Aylesbury Waterside Wednesday – until 14th June 2025
Reviewed by Rachel Clark
5*****
A powerful musical that received a total standing ovation
Dear Evan Hansen is a musical Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (the book by Steven Levenson) and has won many awards and I am not surprised.
The story follows Evan Hansen a 17-year-old schoolboy with anxiety and depression. Evan is played by Ryan Kopel who has a great voice and does a stunning performance he draws you into the story. Evan breaks his arms and goes to a therapist who encourages him to write letters on how he is feeling, he leaves a copy of his latest letter Dear Evan Hansen on the printer in the computer room were Connor finds it he storms off with the letter. Connor is also depressed and a drug user and has a sister Zoe whom Hansen is attracted to; she was mentioned in the letter which didn’t impress Connor.
Later Connor commits suicide and the letter Hansen wrote is found in his pocket and all believe it was Connor’s letter, from reading the letter they believed Connor and Hansen were close friends and is invited to tea with the family. The family of Connor welcome in Evan and want to know more about their friendship and Evan forges emails and tells them of their time in an old Orchard. Later Evan and Alana a school friend and Jared a family friend who befriends Evan (so his parents will pay his car insurance!) set up a foundation in memory of Connor to raise the money to buy and bring the Orchard back to life. But does Evan get found out?
All the cast were amazing Heidi Hansen played by Alice Fearn – Evans mother, and Jared Kleiman is funny played by Tom Dickerson, Lauren Conroy was Zoe and Killain Thomas Lefevre played Connor, Concor’s parents were played by Richard Hurst and Helen Anker topped by a live band.
A must go and see!