Dear Evan Hansen

It’s a sad reflection on society that so many young people are struggling badly with mental health issues.

But the fact that the problems are not now ignored, but instead embraced, is a step in the right direction to tackling this clearly emotive subject.

Steven Levenson’s book, turned musical “Dear Evan Hansen” has come a long way since it was first penned 10 years ago, and it was warming to see the audience at The King’s Theatre in Glasgow, enthusiastically embrace this heart pulling drama.

The story centres around troubled teenager Evan Hansen whose battle with life is tempered by writing a daily note to help him get through what lies ahead.

One of his notes is found by fellow student Connor Murphy, who then kills himself and his family think Evan’s letter is their son’s suicide letter.

Evan then becomes the centre of attention for the grieving family and his life turns for the better as Connor’s sister, Zoe, a life-long crush of Evan’s, becomes his girlfriend.

As the Murphy family dig deeper into Connor’s life, so Evan becomes more embroiled and spins the line that the two were best of friends and with the help of fellow student, Jared Kleinman, shows Connor’s mum and dad emails the two are supposed to have sent to each other.

Struggling student Alana Beck latches onto the friendship and before Evan knows it, the whole saga goes viral, and he becomes the most popular guy in town. But as the lie gets bigger, it starts to unravel, and the obvious consequences follow.

Dear Evan Hansen has smashed Broadway and the West End as audiences latch onto the emotional roller-coaster.

The UK tour sees Scottish actor Ryan Kopel, sensational in the lead role as Evan, with the former Dance School of Scotland student joined by fellow pupil Lauren Conroy as Zoe Murphy.

It’s a small cast, but each play their part well and the story just gels along nicely. Alice Fearn plays Evan’s long-suffering single mum Heidi Hansen, who struggles to juggle coping with Evan’s problems and earning money to feed them both.

Killian Thomas Lefevre is an excellent moody Connor and Helen Anker (Cynthia) and Richard Hurst (Larry) get it right emotionally in their roles of grieving parents.

Tom Dickerson has clear fun as Jared Kleinman, Evan’s only friend by default, due to family connections and Vivian Panka is a serious, but determined Alana Beck.

Ensemble members Sonny Monaghan, Daniel Forrester, Lara Beth-Sas, Olivia-Faith Kamau, Will Forgrave and Jessica Lim make up the cast of this outstanding performance, which has a modern interactive stage by Kieran Enticknap.

Musical director and keyboard player Michael Bradley and his band of Bob Broad, Phil James, Adam Smith, Gordon Davison, Guy Richman, Douglas Harrison, Elizabeth Boyce and Francesca Cull provide stirring accompaniments for the 16 emotional songs, in a stage show which not only sends a powerful mental health message but is hugely entertaining too.

Dear Evan Hansen runs at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 1^st March and then moves to His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen from 4^th to 8^th March, before heading to The Grand Opera House, Belfast from 11^th to 15^th. The tour then heads to The Storeyhouse in Chester from 18^th to 22^nd and then down to the New Wimbledon Theatre from 25^th to 29^th March. In April, the tour continues from 1^st to 5^th at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre. It then heads to the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield from 8^th to 12^th before heading down to the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 15^th to 19^th. Then it’s up to the New Theatre, Hull from 22^nd to 26^th, rounding off the month at the Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff from 29^th April to 3^rd May.

The tour continues in May at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham from 6^th to 10^th and the Theatre Royal, Norwich from 13^th to 17^th before moving to Blackpool Grand Theatre from 20^th to 24^th May.

In June, the show goes to Aylesbury Waterside from 10^th to 14^th and the Alexandra, Birmingham from 17^th to 21^st, ending the month at the Grand Opera House, York from 24^th to 28^th June before rounding off the tour at the Edinburgh Playhouse from 1^st to 5^th July 2025.

For more information, ticket prices and availability, please visit: www.atgtickets.com and www.evanontour.com.

Author Bio:

Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.

Photographs by Marc Brenner