Musicals

"None of us would be here if it wasn't for all of us. And all you know it."

Maria: "In Gimbels, there are lots of dresses that fit me." Anita: "And you don't shop in Gimbel's. You clean in Gimbel's."

"Lots of new housing with more space: Lots of doors slamming in our face/I'll get a terrace apartment: Better you get rid of your accent/Life can be bright in America: If you can fight in America/Life is all right in America: If you're all white in America."

A classic that's been enjoyed by countless individuals for more than 60 years, West Side Story is practically a foundation of Broadway. This musical covers many highly important elements of social justice, including poverty, racism (colourism) and racial unrest, immigration, gang violence, systemic discrimination, altercations with the police, socioeconomic discrimination, and oppression based on social class (Louis, 1996; Aggarwal-Schifellite, 2019). 

Not only does this musical raise awareness of a plethora of social justice issues, but with every performance and reemergence on Broadway, they reflect on and review the show itself. Recently, they've addressed chronic issues related to the portrayal of Latinx characters (Aggarwal-Schifellite, 2019); for example, in early iterations, the Puerto Rican characters were mainly played by white actors. This evolution in the musical itself shows sincere dedication to supporting the individuals who have been affected by the issues covered, as well as being self-aware and reflective on longstanding bias and stereotypes.

Immigration and colourism, two of the biggest issues within the musical, were huge problems in the time it was released and even now. Immigration specifically is a contentious topic and many places see reactions ranging from acceptance or tolerance all the way to more extreme protests against accepting migrants from particular geographic areas.

With recent 'cancel-culture' calling for ends to socially, racially, and stereotypically problematic shows, movies, and music how is it that West Side Story escapes and actors continue to perform? Gonzalez-Piloto says "there are stories with problematic characters, but someone has to play the problematic role. It's important to get the full story, to avoid historical revisionism or cleaning up a past that is violent and hateful and complicated," (Aggarwal-Schifellite, 2019, para. 11).

"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?"

"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."

There is some debate as to whether bullying counts as social injustice, but Polanin & Vera (2013) opine that it is because it permeates society and is influenced by culture-based intolerance. School bullying, as seen in Dear Evan Hansen, "exists as a societal epidemic that affects millions" of students and whether they be aggressors, witnesses, or victims, they face inequitable access to resources and opportunities within the school environment (Polanin & Vera, 2013, p. 303). 

Bullying is the victimization of individuals who are seen as different, other, and/or lesser than the person (or people) who are the antagonists. Often, this can involve 'traditional' social justice issues such as race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, or mental health. There are endless biases and stereotypes associated with bullying behaviours, and some can be seen as examples of oppression. The consequences of prolonged or severe bullying can include decreased mental well-being, development of mental health issues, and suicide - as seen in this musical. 

Dear Evan Hansen promotes suicide awareness and mental health acknowledgement. It also speaks to the terrible reality of some people taking advantage of another person who does not have the power to speak for themselves. Inspired by a true story, this 2021 adaption of the original musical is about Evan Hansen, "a high school senior with Social Anxiety disorder and his journey of self-discovery and acceptance following the suicide of a fellow classmate" (IMDb, 2021). Both Evan and his late classmate Connor faced bullying and mental health issues, and battled with stereotyping and biased beliefs.