Review: Dear Evan Hansen at Palace Theatre is ‘a heart-wrenching story of grief and hope’

Nearly ten years on from its Broadway debut, Dear Evan Hansen is finally on its first ever UK tour and has travelled to Manchester, residing in the Palace Theatre until Saturday 22nd February.

Exploring themes of grief, friendship, mental health within an incredibly contemporary world influenced by social media platforms, this production employed the use of TikTok for some of its casting.

Dear Evan Hansen features original songs such as Sincerely, Me, You Will Be Found, and Words Fail which pack an emotional punch.

So this week, don’t be Waving Through a Window – bag a seat and experience this three time Olivier award winner for yourself!

Dear Evan Hansen at Palace Theatre

The music and lyrics from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul accompany the original book by Steven Levenson to construct a unique piece of musical theatre delineating the narrative of anxious teen Evan Hansen.

His inability to speak up or correct others’ assumptions backs him into an almost inescapable corner when the death of a classmate, Connor, turns out a suicide note that implies Evan’s (non-existent) friendship with him. In an attempt to avoid having to correct the assumptions of Connor’s parents, who are now clinging on to all they have left of their son, Evan goes along with their imagined friendship, believing it will help with their grief. Lies and forged emails designed to cover his tracks dig Evan into a deeper hole; messier still is the crush that Evan has on Connor’s sister Zoe, who, thanks to his new proximity with the Murphy family, now knows who he is.

Ryan Kopel

Taking the titular role is Ryan Kopel, who personifies Evan’s nervousness and vulnerability astonishingly. Alice Fearn and Helen Anker play the boys’ mothers, Heidi Hansen and Cynthia Murphy, respectively, with Richard Hurst as Larry Murphy.

These three convincingly portray grieving families and parents who are trying their best. Tom Dickerson is Evan’s family-friend, Jared, and Vivian Panka is Alana Beck, co-chair of The Connor Project alongside Evan.

These characters embody different styles of humour but are as equally funny as the other. Lauren Conroy and Killian Thomas Lefevre are the Murphy siblings, Zoe and Connor. Understudies stepped into these roles on press night, meaning Lara Beth-Sas gave us Zoe, who was fantastic and Will Forgrave drew out a lot of laughs with his Connor.

Cleverly designed to visualise the concept of the online world, the staging employs various screens, chrome, and projections to illuminate viral video circulation, and the comments of people online heard with a synchronised prerecording. The set highlights the pros and cons of social media, demonstrates how quickly the spreading of content and information can occur while at the same time providing a platform for people to share unsolicited opinions, and the influence and effect they have on people’s real lives.

Videocalls are demonstrated with boxes of light enclosing the caller, permitting both sides of the call to be heard when another character would otherwise be off stage.

Inventive staging

The staging includes both Evan and Connor’s bedrooms, the dining rooms of both the Hansen and Murphy’s, and the school – signified by red lockers. These are all effortlessly slid on and off the stage floor as necessary which avoids any confusion as to where the characters are. The iconic signing of Evan’s cast by Connor is in bold, black Sharpie so cannot be missed even by those sitting at the top of the Gallery.

Dear Evan Hansen is an interesting musical, the originals songs are good and the cast is brilliant. Though if you are unfamiliar with the story, I’d recommend watching the 2021 film adaptation first before spending a lot of money on theatre tickets.

It explores and presents themes of anxiety, depression, and suicide in a thoughtful way, nevertheless, these are central plot points, so this may be unsuitable for anyone highly sensitive to these.

Dear Evan Hansen is running at Manchester’s Palace Theatre until Saturday 22nd February.

Tickets are incredibly limited and the remaining available start at £65, which can be purchased here.

There are no accessible performances listed for this venue. Manchester is just one stop on this substantial schedule, with the tour continuing through to early July visiting various cities including Glasgow, Belfast, Sheffield, Blackpool, York, and Edinburgh.