"You Will Be Found" - Evan Hansen & Cast [Dear Evan Hansen]

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?

Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?

Have you ever felt like you could disappear?

Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away

Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay

'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand

You can reach, reach out your hand

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(this is the fourth and final part of my review for Dear Evan Hansen – for full context, plot and reference read the first part here.)

In some musicals that I’ve watched, I’m sure that all of us will encounter a song that would give us hope either in the character’s situation or with the audience. Most of the time, these songs will be considered as the “identity” of the musical itself and will be associated with the whole play.

There are “Tomorrow” from Annie, “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, or even “Good Morning Baltimore” from Hairspray. As for the common ones, particularly musicals that were shown on-screen, some perfect examples would be "From Now On" from The Greatest Showman, “Breaking Free”, “Everyday” and “Just Wanna Be With You” from High School Musical 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The common denominator of such songs besides choosing the right words to be included in the lyrics are the melodies used that would make you “soar” and cheer for the character who performs it.

Dear Evan Hansen is not an exception for having a “hopeful” song and for me, that would be “You Will Be Found” sung by Evan Hansen and the rest of the cast.

After creating a foundation called “The Connor Project”, Evan and his friends organize a memorial service where Evan will deliver a speech that will speak about his friendship with Connor and how his memory should be kept alive. Like the typical Evan, he at first stumbles and is overwhelmed by the situation. But after slowing down and letting his heart speak, the result was a moving and touching speech that went viral online. The event was successful and made the Murphys appreciate Evan even more.

One of the reasons why this song touches me is because of its relatability to its audience. In the first part of the song, there was an acknowledgment of the situation. Evan asks people if they have experience in their life where they have something to say but have no one to talk to. And by now we have learned to sympathize with his character and understand where he is coming from. But the nice thing is that the song didn’t just stop at acknowledging the situation or just feeling sorry for oneself but also give its audience hope that despite all the things that are going through, there are still reasons to be ok. All we have to do is just reach out and for sure someone will see it. Coming from a person who has experienced being left behind most of his life, having said that “we will be ok” means a lot.

This hope continues to be heard as the chorus goes:

“Even when the dark comes crashing through

When you need a friend to carry you

And when you're broken on the ground

You will be found

So let the sun come streaming in

'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again

Lift your head and look around

You will be found”

Yes indeed, you and I can be found. And will always be found. No matter how deep you’ll think you’ve fallen, how far you’ve gone through or how many mistakes you made in your life, we should remember that we can still rise up and look forward to a better tomorrow. We may be unable to change the past but the things we’ve done only strengthen our character and become a better person.

See other Dear Evan Hansen Reviews:

Part 1: "Dear Evan Hansen" - Musical Review

Part 2: "Waving Through A Window"

Part 3: "For Forever"

Part 4: "Words Fail"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R83hecEr8bY