Nottingham Playhouse, in partnership with ATG, has daringly reimagined Dear Evan Hansen, and let me tell you — it hits all the right notes. This non-replica tour breathes fresh life into the beloved musical, dishing out spine-tingling moments like a pantomime dame chucking out sweets. You could feel the raw emotion pulsing through the room, with barely a dry eye to be found by the final bow.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the modern-day Rodgers and Hammerstein, have already cemented their legacy with La La Land, The Greatest Showman, and of course, Dear Evan Hansen. And boy did this performance live up to that legacy. The show follows Evan (Ryan Kopel), a socially anxious teenager, whose life changes after a misunderstanding leads to a life-altering lie. When his classmate Connor Murphy (Killian Thomas Lefevre) takes his own life, Evan finds himself at the centre of attention after Connor’s parents mistakenly believe that the two were close friends. With the help of his tech-savvy family friend Jared (Tom Dickerson), Evan fabricates emails to support the lie, which brings him closer to the grieving Murphy family — and to Zoe (Lauren Conroy), Connor’s sister and Evan’s secret crush.
The stage came to life during the second, and arguably most recognisable song, Waving Through A Window. Ryan Kopel was more than up for tackling this powerhouse of a musical theatre number — his performance was nothing short of breathtaking. Kopel gave a raw and refreshing portrayal of Evan, infusing the role with his own unique awkwardness, avoiding any attempts to mimic Ben Platt’s original Broadway portrayal.
And then there’s Requiem — one of the most honest explorations of grief that ever graced the stage. Lauren Conroy, alongside Helen Anker (Cynthia) and Richard Hurst (Larry), delivers this song with such devastating sincerity, you feel every note down to your core. It’s hard to recall a moment where the raw pain of loss felt so palpable. If you weren’t emotionally invested before, you will be after Conroy’s stellar performance of this number.
But Dear Evan Hansen isn’t all gut-wrenching emotion. Tom Dickerson’s Jared and Vivian Panka’s Alana interject the show with much-needed comic relief and youthful exuberance, striking the perfect balance between heart and humour. Their performances are destined for greatness — mark my words, these two are stars in the making.
The production itself is simplicity at its finest. Sliding sets and minimalistic furnishings keep the focus on the storytelling. Simplicity isn’t a dirty word here — it’s a stroke of genius. Matt Daw, Tom Marshall, and Ravi Deepres weave together sound and visuals that are nothing short of cinematic. One standout moment? For Forever, where blinding white lights crescendo alongside the music, transporting us into Evan’s imagined world before dropping us back into the stark reality, and relative darkness of his situation. It’s pure magic.
Of course, there are moments from the original West End and Broadway runs that stick in the mind, and this version takes a few liberties. There’s a tweak here, a line change there — notably the infamous “school-shooter-chic” joke was altered, and it didn’t quite land with the same punch. And the lighting for Words Fail lacked the striking contrast of the West End’s black stage/spotlight intensity. But these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise a flawless production.
Speaking of Words Fail, it is almost impossible to put into words how phenomenally that song was delivered. If Ryan Kopel continues to deliver that level of intensity and emotional heft every night, then audiences are in for something truly special. Honestly, it’s a crime there isn’t a beat for applause after Words Fail, because it deserves a full minute of standing ovation. Kopel owns this song.
Director Adam Penford has truly outdone himself. After the runaway success of Punch, he’s proven once again that he’s a masterful director, bringing out the best in every performer and creating a production that feels both intimate and larger-than-life. The entire creative team, onstage and off, are firing on all cylinders, and it shows. Every person in the auditorium could feel the passion radiating from that stage.
Dear Evan Hansen remains one of the most important and poignant musicals of our time, it speaks to a swathe of young people battling with mental illness. This production is a shining example of the power of theatre to provoke thought, stir conversation, and ultimately bring people together. Nottingham Playhouse has delivered a triumph, and this tour is set to captivate audiences across the UK.
If you have the chance to catch Dear Evan Hansen on tour, do it! This is a story that lingers, a performance that stays with you, and a night at the theatre you won’t soon forget. Dear Evan Hansen runs at the Nottingham Playhouse until the 28th of September before heading out on a UK wide tour, starting in Leicester in October 2024 and closing in Blackpool in May 2025.
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