Last night we watched the Lowestoft Players production of Dear Evan Hansen. I know the show. Friends who have seen it have said how good it is. They were right. An excellent cast created a memorable performance.
Evan Hansen is a socially anxious high school student. His classmate Connor Murphy commits suicide. A note in Connor’s pocket starting ‘Dear Evan Hansen…’ leads to a misunderstanding, that then leads to a web of lies that spirals out of control.
When I was teaching, I was sometimes required to step in to take a class at the last minute. With no time to prepare I had a number of lessons ‘up my sleeve’. One of them started with the question, ‘Is it ever right to tell a lie?’
We might talk about parents who insist on truthfulness, but then talk about Father Christmas… presents given that we don’t really like, but not wanting to upset the good friend who gave it… trying to shield family loved-ones from a painful truth…
Dear Evan Hansen reminded me that sometimes truth isn’t that straight forward. Each of the main characters – Evan’s mum, Connor’s family, fellow students – had personal problems – loneliness, failure, inadequacy… Each carried unresolved, unseen, long-term burdens.
Caught up in their own worlds, Connor’s unexpected death brought different responses. For some believing the story they heard made his death more convenient, more palatable than the hidden truth…
This morning I read Zechariah chapter 8. Israel as a nation had messed up, been taken into exile, and were finally returning to Jerusalem to make a fresh start. God’s instructions include, ‘Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgement in your courts… Love truth and peace.’
With Evan Hansen the situation could only be resolved when lies were admitted and truth was established. It was an exceedingly painful process, but it was necessary. Evan and his mum, Connor’s family, and fellow-students didn’t lose their problems, but they could move forward making a fresh start that was built on truth.
