Dear Evan Hansen first opened in 2015 before taking to the West End in 2019. Since then the original musical has closed on both sides of the pond but has embarked on numerous worldwide tours. This production of Dear Evan Hansen is back on tour with a new non-replica take on the original. We had never seen this musical before but have loved the soundtrack for quite some time, so were delighted to finally be seeing it on stage!
Dear Evan Hansen tells the story of a socially anxious teenager Evan who ends up trapped in a web of lies. After the school bully Connor Murphy commits suicide, Evan ends up going along with the idea that he was Connor’s best friend to comfort Connor’s family. In his attempt to make the friendship seem more genuine he pretends to write emails between the pair with help of his “family friend” Jared. Things quickly spiral out of control and Evan is now no longer an outcast, instead people respect him and he’s with the girl of his dreams. Can Evan sustain this pretence?
The story was full of twists and turns, we genuinely didn’t know what was coming next. The plot felt fast paced and ever evolving, and had a well rounded ending. The story is quite dark in places, but is masterfully blended in with comedy throughout the show to create a good all rounded storyline.
The cast which consisted of eight principal actors and five ensemble members were phenomenal with strong acting and vocals throughout the show. The cast felt perfectly chosen, with each actor embodying their character flawlessly, bringing their characters to life. We particularly enjoyed Ryan’s characterisation of Evan, his portrayal of social anxiety was both authentic and powerful. We love how well he adapted his levels of anxiousness around different characters, which showed both Evan’s vulnerable emotions and inside his mind. Tom Dickerson who portrayed Jared brought lots of laughter to the role with both his twisted sense of humour and his overall stage presence.
Having loved the soundtrack for many years, hearing these orchestrations brought to life on stage took the soundtrack to a whole new level, they were breath-taking to listen to. The score features 14 original songs which perfectly accompanies the storyline, with our favourites being Requiem, Waving Though a Window and Sincerely Me. The music feature a mix of slow, heartfelt and emotional songs to upbeat and funny, which fitted in excellently with the plot.
The set featured a large digital screen at the back with a mix of smaller screens and mirrors featured around the proscenium of the stage. In the middle of a stage were sliding windows that came and went, which felt quite reflective of the song “Waving through a window”. Although the set was quite minimal, it complemented the story well and wasn’t overpowering allowing for more focus on the characters. The digital screen was used very well for scenes linking to social media, with this show being a shining example of how to use digital screens well in theatre.
Dear Evan Hansen exceeded our expectations and is one of our favourite shows we’ve seen this year. If the performance was staying longer in our area, we definitely would’ve booked again, and highly recommend you see it too!
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