songs Dear Evan Hansen is known for. The show opens with “Anybody Have a Map” which does a near perfect job of introducing the main characters, Evan Hansen (originally Ben Platt), his single mother, Heidi Hansen (originally Rachel Bay Jones), and the Murphy Family. The slightly disjointed way the lyrics are sung was a specific intention of the songwriters and lyricists, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to instantly show the disconnect between the mothers and their sons. The show then segways into “Waving Through a Window”, one of Dear Evan Hansen’s most recognizable songs. It hooks the audience into Evan’s struggle with crippling social anxiety and makes them instantly sympathize with him, while introducing the the overarching metaphor that sinks its way through the entire show. “When you’re falling in a forest and there’s nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound?”

As the events of the plot begin to unfold, the songs reflect this change, changing style and orchestration while keeping a cohesive theme. Upon an audience’s first listen to “For Forever”, the song will seem one dimensional. However, after watching the show, there is a hidden meaning that has been threaded throughout the entirety of the experience without the audience knowing until the last minute. “For Forever” segways into the high energy, laughter inducing piece, “Sincerely Me”, detailing the events of writing fake emails and sung by Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy (Mike Faist), and Jared Kleinman (Will Roland). It is a hilarious song full of jokes intended to lighten the mood, flipping the atmosphere around at the drop of the first beat. Next up is the song sung by the only daughter of the Murphy family, Zoe (Laura Dreyfuss) and her two parents, Cynthia (Jennifer Laura Thompson) and (Michael Park), “Requiem”. The lyrics perfectly capture the grief and altered reality each Murphy is living through. Covering all the bases, the next song, “If I Could Tell Her”, shows the beginning of the relationship which blossoms between Evan and Zoe. Evan shows his feelings through saying it is another person using the pronoun “he” to secretly describe himself.

Dear Evan Hansen finally shows its true colors once Act One reaches the end with “Disappear” and the famous “You Will Be Found”. The songs blend perfectly from one to the next, giving the audience the true message and purpose of the musical. “No one deserves to be forgotten. No one deserves to fade away. No one should flicker out or have any doubt that it matters that they are here. No one deserves to disappear.” “You are not alone…. You will be found.” And thus, Act One comes to a close and the audience enters Act Two where the lie built up through time comes to a catastrophic end. The first song in this act, “To Break In a Glove” which introduces a thought-provoking dynamic between Larry and Evan through the metaphor of breaking in a baseball glove. Afterwards comes a love song duet with Evan and Zoe, “Only Us”, which slowly progresses the lyrics from “it could be us” to “it can be us” to “it will be us”. A clever thing not many would notice upon their first listen. The album continues with “Good for You”, “Words Fail”, and “So Big/So Small” which take the audience through an emotional rollercoaster as everything built up throughout the show crashes down. They are beautiful songs that are unfortunately misunderstood to those who are only listening to the album without knowing the story behind the music. Finally is “Finale”, the short and sweet song that closes the show and album.

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical masterpiece that any fans of musicals or music in general would be glad to listen to. Even those who may not be the biggest fans of the style of music should listen to the message that is portrayed throughout the show and album. It the most perfect representation of mental illness, grief, and the present time that will be seen for a very long time. I highly recommend you give this album a listen, and if possible, see the show. You won’t regret it.