Before heading to Netflix in “P.S. I Still Love You” as heartthrob John Ambrose McClaren, Jordan Fisher is taking on the leading role of Evan Hansen in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. The casting decision came as a pleasant surprise to many, including myself, as he took over the role following Andrew Barth Feldman’s departure.
Even though I’ve been obsessed with the show since 2017 and seen it twice already, I went into the Music Box theatre specifically to see Fisher’s interpretation of the role- and he did not disappoint. Despite being the oldest person to play Evan at twenty-five years old, Fisher was able to accurately represent the anxiously awkward high school senior.
Since I had previously seen two other actors play the role, as well as the influx of promotional video starring Ben Platt, I was interested in how Fisher would show Evan’s anxiety. With Platt’s interpretation, there were a lot of physical ticks that made his portrayal of the anxiety very physical, while Fisher depicted the anxiety in an underlying way. Except for moments where there were anxiety attacks written into the script, there was no visible indication of the anxiety, however, it was still sensed in how Fisher presented himself onstage and the diction with which he said his lines.
Check out the Dear Evan Hansen Instagram here.
This is not to say that the intense moments of the show were underwhelming- it was actually the opposite. Before singing the act one finale “You Will Be Found,” Evan attempts to give a speech to his entire school but fumbles with his notecards and messes up his words, leading him into a panic attack. The lighting of this scene truly narrows in on how terrifying the experience is for the character, as the stage is immersed in complete darkness with the exception of two downward pointing spotlights that bring Evan into the focus. One spotlight is further downstage where Evan begins speaking, and another is slightly behind it. As the anxiety attack progresses, Fisher continuously begins to push himself out of the first spotlight and eventually into the complete darkness as he completely breaks down. However, as his motivation changes to finish the speech, he collects himself and brings himself back into the light, squinting a bit as he slowly brings himself back to the center of focus to begin the song. To me, this is a perfect interpretation of this scene as it truly encapsulates the motif of “stepping into the sun” that Evan often talks about. Scenes like this show what Fisher does best throughout the show: interpreting small details. A lot of his portrayal is based on small moments that set up his character arc in ways that are not obvious to the average audience member, but impactful nonetheless.
Fisher has many strengths as Evan Hansen, but his voice brings something unique and different to the show. The role is vocally demanding, not only with how high he sings but with how many times throughout the show he is singing, oftentimes solo. However, Fisher shows no sign of low stamina by the end of the show, as his final solo is still just as strong as his first.
Jordan Fisher excels in this show and will assume the role of Evan Hansen until May 17, 2020. I highly recommend that if you can find your way down to the Music Box Theatre before then, you see him take on this iconic role.