Natasha, Pierre and Evan Hansen: Mental Health in the 2016-17 Broadway Season

TW: depression, self-hate, suicide, suicide attempt, mental health and lack of self-esteem.

Musical theatre has served as the form of choice for which various composers have chosen to explore mental health. Consider the representation of depression in Spring Awakening, Clara’s secret in The Light in the Piazza and the exploration of Diana’s schizophrenia in Next to Normal. In 2017, two Tony Award nominated musicals competing for the Best Musical award represented mental health on stage. An adaptation of a section of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 was written by composer, lyricist, book writer, orchestrator and actor Dave Malloy. Following runs off-Broadway at Ars Nova, a temporary venue in New York’s Meatpacking District and the American Repertory Theater, The Great Comet opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre, after 32 previews, on 14th November 2016[1]. Meanwhile, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen also became a favourite amongst audiences and critics. In 2017, Variety’s Jon Burlingame wrote in the run up to The Greatest Showman’s cinema opening that, ‘two are the hottest songwriters in America after their Oscar win for “La La Land” in February and their Tony win for “Dear Evan Hansen” in June.’[2] As the season progressed, Dear Evan Hansen became respected for representing mental health on a Broadway stage. However, The Great Comet was received as being escapist. Critic Tulis McCall deemed the show a ‘pageant’[3] and that, ‘everything settles into predictability’[4], in criticism of the plot. Whilst Dear Evan Hansen’s marketing around the ‘You Will be Found’ message projected the musical as being the musical discussing mental health of the season, The Great Comet’s representation of depression is integral to the musical. This is evident in the character of Pierre.

The Great Comet began as an act of human connection. As explained in an interview during one of the shows early productions Malloy stated that he, ‘read the book while I was working on a cruise ship…I actually had a girlfriend on land and one of the ways that we stayed together was…so let’s just take the biggest book ever, War and Peace, and let’s read it together’[5]. Malloy adapted a seventy-page section of Tolstoy’s novel, which centres around countess Natasha’s love affair with Anatole. Meanwhile, Pierre is dealing with depression whilst navigating a whole he doesn’t feel comfortable in.

This exploration of depression through Pierre was somewhat hidden in the show’s deceptive production choices. The Broadway production was impressively lavish, with lush costumes and a re-decorated theatre. Mimi Lien’s set design was immersive, with ‘Winding platforms snake through the house, and two staircases swirl up from the main floor to the mezzanine…[and] the use of more than 20,000 Swarovski crystal beads on some 31 gold starburst chandeliers throughout the house’[6]. The design dropped audience members into nineteenth century Russian society and created a sense of opulence around the production, a far cry from Dear Evan Hansen’s naturalistic design. Whilst transforming the design to an arena of opulent Tolstoian society may have created a sense of escapism, this was deceptive. Discussing Tolstoy’s novel and his adaptation, Malloy discussed the juxtaposition of the ‘incredible spectacle and joyful celebration of life, there’s these giant epic dance sections where people are toasting audience members and the audience is shaking along with the egg shakers…there’s also these scenes that really then zone in on these very internal psychological moments’[7]. Just as comedic moments highlight the depths of drama, the celebratory atmosphere in the theatre only strengthened the more sombre moments. This is evident in the song ‘Pierre’, which follows the jubilant ‘Prologue’. Malloy’s asserts Pierre’s state of mind in his realisation that he, ‘can't go on / Living as I am’[8]. Pierre recognises that the world of Russia’s elites, which he has recently become a part of, is artificial. Living through a war, he condemns the fact that ‘I drink too much / Right now, my friend fights and bleeds’[9]. Whilst this song does not yet present Pierre as suffering from depression, Malloy sets up thoughts which later culminates in ‘Dust and Ashes’, a song which follows Pierre’s attempt at suicide[10]. Pierre’s profound dissatisfaction is evident at this early stage, comparing his own existence to his best friend Andrey, who is fighting in a war.

