“Dear Evan Hansen. Today has been an amazing day because I’ve seen the Nottingham Playhouse production of a new version of a musical before it goes on tour across the UK.”
The original version of Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s opus garnered six Tony awards as well as the Grammy and Olivier awards for best musical. Now Nottingham Playhouse’s accomplished director Adam Penford has put together a slightly revamped show which has every chance of being as successful as its predecessor.
So what’s different? A new cast who are complemented by a six-strong ensemble and, I’m told, slight tweaks to the text, new choreography and new video. I didn’t get to see Dear Evan Hansen when it played the Noël Coward Theatre in 2019 so I can’t make comparisons. But Penford has put together a dazzling cast and a stunning production which in 2024 is even more pertinent than the original.
A recent survey by the health charity Mind found 96% of secondary school students reported that their mental health had affected their schoolwork at some point. The message in Dear Evan Hansen is that individuals are not alone: others are in a similar situation and the way forward is to be true to yourself.
The musical features Evan Hansen, a teenager suffering from social anxiety and depression, struggling to make friends at high school. He is urged by his therapist to write letters to himself pointing out what will be good about each day.
When another student, drug-taking bully Connor Murphy, takes his own life, it appears he was friendly with Evan, who resorts to lying about their relationship because it earns him acceptance. It has excruciating consequences.
Ryan Kopel gives a magnificent performance as Evan. He looks and sounds like a disturbed teenager, withdrawing into himself when he has to talk to other people yet speaking fast and coherently when he is confident about joining in a conversation.
Kopel elicits empathy from the audience for the way Evan opens his mouth without thinking, which often gets him into trouble. It is heartbreaking when his lies are discovered, leading to even more anxiety.
Kopel also has a captivating voice, as do many of the cast. Alice Fearn, who plays Evan’s overworked mother Heidi Hansen, and Zoe Murphy, Connor’s sister Lauren who is the target of Evan’s affections, are both vocally outstanding.
Helen Anker shines as Connor’s mother, bewildered as to why her son should commit suicide, while Killian Thomas Lefevre catches the eye as Connor, whose ghost questions Evan about his actions.
Tom Dickerson adds light relief as family friend Jared who sees the funny side of Evan’s predicament, and there are also fine performances by Richard Hurst as Connor’s dad Larry and Vivian Panka as Evan’s classmate Alana Beck.
Dear Evan Hansen has a witty and believable script as well as strong musical numbers. The first half ends on a stirring note with “Disappear”, which stresses that no one deserves to be forgotten, and “You Will Be Found”, a poignant anthem about finding hope in challenging times.
There must be some people who haven’t seen Dear Evan Hansen who are thinking “what’s all the fuss about?” Adam Penford’s stylish take on the show should ensure that theatregoers around the UK will get to experience what a joyous, uplifting musical this is.
There should be many more standing ovations, as there was at Nottingham Playhouse on press night.