Evan Hansen

Ben Platt as Evan Hansen

Mark Hansen (Father)

Theresa (Step Mother)

Haley (Step Sister)

Dixie (Step Sister)

Unnamed boy (Half Brother)

Jared Kleinman (Family Friend, but we all know he's actually his friend)

Noah Galvin

Taylor Trensch

Ben Levi Ross

Andrew Barth Feldman

Robert Markus

Zachary Noah Piser

Jordan Fisher

Sam Tutty

Evan Hansen is the main character in the musical *Dear Evan Hansen*. He is the son of Heidi and Mark Hansen. He has social anxiety, which shapes his personality throughout the musical. He is in a total of 11 musical numbers. Evan attempts to find the acceptance and love he has been lacking in his life. On his journey to be found, he discovers the consequences of risking it all for the chance to be heard.

## Character Description

Evan has brown hair and blue eyes. He wears a blue striped shirt and a pair of khakis. In Act 2, he wears a blue jacket too. He is sometimes seen wearing a black backpack. His most iconic feature is the white cast on his left arm in Act 1 with a signature in large capital letters that says "Connor" from where said character signed it. Later on in the show, he's seen wearing a black hoodie, just like Connor.

## About

Evan Hansen is a 17-year-old outcast in his senior year in high school, with severe social anxiety and a broken arm. (He broke his arm attempting to commit suicide, which his was climbing a tree and letting go/falling). His only friend is Jared Kleinman, who is pretty rude to him at the beginning and denies that they're even friends at all. Evan's therapist has him write letters to himself to boost his confidence. While printing one out, Evan sees Connor Murphy, who offers to sign his cast so that they can both "pretend to have friends". Connor had grabbed Evan's letter from the printer having seen his name on it, and when going to hand it back, read part of it. Connor becomes distraught at the off-putting mention of his sister, Zoe, who Evan has a crush on. So he leaves the computer lab, taking the letter with him.

Four days later, Evan finds out that Connor died by suicide, and his letter was in his back pocket. The letter is then mistaken as a suicide note. Evan is invited to the Murphy's house for dinner. He accepts, and when he asks Jared what he should say, he just instructs him to "nod and confirm," and "don't make shit up." Evan does not follow this advice, and starts making up lies about his and Connor's relationship.

It escalates with more lies and deceit, to the point where Evan creates an imaginary Connor in his own mind that gives him advice. Eventually, Evan and Zoe get into a relationship.

He also organizes The Connor Project, "a student group dedicated to keeping Connor's memory alive" with the help of Jared and Alana Beck. But eventually, he starts neglecting it to spend more time focusing on his relationship with Zoe and the Murphy's. Eventually, he admits the truth about the letter, and it's over. No more lies. Zoe stops her relationship with him, and he patches things up with his mom who he'd had a really rocky relationship with since Connor's suicide.

After graduating, Evan takes a year off and works at Pottery Barn to save up money for college. We see him meeting up with the Zoe again, who's now a senior. They meet in the Orchard (which was made using the money raised by the Connor Project), because Zoe wanted Evan to see it. They talk for a while, and we see that Evan's anxiety has greatly improved. Evan is noticeably disappointed that their relations are not going to restart. He writes himself one last letter, the ultimate resolution in which he seems to finally accepts himself.

## Quotes

* "Dear Evan Hansen:

It turns out, this wasn't an amazing day after all. This isn't going to be an amazing week or an amazing year. Because… why would it be?

Oh, I know. Because there’s Zoe. And all my hope is pinned on Zoe. Who I don’t even know, and doesn’t know me. But maybe if I did. Maybe if I could just talk to her, then maybe… maybe nothing would be different at all.

I wish that everything was different. I wish I was part of… something. I wish that anything I said… mattered, to anyone. I mean, face it: Would anyone notice if I just disappeared tomorrow?

Sincerely, your best and most dearest friend,

Me."

* "Dear Evan Hansen:

Today is going to be a good day and here’s why. Because today, no matter what else, today at least… you’re you. No hiding, no lying. Just… you. And that’s… that’s enough.

Maybe someday, everything that happened… maybe it will all feel like a distant memory.

Maybe someday no one will even remember about The Connor Project. Or me. Maybe someday, some other kid is going to be standing here, staring out at the trees, feeling so… alone, wondering if maybe the world might look different from all the way up there. Better. Maybe he’ll start climbing, one branch at a time, and he’ll keep going, even when it seems like he can’t find another foothold. Even when it feels… hopeless. Like everything is telling him to let go. This time, maybe this time, he won’t let go. He’ll just… hold on and he’ll keep going.

He’ll keep going until he sees the sun."

## Songs Evan Is Featured In:

'Anybody Have a Map?'

In this song, Evan's mom, Heidi, expresses her frustration in not being able to connect with Evan. Evan has only a few spoken lines, in which he speaks shortly with his mother.

