Are you a serious Broadway fan? Do you want the Tony Awards every year and know every bit of musical theater history? If you’re always listening to cast recordings, here’s what your favorite show says about you.
Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of Evan, a high school kid who finds himself caught in a lie after a classmate completes suicide. The show originally starred Ben Platt, who quickly became a household name and won a Tony Award for his performance as Evan. It features music by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. You might know their work in The Greatest Showman and La La Land. Evan Hansen is an emotional show, and the New York Times called it “a gut-punching, breathtaking knockout of a musical.”
If this is your favorite show, you’ve probably bought Dear Evan Hansen Tickets several times, needing to see every Evan from Platt to Jordan Fisher. You belt along to “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found.” You cry listening to “Words Fail” and “So Big/So Small.” You might be a high schooler, but you could also be in your twenties, thirties, or older. People who love this show appreciate the experience, including the highs and lows. If this is your favorite show, you probably feel a lot and you aren’t afraid to show it.
Hamilton
Hamilton is a household name at this point, and not just the famous historical figure on whom the show is based. It won eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda spent years developing the show, which started as a mixtape. President Obama and First Lady Michelle were among the first people to hear what would become the smash show. Hamilton opened Off-Broadway and then on Broadway in 2015 and quickly became popular. Fans loved the Grammy Award-winning music, which combines pop, rap, hip hop, and classic musical theater.
Hamilton fans are a pretty diverse crew. You might have seen the show in previews and then entered the “Ham for Ham” lottery every night once it opened. You might have never seen the show, but you have every word of the music memorized. Your favorite song might be “Satisfied” while your friend’s favorite song is “My Shot.”
Like the show itself, the fan base is made of different people with different tastes. Maybe you’re a more hardcore fan who went to check out new and used boats in Brick, NJ so you could reenact Hamilton and Burr’s famous duel. No matter what your level of fandom is, you can all agree on one thing: Hamilton is a masterpiece.
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a wildcard show. An adaptation of the 1988 movie, the show opened in the spring of 2019 to mixed reviews. With music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, a relative newcomer to Broadway, the musical features crazy sets, hair, and costumes. Fans (and many critics) loved the performances of Alex Brightman as Beetlejuice and Sophia Anne Caruso as Lydia.
“Dead Mom” is a teen angst anthem, and fans of the film will appreciate the inclusion of “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).” The show is a wild ride, and despite a few hiccups in the production itself (it will soon be ousted from the Winter Garden Theatre in favor of a Music Man revival), its fans are obsessed.
If you prefer Beetlejuice to Dear Evan Hansen, you probably love a little more mischief and mayhem. Though both shows ultimately remind audiences that there is plenty of good in the world, they do so in very different ways. Beetlejuice is a loud and crazy romp the likes of which Broadway fans don’t often get to see. If you love this show, you probably like things big and bold.
We’ll see you at the theater!
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