Dubbed ‘the musical of its generation, for all generations’, the Oliver, Tony and Grammy award-winning Dear Evan Hansen has captured hearts and kickstarted conversations worldwide. 

Book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman), the show is packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade like ‘Waving Through a Window’, ‘Sincerely, Me’ and ‘You Will Be Found’, and has received countless awards like a Tony Award for Best Musical, Olivier Award for Best New Musical and Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Score. 

Anxious high school kid Evan, played by Ryan Kopel (Newsies, Book of Mormon, House of the Dragon), wants nothing more than to fit in. The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. After events spiral and the truth comes out, he is forced to face a reckoning with himself and everyone around him. The character undergoes a complicated morally grey journey after letter he wrote to himself, under his therapist’s instructions, is put into the wrong hands. Soon after isolated high school student Connor Murphy, played by Killian Thomas Lefevre (Secret Cinema’s Stranger Things, Bat Out Of Hell), is found with Evan’s self-addressed letter, he takes his own life. 

When Connor’s parents Cynthia, played by Helen Anker (Mamma Mia!, Ted 2) and Larry, played by Richard Hurst (The Lion King, Eastenders), find the letter in Connor’s pocket after his death, they take it to mean that their son and Evan- a pair who only interacted once- were the best of friends. Evan then enlists the help of Jared, played by Tom Dickerson (Heathers The Musical, The Book of Mormon) to create false evidence ‘proving’ the fabricated friendship. 

Sinking deeper into his lies, Evan seems to get everything he could have ever wanted, including a relationship with Connor’s sister Zoe Murphy, played by Lauren Conroy (Into The Woods, The Sound of Music). He reaps the rewards from the sympathetic response his fellow students, Connor’s family, and the world, provide him, including fame and popularity when a speech he does for Connor at school goes unexpectedly viral, during the incredibly powerful number ‘You Will Be Found’, made even more hard-hitting by Ryan Kopel’s outstanding performance, the ensemble’s booming vocal harmonies, and the unique set design.

DEH portrays sensitive topics like teenage suicide, guilt, grief and mental illness in a respectful and powerful manner, broken up with seemingly-effortless comic relief and musical numbers like ‘Sincerely, Me’, a song that had the whole audience in stitches. Watching it as a young person, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the show portrayed people of my age today, as many representations of ‘Generation Z’ in media can feel inaccurate. 

The cast portray so many complex, dark, and often-times funny relationships between characters brilliantly. Imaginary interactions between Evan and Connor provide a sometimes-hilarious-sometimes-heartbreaking motif for Evan’s struggle living with his deception. The truly shimmering performance however, was of Evan’s relationship with his mother Heidi, played by Alice Fearn (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Pirates of the Carribean), as the two actors do a great job bringing the complexity of a mother/son relationship that isn’t always picture-perfect to the stage. 

The tale almost feels like a modern Shakespearean classic, with grief, deception and guilt all stirring together for Evan’s self-gain, making you feel sympathy, distaste and sometimes even hatred for the main character. Prevalent real-world issues faced by young people are portrayed authentically and sensitively, whilst still managing to maintain a certain level of humour. The original score shines through this dazzlingly unique show, making audiences belly laugh and ugly-cry, all in less than three hours. 

Photographs courtesy of Marc Brenner