CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Deliver a Letter! On-Air Review of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’



![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 23rd, 2021, reviewing the new movie musical “Dear Evan Hansen” – featuring Ben Platt in the title role – in theaters beginning September 24th.
Ben Platt reprises his stage role as the title character, a high school senior whose social anxiety yields few friendships. His therapist has recommended writing letters to himself as a coping mechanism, but a strange boy named Connor (Colton Ryan) steals one of the letters, and later it’s found on him when he commits suicide. Connor’s distraught family (Amy Adams as Mom, Danny Pino as Dad, Kaitlyn Dever as daughter Zoe) takes Evan under their wing, and Evan even makes up a false friendship with Connor to soothe their grief. The fake relationship between Evan and Connor gets out of hand, and soon the whole world will know.

Dear Evan Hansen
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed “Dear Evan Hansen” during the Morning Mess with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM, Monroe, Wisconsin, September 23rd, 2021 …
![]() | By PATRICK McDONALD |