*****

Having been around for more than ten years, and for only six in the UK, Dear Evan Hansen is a provoking coming of age story that follows the titular character as he desperately attempts to integrate into high school life.

Director Adam Penford’s UK tour delivers an energetic pace as actors and set pieces move in and out with an overall synchronised precision, whilst the action is fuelled with teenage angst, mental health crises, and identity issues that will resonate with any young person who has ever questioned whether they belong in modern society.

Ryan Kopel is found onstage as the curtain rises and from the first moment gives an endearing Evan Hansen that wins the audience’s vote throughout the entirety. Kopel excels at capturing and sustaining Evan’s anxiety and shyness with a bursting energy and often a reluctance to draw breath.

Evan’s often-absent mother, Heidi, is played by Alice Fearn, and hers is an authentic performance of a desperate, struggling, single mother. A rather poignant solo from her in act two assures that not a dry eye is left in the house.

Contrasting the introverted Evan, Killian Thomas Lefevre gives an unphased and brash junkie, Connor Murphy, who needs to belittle Evan to validate his own self-worth. Lefevre’s performance suggests there’s depth to Connor beyond his stereotypical high school bully and earns many laughs during a particular number which finds him prancing around the stage.

Connor comes along with his own family. Lauren Conroy plays his downtrodden and overlooked sister, Zoe who is wildly adored by Evan (even though they have never actually spoke). Conroy’s Zoe begins abrasive and guarded but opens into a sensitive and caring soul, if a little troubled.

Alice Fearn as Heidi Hansen

The Murphy parents, Cynthia and Larry are played with a middle-class coldness by Helen Anker and Richard Hurst respectively. Anker’s Cynthia holds her emotional cards close to her chest, whilst Hurst’s Larry is the serious and stressed breadwinner. In a story concerning men’s mental health, Larry is the man that years of not talking will turn us all into.

The comic relief of the hard going plot, is gifted hilariously through Evan’s closest (thing to a) friend, Jared. Tom Dickerson brings this cheeky chap to life and his joyous charm means his juvenile, sex-obsessed, humour is never too much and he has the audience laughing on almost every line.

Vivian Panka joins the main cast as Alana, Evan’s overbearing and opportunistic classmate who breaks up moments of action as a sort of narrator. Meanwhile, the ensemble pepper the stage to create moments of chaotic crowds adding to Evan’s overwhelmed psyche.

The dynamic, autonomous set designed by Morgan Large, reiterates the themes of disconnect and being an outsider, as the entire stage is framed by a series of windows that slide in an out, cleverly creating various scopes of depth. Large is also responsible for the colourful costume design, with Evan’s colour palette matching the set to distinguish it is his world we are experiencing.

Matt Daw’s lighting design is vibrant, and Tom Marshall’s sound design takes us into an online world with email pings and text alerts dictating when a scene is happening through cyberspace. Large and Ravi Deepres supply a compelling video design, and the two video-heavy sequences give an overwhelming sense of what it must be like to go viral.

Michael Bradley’s musical direction is powerful, every number is engaging, with most of them gaining a round of applause afterwards while Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s choreography produces some slick, synchronised, and fun routines. The score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is complemented by the combination of classic  instruments against electronic in the eight piece orchestra.

Penford’s imagining of this well-loved musical is pacey and streamlined, and for the most part the balance of humour and pathos is delicately equalled. The second act makes fewer comedic offerings and at times threatens becoming too heavy, but the sentiment is necessary for the payoffs to land. There may not be any mind-bending twists, but every emotional punch is delivered with great force, and the house lights come up to reveal many watery eyes. For its full impact, this is ultimately a show for teenagers, young adults, and their parents. Runs until Saturday 21st June

Richard Scott

17-06-25