Dear Evan Hansen – Theatre Review

Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.

I have always loved the songs from Dear Evan Hansen, and it has been on my musical wish list for a long time, so I was delighted to be invited along to last night’s performance of the UK Tour production. I had very high hopes for the show and I have to say that they were not disappointed in the least.

Dear Evan Hansen is a story about depression, anxiety, suicide, loss, and lies. One small lie in the hope of comfort is compounded and as it grows bigger & out of control, social media plays a large part in blowing it up, and more lies are told to avoid it falling apart until poor Evan is tied completely in knots.

Connor Murphy, a troubled teen who has been in & out of rehab with his own struggles with mental health, takes his own life, and Evan’s therapy assignment is mistaken as a suicide note. Not wanting to upset the Murphys by denying them the comfort of “his last words”, Evan lets them believe it is real, and things just get more complex from there. With his father having a new family far away, and his mother missing at work or class, Evan struggles with loneliness and feeling forgotten. His own issues make him latch onto the Murphys as he tries to deny to himself & everyone else just how broken he feels.

This story is a powerful one, and as someone who has been dealing with depression and anxiety since I was a teen, at times it felt like a profoundly personal experience to watch. The songs, with music & lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, are incredibly deep and moving, and I have always loved them. Seeing them performed on stage for the first time, by what is frankly an excellent cast, was just wonderful.

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical that has won multiple Tony, Grammy, and Olivier awards, and it is not hard to see why. The story deals with the issues of mental health & grief in a realistic and often brutally honest way, and you can’t help but get swept into their world. It’s not all sadness & misery, however, as there are moments of humour sprinkled in amongst the moving songs and scenes.

Ryan Kopel is astounding as the anxiety-ridden Evan, completely nailing his trembling body language and the rapid babbling that spills out of his mouth before his brain can catch up with what he is saying. His voice was incredible, and he definitely did justice to the wonderful songs throughout the show.

Ryan’s portrayal of a nervous and emotionally muddled and completely isolated Evan lets you empathise with the character, even as he gets caught up in spinning his web of lies in an effort to feel less alone and damaged. His eventual breakdown during Words Fail was complete with ugly crying and incredibly moving to witness.

Alice Fearn was just as fantastic as his strained mother, bringing many of the audience to tears with her performance of So Big/So Small and showcasing her amazing voice in Good For You, while Lauren Conroy shone in her role as the bitterly conflicted sister of Connor & love interest of Evan. With appearances scattered throughout, Killian Thomas Lefevre was excellent as the snarky anger-ridden Connor.

The set was frequently in motion with sliding glass panels helping to bring the songs to life, which were particularly effective during Waving Through a Window. Lockers were wheeled on & off the stage by the dancing ensemble during the school scenes, and simple desks, kitchens & bedroom sets provided the backdrop for the various houses of the different characters. Mirrors lining the edges of the stage and a large amount of screens helped bring it all together, with the whole stage lighting up at times in a social media frenzy.

Dear Evan Hansen is a show that reminds us that everyone deserves to be seen, and I hope that this UK tour allows people to gain an insight into the struggles that people dealing with depression and social anxiety have to cope with. As Evan himself admits, there is no worthy explanation or way to make sense of the mistakes he makes & the spiral of lies he is caught in, but this production of the show makes it clear just how hard it is to be in his shoes.

This unforgettable show is touring throughout the UK until spring 2025, and I highly recommend booking yourself a ticket and going to see this moving story for youself. You can get a taste of the wonderful songs & cast by checking out their YouTube where they have posted a trailer and a handful of studio performances.