I have a lot of feelings…
Today, Universal dropped the full trailer for its upcoming musical Dear Evan Hansen. Ben Platt reprises his Tony-winning role as the titular character Evan Hansen, an isolated and anxious high school student. The film version adds Julianne Moore as his mother. Kaitlyn Dever, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Colton Ryan round out the cast.
The Broadway production keeps things very tight. Sets are isolated to a handful of houses and a giant wall of screens to highlight the impact of social media on the story. But the film opens things up quite significantly (He’s climbing the tree! There’s a roller coaster!), so it will be interesting to see if the film has the same impact as the near-claustrophobic stage version did.
The songs are there, though, including “Waving Through a Window,” “For Forever,” and “You Will Be Found.” It’s unclear what they’re doing with Julianne Moore’s character’s songs, or if they’re giving Adams a larger role in the film with songs of her own.
And then there’s the issue of Platt’s age. They’re clearly trying to make him look younger with a new wig. Jury’s out on that one. UPDATE: This may be Ben Platt’s real hair. Stay tuned…
Still, watching the trailer with my kids who love the Benj Pasek and Justin Paul score, I couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed. I’m a sap.
Dear Evan Hansen opens only in theaters on September 24.