In the foreword for the released tie-in edition of the seventy page section of the novel, Malloy stated that he, ‘loved subverting the form of the common two-couple musical (e.g., Guys and Dolls, Hello Dolly!, West Side Story) by having one of our “couples” be an existential relationship, that of Pierre and society/God/himself.’[11] This latter relationship is significantly explore in ‘Dust and Ashes’, Pierre’s solo written for the Broadway production. Throughout much of the song, particularly in the earlier verses, Malloy frequently utilises questions, highlighting Pierre unease and anxiety. Pierre’s questioning is primarily through the lens of his self-loathing, asking, ‘Is this how I die? / Pretending and preposterous / And dumb’[12]. Having gone through a period of heavy drinking up to this moment, Pierre reconsiders his life, whilst also condemning his place in society. He has been given his late father’s estate and title, a fortune which has raised his social standing and which it is evident he does not feel he belongs in, as evidenced by Malloy’s use of ‘pretending’ here. Combined with his numbness evident in, ‘Nothing’s left / I looked everywhere’[13], Malloy conveys that Pierre is clearly suffering from depression. In exploring the song as conveying Pierre’s emotional state, critic Hailey Bachrach stated that, ‘In the case of Pierre’s sadness, this allows Malloy to give a sense of narrative to something that, from the character’s perspective, feels unrelenting and unchanging.’[14] Indeed, Pierre is resigned to a life in an unsatisfying marriage surrounded by individuals he cannot connect with. As such, Pierre remains caught in his depression until this culminates in his epiphany that, ‘when we fall in love we wake up’[15]. Evidently, romance alone will not alleviate his depression. Yet, it is clear that the climax of ‘Dust and Ashes’ acts as a turning point for Pierre as he demonstrates a desire for change, a rebirth. This realisation suggests that this is a turning point in Pierre’s mental health journey, as he recognises that he may be deserving of the love he craves. Whilst by the end of the musical he has not entirely accepted himself, believing himself to be unworthy of Natasha’s love, he at least takes a step towards self-acceptance in declaring he is ‘ready / To wake up’[16]. Indeed, Pierre’s relationship with mental health is essential to his growth throughout the musical.

The acts of connection in The Great Comet are similarly significant in Dear Evan Hansen. Inspiration for the original musical Dear Evan Hansen came from two primary sources. As reported by Playbill, book writer Steven Levenson stated that, ‘A student in [Pasek's] class died tragically of a drug overdose…suddenly in the wake the death, Benj watched as everyone wanted to claim that they had been friends with him and claim that they had been a part of this person's life.’[17] He also explained that the creatives saw that, ‘Whenever a celebrity would die or something really tragic would happen, there was this outpouring online of people kind of making it about themselves.’[18] The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school student struggling with his mental health fabricates a friendship with Connor Murphy, after he commits suicide. Evidently, the version of Evan which was ultimately placed on a Broadway stage was intended to be characterised as far more sympathetic than Pasek’s former classmates. Pasek, Paul and Levenson depict Evan’s actions as being formed by his social anxiety.

In ‘Waving Through a Window’, Pasek and Paul establish that Evan feels as if he is, ‘On the outside, always looking in’[19]. Reflecting the twenty-first century reality of experiencing life through our phones on social media, this song significantly captures Evan’s feelings of isolation. In the foreword of the musical’s released script, James Lapine stated that, ‘Dear Evan Hansen is set in our current world of…faceless and unaccountable internet/Twitter chatter…the authors bring clarity to the basic human impulse to be heard and seen’[20].This is heightened as we see Evan struggle with his anxiety throughout. Pasek and Paul utilise repetition throughout ‘Waving Through a Window’. Evan asks, ‘Did I even make a sound? / Did I even make a sound?’[21], suggesting a stutter. The song also becomes a tragic reflection on Evan’s relationship with his mental health, as Evan had attempted suicide by falling from the tree. Pasek and Paul convey that Evan has learned to survive through restraint, as evident in, ‘No slippin' up if you slip away’[22]. His social anxiety is presented as being detrimental to his daily life, preventing him from being as visible as he wishes to be, instead opting to ‘slip away’. As such, social anxiety is set up as being inextricably linked to the events of the musical and to Evan’s inner life. Yet, whilst the musical may strive to explore the psychology of Evan’s decisions and relationship with mental health, Connor’s story is absent from the narrative.