'Waving Through a Window'

After being shoved by Connor, Evan ponders if this is just his destiny; to never be noticed, and to not matter for the rest of his life.

'For Forever'

Evan quickly fabricates a story of how he and Connor were best friends, and that he broke his arm from falling out of a tree while out with Connor.

'Sincerely, Me'

Evan enlists Jared's help in creating fake, backdated emails between Connor and him, but Jared doesn't really take it that seriously and makes a lot of jokes.

'If I Could Tell Her'

Evan starts telling Zoe all the things that he's always liked about her, but lies and says that Connor was the one who'd said all of those things.

'Disappear'

Evan imagines Connor Murphy there, who tells him that no one should be forgotten like Connor was. This inspires Evan to create the Connor Project, a big group to make sure that Connor's memory stays alive, and everyone else's too.

'You Will Be Found'

At an assembly for the Connor Project, Evan gives a speech about how no matter what, you will be found. Someone puts a video of this online, and it quickly goes viral, causing the Connor Project to blow up in popularity.

'To Break In a Glove'

Larry Murphy, Connor's dad, offers Evan one of Connor's old baseball gloves and teaches him how to break it in for use. They bond from it.

'Only Us'

Zoe decides that she doesn't want her and Evan's relationship to just be about Connor, but about them.

'Good For You'

Heidi tells Evan off for having been lying to her about basically everything for months. Alana starts noticing a bunch of inconsistencies within the emails supposedly written between Connor and Evan, and suspects that it's all fake. And Jared is mostly heartbroken that Evan completely left him behind.

'Words Fail'

Evan finally tells the truth about everything and doesn't know how to explain his thought process during the situation.

'Finale'

Evan's finally starting to feel okay with himself, a year later. He writes himself one final letter, which is a positive, empowering letter, quite the contrast to his first letter written at the beginning of the musical.

 Trivia/Facts about Evan:

* Evan's name is actually Mark, and his middle name Evan, the reason he is known as Evan is because, while Evan's father wanted his name to be Mark, Heidi wanted his name to be Evan, so although his name is Mark, his parents call him Evan. Thusly, Evan is canon.
* Evan said that he broke his arm falling off of a tree, but this was only the first of his many lies, as later it's revealed that he did not, in fact, fall, but he let go in a suicide attempt. The creator has not confirmed as to whether or not Evan is a pathological liar.
* Evan has brown hair. This is confirmed by both the stage musical and the feature film adaptation, in which Evan’s hair is brown.
* At the beginning of the musical, Evan's only (family) friend is Jared, though Jared claims they aren't friends at several points. This changes when Evan becomes the figurehead for the Connor project, as Evan begins to grow in popularity and gain more friends, and until Good For You Jared and him seem to be on even better terms.
* Evan sees a therapist with his eyes about once every week, The therapist (Dr. Sherman) has him write letters to himself to boost his confidence. Evan types the letters on the computer, even though Evan was supposed to write. The creator has not confirmed as to whether or not Evan can write. One of these letters is the one that Connor ends up stealing and is mistaken for his "suicide note."
* Evan lives alone with his mother, Heidi, because his father moved to Colorado with his new wife (Theresa) when Evan was seven. It's heavily implied that Evan hasn't seen his father since, though he has called him on rare occasion.
* Evan was the co-president of The Connor Project with Alana Beck. The current whereabouts of Alana Beck are unknown.
* He works at a Pottery Barn at the end of the show (although this is never concisely stated in the musical). The creator has not confirmed as to whether or not Evan is good at his job.
* He has severe anxiety and takes medication to help keep it under control, he takes Lexapro and Ativan. He did stop taking them later into the musical, and it is unknown if he still takes them.
* He has a half-brother in Colorado according to the novel, and two step sisters. Evan (unfortunately) does not visit Colorado in his debut film however.
* In the book, it is revealed that when Evan left after Words Fail, he attempted suicide by trying to get run over by a car. This is his second (known) suicide attempt.
* Evan Hansen is actually a metaphor.
* Bryan Cranston has expressed interest in playing Evan Hansen, however, this may have been a joke, as Bryan Cranston is known for being a bit of a online “troll.”
* Dear Evan Hansen has come under severe scrutiny for its invention of suicide and mental health problems.
* Ben Platt plays Evan.
* Evan’s religion is not alluded to.
* Dear Evan Hansen won an award.
* Ben Platt may get married eventually, however this is highly unknown.
* The pop band “Evanescence” is not a reference to Dear Evan Hansen.
* It is unknown if Evan managed to make up with Jared or Alana by the end of the musical or afterwards, though he did make up with Zoe (they are however no longer love interests).

## Sources:

[Best Moments in Dear Evan Hansen according to the cast]

[Evan Hansen|Dear Evan Hansen Wikipedia article]

[Dear Evan Hansen (the novel) by Steven Levenson]