Dear Ben Platt, please move on: Sincerely, me
Following the trend of many other Broadway musicals, “Dear Evan Hansen” made it to the world of Hollywood. Produced by Marc Platt, the movie is set to be released in theaters on Sept. 24. The Broadway fans are divided over this movie for multiple reasons.
For the non-theater nerds, “Dear Evan Hansen,” written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, is a Broadway musical that opened in 2016. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a teenager who struggles with severe social anxiety. Part of his therapy is writing letters to himself. One of these letters ends up in the hands of another student who commits suicide. When the letter is found by the victim’s parents, Evan digs himself into a hole of lies to protect himself from being isolated again. As Evan discovers what it means to belong, he is torn by his choices. The show follows his journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
There are not many differences between the stage and the film. When you turn a Broadway show into a movie, you expect some change. The director of “Dear Evan Hansen” has removed five of the original songs, added one new one and rewritten the ending to give Evan a full character arc, which the show left to assumption.
One of the biggest disputes started with the star of the movie. Ben Platt, now 28 years old, originally starred as the socially awkward high schooler in 2016. Five years later, Ben has been recast for the role, and the fandom is split. Half believe that he looks too old for the role, while half claim that it doesn’t matter.
The controversy is deepened by the fact that Broadway costar Laura Dreyfuss was not cast in the movie and was instead replaced by a younger Kaitlyn Dever. When this is taken into consideration, fans bring up the discussion of nepotism because, from a distance, it seems that Marc Platt may be playing favorites by casting his son. Ben Platt’s comments make it seem even more possible.
Ben Platt responded to the hate on Twitter in a YouTube interview. He believes that his acting on Broadway created the character and there would not be a movie if he was not starring in it. Ben does admit that his sentiment is “not entirely true,” and there will never be actual proof for or against it. “The performance will speak for itself regardless of what the haters say.” To his credit, Ben shaved his arms and face religiously to appear younger during production to make his performance more believable.
The true test will come when the movie is released on the 24th. Catch it in theaters near you!
By Annelise Jacobs