The play opens on a dark stage with a bed, a laptop and a lamp. Behind this set scrolls an endless newsfeed cascade — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram — paired with the incessant sounds of notification alerts. Cute-yet-discordant, the noises are continual until Evan Hansen takes the stage.
Hansen, played by Stephen Christopher Anthony, is a socially-anxious teenager dealing with depression and disconnection. As a coping exercise, his therapist instructs him to write a letter to himself: "Dear Evan Hansen, Today is going to be a great day, and here’s why…"
Evan’s letter gets stolen by fellow troubled student, Connor Murphy, who then commits suicide. When Connor’s parents find Evan’s note in Connor’s pocket, they believe it’s Connor’s suicide note. Though Evan barely knew Connor in life, he’s unable to explain the truth to Connor’s parents, leading him to invent the story of a friendship with Connor.
