Dear Evan Hansen – Noël Coward Theatre

Sam Tutty, Rupert Young and Lauren Ward in Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward Theatre, London. Picture: Matthew Murphy

Dear Evan Hansen continues at the Noël Coward Theatre, London, currently booking until 2 May 2020.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The multi-Tony-winning smash hit finally arrives in London, and it was worth the wait. The original Dear Evan Hansen director Michael Greif re-creates the original Broadway production on the stage of the Noël Coward – and thanks to a phenomenally talented leading man, perhaps even improves upon it.

The title role of Evan Hansen is a gift to any young performer. A neurotic, socially anxious, tick-plagued teen – not a million miles from Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – he’s the stuff awards are made on. And with the outstanding newcomer Sam Tutty in the role, it’s a gift for audiences too.

Tutty absolutely makes – and steals – this show. He’s adorable, and boy can he act and sing. The difficulties that one might have with the somewhat far-fetched soapy plot – it’s a bit Glee or High School Musical – are forgotten with his, and indeed the entire cast’s, performance. He’s painfully authentic, pinballing from cute and funny to gut-wrenchingly tragic. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Even the cop-out ending is palatable thanks to the relationship you end up forming with this compelling character.

The story follows Evan as he struggles to cope with the day-to-day life of a high-schooler. He lives with his single and hardworking mom, Heidi (the excellent Rebecca McKinnis), and has just one friend, Jared (a hilarious Jack Loxton). Evan is in therapy, and as part of his regular sessions, is tasked with writing himself life-affirming letters – each starting with the words ‘Dear Evan Hansen…’ When the school bully Connor Murphy (Doug Colling) kills himself and is found with one of Evan’s letters in his pocket, the painfully shy and socially inadequate teen concocts a series of lies to protect Connor’s parents (Rupert Young and Lauren Ward) and sister Zoe (the also-excellent Lucy Anderson), whom Evan has a crush on.

The comforting lies and email correspondences faked by Evan and Jared give succour to the fractious Murphy family, who effectively adopt Evan in order to hear him spin fanciful yarns about their dead son’s friendships and interests. Things start to get out of hand, however, when the story is picked up on social media and championed by classmate Alana (Nicole Raquel Dennis). To complicate matters, Evan and Zoe start to bond, and Heidi feels ever further from her troubled son.

It’s a great premise for a show – indeed, despite its shortcomings, I’d be engaged enough by Steven Levenson’s book to enjoy this as a straight play, particularly given the strength of the casting here – but it’s also perfect fodder for a tugging-at-the-heart-strings pop-rock musical. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (they of La La Land and The Greatest Showman) provide a slate of enjoyable and hummable songs that have a broad appeal, and of all their work, this is the show I like best of all. There’s plenty of variety in the writing, which runs the gamut from tender guitar-only ballads to giant X Factor-style belters (complete with that obligatory drop then key change! I half expected the booming voice of Peter Dickson to announce ‘EVAAAAN HAAANSEEEN!’ every time Tutty finished a big number).

David Korins’ simple set of sliding bed –and dining rooms – sits beneath Peter Nigrini’s glittering kaleidoscope of social media chatter projected on to sliding glass screens. Japhy Weideman at times lights the piece like a stadium rock show – again, a bit X Factor-y – but not in too OTT a way.

Musical director Matt Smith leads a carefully scored string-heavy band – violin, viola, cello, guitars, bass and drums – that sounds fantastic, and the sound design (Nevin Steinberg) ensures that these beautiful voices are heard clearly, even when the likes of Tutty and Young are falsettoing quietly at the top of their registers.

From a plot point of view, there are a couple of leaps of faith you’ll need to take. You can tell that this story started off as a satire – the character of Alana seems to be a totemic one representing all of the lonely lost voices on social media, and her plot-furthering actions are a little difficult to swallow. On saying that, when she opens up about why she’s championing the cause of someone she never really met, it’s heartbreaking. And Zoe and Evan getting it on? Mmm, not sure about this.

Ultimately, though, wonderful performances – especially that of Sam Tutty, who’s surely destined for big things after this – and intelligent, well-written songs make for an emotional night of theatre. Having had a friend recently lose a son to suicide, and hearing from colleagues about the traumatic experiences had by their kids on social media, I found this show an emotional roller coaster.

I buckled a couple of times – no more so than when Connor’s father finally comes to terms with his son’s death and finally breaks down in tears… a quiet but affecting scene in a show laden with powerful moments. Real, relatable, authentic, and if it can help young people talk about the issues surrounding loneliness, mental health and suicide, then it’s done its job. Bravo to the producers for collaborating with Shout, Young Minds, The Mix and Speak Your Mind – four important charities giving invaluable support to young people and particularly those with mental health issues.

PS Talking of young people… I’m inclined to knock off a star for the ticket pricing: £177 for a centre stalls seat and as much as £82 for a seat four rows back in the rear stalls is outrageous (although ever more common, sadly). £15 bench seating at the top of the Noël Coward will at least give some the chance to see the show without needing to remortgage. As if anyone can get a mortgage in London these days…

Craig Glenday

Tickets for Dear Evan Hansen are available HERE.