REVIEW: Dear Evan Hansen

© Marc Brenner

A multi-award winning Broadway and West End musical that deals with mental health issues is delighting audiences in Birmingham.

Dear Evan Hansen is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre.

The musical team behind the worldwide smash-hit The Greatest Showman is also behind Dear Evan Hansen.

The music and lyrics for this musical drama are provided by Justin Paul and Benji Pasek, with a book by Steven Levenson.

People often think of musicals as fun and chirpy, an escape from the doldrums of life, but this show dares to examine very mature themes that society and governments continually fail to address.

The story follows a senior student named Evan who is battling with social anxiety and bullying at his high school. A deceptive act by the lonely Evan unleashes a web of lies that begins to mutate and spiral out of control following the suicide of a fellow student.

Although written about a decade ago, the points made in this musical drama remain fresh and relevant. Newspaper headlines, including television dramas such as Adolescence (Netflix), continue to alert parents and society about the dangers posed by the digital world of mobile phones and social media platforms and the devastating impact they have upon the wellbeing and mental health of teenagers.

Dear Evan Hansen also highlights the disturbing disconnection between parents and children despite a world saturated by communication devices.

Despite the themes remaining pertinent and current, some other aspects of the show – such as the comedy and social stereotypes – seem outdated and out of place, even distasteful.  

Despite excellent direction by Adam Penford, the length of the show seems to drag at times, and the energy is uneven. There are segments that could be pruned to prevent the show from sagging here and there.

The music perfectly captures the zest and vitality of high school life, and when grief darkens the story the songs mirror the shifting emotions with the right colour and balance.

The quality of singing, including the dramatic acting, is consistently high and full of vivacity in this production.

Ryan Kopel is a revelation as the socially awkward and withdrawn Evan. Kopel makes the audience feel Evan's shyness and anxiety every step of the way. The tourette type symptoms displayed by Kopel  are vivid and they underline the fragile state of Evan's tortured and restless mind.  

The other members of the excellent cast match Kopel’s extraordinary performance. Alice Fearn (Mrs Hansen), Lauren Conroy (Zoe), Killian Thomas Lefevre (Connor) and Tom Dickerson (Jared) are all exemplary.

The inventive set design by Morgan Large incorporates the look and feel of mobile phone screens with brightly lit glass doors and surfaces that shimmer and burst to life as texts, messages, emojis, hashtags, video calls or social media posts pop up and scroll around the stage.

Dear Evan Hansen is a daring and vital show that does for musicals what ‘Adolescence’ did for television drama.

Verdict: ★★★

Dear Evan Hansen is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until Saturday 21st June