Connor becomes the puppet of both Evan and the narrative. In the ‘About the Book’ introduction of novelisation of the musical, it is stated of Evan that Evan, ‘the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.’[23] As this passage was published in the novelisation of their work, it is evident that this is an accurate representation of how the creatives viewed Connor in his creation. His worth is linked to how his premature death benefits Evan, as ‘his secret best friend’. After his passing, Connor returns as a figment of Evan’s imagination, not a full human being but an interpretation of who Connor was, as seen through Evan’s eyes. In ‘Sincerely, Me’, we see both Evan and his classmate Jared write emails to manufacture a past correspondence between Evan and Connor. ‘Connor’ is portrayed as Evan and Jared’s puppet, being assigned words by Evan in, ‘I've gotta tell you, life without you has been hard’[24]. Here, Connor’s relationship with his depression is contorted into Evan’s version of Connor’s past. Furthermore, the musical never explores Connor’s real struggles with his mental health. The real Connor appears in earlier scenes, which depict his lack of self-esteem. He declares, ‘You think I’m a freak?...I’m not the freak…You’re the fucking freak’[25] before he ‘shoves [Evan] to the ground’[26]. He is portrayed as easily angered by others perceiving him as a ‘freak’. Yet, Pasek and Paul reveal Connor’s deep loneliness and isolation in, ‘Now we can both pretend that we have friends.’[27] Here, Connor and Evan are suggested to be kindred spirits, both longing for connection. However, Connor’s experience with his mental health is never given room for exploration. The Connor we see is aggressive, evidently due to his feeling of detachment, and the ‘Connor’ audiences predominately experience is an impersonation of the teenager from Evan’s imagination.

Ultimately, both musicals have representations of mental health struggles. Whilst Dear Evan Hansen formulated their marketing around mental health, the representation in The Great Comet was just as, if not more, thorough. Despite Evan’s anxiety being centre to the narrative, Connor’s depression is never addressed meaningfully. Indeed, the musical never explores Connor’s relationship with his family through his eyes, nor explores his psychology. He is depicted as the angry outsider, a one note antagonistic figure in Evan’s life. Whereas, alongside Natasha’s love affair, The Great Comet follows Pierre’s inner journey, beginning in the midst of his depression. The titular comet becomes synonymous with Pierre’s awakening after his talk with Natasha, which opens his eyes. He has another epiphany, recognising his feelings for her and his ‘newly melted heart / Now blossoming / Into a new life’[28]. Whilst romantic love cannot ‘cure’ depression, this moment signifies Pierre’s spiritual development and that he is finally finding inner peace in opening himself up to love. Ultimately, the significance that there were two musicals in the 2016-2017 Broadway season representing mental health cannot be overstated. According to the NHS, there has been ‘a slight increase over time in the prevalence of mental disorder in 5 to 15 year olds…Rising from 9.7% in 1999 and 10.1% in 2004, to 11.2% in 2017’[29]. As such, mental health was becoming increasingly significant to society in 2017. In the years since, other musicals featuring representations of mental health have gained popularity. Take Be More Chill, which follows a socially anxious teenager as he takes a pill in order to gain popularity. The cast recording of the 2015 New Jersey production ‘became a viral hit with teenagers around the world. It was the second-most-talked-about musical on Tumblr in 2017’[30]. The rising popularity of musicals featuring representations of mental health signifies audiences’ hunger for these stories. As conversations surrounding mental health become more open in the zeitgeist, musicals such as these capture our collective growing openness.

