Dear Evan Hansen was reviewed at Edinburgh Playhouse.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
The climax of the extensive UK tour also marked a homecoming for the two leading cast members. Ryan Kopel’s Evan is poignant, vulnerable and makes the most of Steven Levenson’s well-paced book. Lauren Conroy is a delight as Zoe Murphy, showing great range and versatility. Their families and peers must have been bursting with pride on their return to Scotland!
At just 10 years of age, Dear Evan Hansen has built up a remarkable following: the story resonates to this day and a musical score to match that has won such deep love from audiences across the world.
This particular production is bold, directed by Adam Penford, matches the scale of theatres such as Edinburgh Playhouse, yet manages to convey the more intimate scenes rather well as the story explores general and specific themes.
Evan Hansen is of a generation where feelings and sensibilities are explored not just with friends and family, but investigated by a therapist. In response to an assignment from his therapist, Evan pens positive affirmations to himself about how each day will be a ‘good day’. Completing the image of a vulnerable teen, Evan is seen with a broken arm in a cast – literally a broken wing.
In an encounter with one of the coolest kids in school, and brother to his adored Zoe, his cast is signed by Connor Murphy, played with great depth and insight by Killian Thomas Lefevre. The ensuing plot is based on a letter found on Connor’s body following his tragically young death. The letter begins ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and is followed by a stream of positivity – the exercise Evan had written as his therapist suggested. Naturally enough, the grieving Connor family turn to Evan to find out about his friendship with their lost son.
Unbeknown to his hard-working mother (Alice Fearn), Evan spends many, many hours with the Connor family, providing a fantasy portrait of Connor as a caring, thoughtful friend. Helen Anker as Cynthia Murphy and Richard Hurst as Larry are more than willing to spend time with Evan. There is a strange atmosphere in these scenes where Connor’s family seem enthralled by Evan, parking their grief with the Connor that was a drop out.
Completing the cast, Tom Dickerson portrays Evan’s friend Jared Kleinman as a bit of a cheerful clown, adding some levity and Vivian Panka plays Alana Beck as an overly-enthusiastic volunteer in support of Evan’s idea of a fundraiser in Connor’s memory. These roles are slightly under-written, but it can only be assumed that the central plot of Evan and the Murphy family is deemed to be of greater importance. It does make for a simple, clear storyline.
There is no doubt that this show is a time honoured hit – the audience were on their feet, roaring and cheering at the curtain calls – the greatest approval any show could hope for.
Fiona Orr
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