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Thrilling new musical tackles visibility of young people with mental health conditions




Dear Evan Hansen

at New Theatre, Oxford

from November 26 – 30

By Jon Lewis

How to Fake a Friendship and Save a Family

Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen

An intimate musical about the visibility of young people with mental health conditions, Adam Penford’s emotionally powerfully new Nottingham Playhouse production of Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Steven Levenson’s 2015 American musical Dear Evan Hansen is immaculately sung and performed by a top-notch cast.

Penford frames the musical around the theme of screens and screening. Designer Morgan Large’s set with its sliding windows enables the production’s partnership with Tik Tok to create spectacular visions of uploaded postings that fill the stage. The central character, Evan (Ryan Kopel) is a nerdy high school senior, a friendless nonentity whose head bobs and nods uncontrollably during conversations. Hopelessly tongue-tied, and hampered by a broken arm, he lives with his mother Heidi (Alice Fearn), a nurse taking evening classes who is too busy for him.

Serendipity strikes. The school’s angry loner Connor Murphy (Killian Thomas Lefevre), who dresses as if he’s in a Nirvana video, unexpectedly signs Evan’s cast with a sharpie. Then Evan prints off a letter he has written to himself headed ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ as a form of self-help therapy. Connor snatches it away. Connor takes his own life and this letter is found on him, Connor’s family assuming Connor wrote it.

Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen

The musical thrillingly and agonisingly follows a trajectory that seems disastrous. There’s a real compulsion to shout out to the characters on stage ‘don’t do this!’ as Evan inveigles his way into the Murphy family’s affections. Connor’s mother Cynthia (Helen Anker) and father Larry (Richard Hurst) have some marital issues to solve and Evan appears to be the solution. Even Connor’s vibrant sister Zoe (Lauren Conroy) begins to fall for Evan romantically, their relationship built on subterfuge.

Evan’s friend Jared (Tom Dickerson) fakes an email history between Evan and Connor that convinces the Murphys of the false friendship. These emails, and Evan’s letter to himself are posted online by fellow student Alana (Vivian Panka) in a campaign for funds to rebuild an orchard where the Murphys have a sentimental attachment. It’s supposedly where Connor took Evan.

How these actions lead to catharsis for all concerned makes this a profoundly engrossing show.



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