Sources [1] Andy Lefkowitz, ‘Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Will Close on Broadway; Creator Dave Malloy to Rejoin Cast’, Broadway.com (2017) <https://www.broadway.com/buzz/188499/natasha-pierre-the-great-comet-of-1812-will-close-on-broadway-creator-dave-malloy-to-rejoin-cast/> [2] Jon Burlingame, ‘Songwriters Benj Pasek, Justin Paul Fashion High-Flying Score for ‘The Greatest Showman’, Variety (2017) <https://variety.com/2017/artisans/news/songwriters-barnum-greatest-showman-1202573848/> [3] Tulis McCall, ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812’, New York Theatre Guide (2016) <https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/natasha-pierre-and-the-great-comet-of-1812> [4] Ibid. [5] Theater Talk Archive, David Malloy & Rachel Chavkin: NATASHA, PIERRE & The GREAT COMET OF 1812, online video recording, YouTube, 1 July 2013, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4JwPxMtoP8> [6] Todd Plummer, ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Is Broadway’s Newest Design-Lover’s Dream’, Vogue (2016) <https://www.vogue.com/article/natasha-pierre-the-great-comet-of-1812-broadway-costumes> [7] Broadwaycom, The Broadway.com Show: THE GREAT COMET Creator Dave Malloy, online video recording, YouTube, 10 July 2017, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FRJAZHtEmE> [8] Dave Malloy, ‘Pierre’, in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Original Broadway Cast Recording (USA: Reprise Records, 2017). [9] Ibid. [10] Alicia Kort, ‘Dave Malloy on Creating Broadway's Hit Musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’, Paste Magazine (2017) <https://www.pastemagazine.com/theatre/the-great-comet/> [11] Dave Malloy, ‘Foreword’, in Selections from War and Peace (New York: Penguin Random House LLC, 2017), pp. iv-v (p. iv). [12] Malloy, ‘Dust and Ashes’, in The Great Comet. [13] Ibid. [14] Hailey Bachrach, ‘How One Song Changed the Arc of ‘Great Comet’’, American Theatre (2017) <https://www.americantheatre.org/2017/03/30/how-one-song-changed-the-arc-of-great-comet/> [15] Malloy, ‘Dust and Ashes’, in The Great Comet. [16] Ibid. [17] Kerri Kearse, ‘The Real-Life Story That Inspired Dear Evan Hansen, What Will Change in the London Run, and More From New York Comic Con’, Playbill (2019) <https://www.playbill.com/article/the-real-life-story-that-inspired-dear-evan-hansen-what-will-change-in-the-london-run-and-more-from-new-york-comic-con> [18] Ibid. [19] Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, ‘Waving Through a Window’, in Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Recording (New York: Atlantic Recording Corporation, 2017). [20] James Lapine, ‘Foreword’, in Dear Evan Hansen (New York: Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 2017), pp. ii-iii (p. ii). [21] Ibid. [22] Pasek and Paul, ‘Waving Through a Window’, in Dear Evan Hansen. [23] Val Emmich, Justin Paul and Steven Levenson, Dear Evan Hansen (UK: Penguin Books, 2018), p. i. [24] Pasek and Paul, ‘Sincerely, Me’, in Dear Evan Hansen. [25] Stephen Levenson, Dear Evan Hansen (New York: Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 2017), p. 7 [26] Ibid. [27] Ibid, p. 12. [28] Malloy, ‘The Great Comet of 1812’, in The Great Comet. [29] ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017 [PAS]’, NHS Digital (2018) <https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2017/2017> [30] Diep Tran, ‘Broadway-bound 'Be More Chill' is a viral — and diverse — hit’, NBC News (2018) <https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/broadway-bound-be-more-chill-viral-diverse-hit-n907671>