Dear Evan Hansen - UK TOUR REVIEW ****

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the regional press night of the UK touring production of Dear Evan Hansen at the Grand Opera House, York. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical I have long awaited seeing, ever since I first heard the original Broadway cast recording, so I was eager to see what this new production would bring to the story.Special thanks to the wonderful team at the Grand Opera House, York, for your lovely and warm welcome—and those delicious grapefruit mocktails!

Dear Evan Hansen follows Evan, a socially anxious teen whose world is turned upside down after a misunderstanding leads to an accidental lie. The lie spirals out of control, and we see what the effects of something so small and sudden can do. It’s a story of connection in the digital age that takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster—so make sure you bring some tissues!

The music for Dear Evan Hansen is written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the genius duo behind The Greatest Showman and Disney’s Snow White (2025). Each song in this show is a hit for me—there wasn’t one I felt was out of place in terms of enjoyability or storytelling. Standout numbers are, of course, popular hits such as “Waving Through a Window” and the gorgeous Act One finale, “You Will Be Found”, but I found myself loving every single song—which is rare—as every number served a clear purpose.

Let's Talk about the show's incredible cast!

Taking on the titular role of Evan Hansen was Ryan Kopel, who I had previously seen in the Wembley Park production of Newsies. Ryan Kopel gives an outstanding performance, filled with nuance and depth. Every twitch, breath, and sound was carefully crafted by Kopel, resulting in a deeply developed and truthful portrayal of the role. His vocals were beautiful and effortless—Evan carries the largest vocal burden in the show, singing many of the numbers and gliding through high notes with ease.

We were lucky enough to see Lara Beth-Sas in the role of Zoe Murphy. Lara is the 2nd cover for this role and went on last night with around 15 minutes’ notice!Beth-Sas’ performance was a delight to watch. We see Zoe go from a troubled character to one who has grown stronger by the end of the story. Lara Beth-Sas captured all of this and more. I really enjoyed watching her reactions as the plot developed, and her vocals were stunning in her numbers “Requiem” and “Only Us”. It’s fantastic to see covers on a press night, and I feel very lucky to have witnessed Lara’s performance!

Alice Fearn, a West End legend, plays Heidi Hansen (Evan’s mum). From watching the movie, we know this is a really conflicted character—she loves Evan deeply but is working every hour God sends to provide for their family of two. It’s no surprise that Fearn was an absolute delight in this role. She played the scenes with a sensitive yet stern tone and truly conveyed Heidi’s hardships throughout the show. Her vocals, as usual, were out of this world—particularly during “Good for You”.

The role of Jared was played by Tom Dickerson. Dickerson was a breath of fresh air. While the book of the show is laugh-a-minute, many moments left me—and the people around me—teary-eyed. When Dickerson was onstage, the tears turned to giggles and they didn’t stop. Each moment was delivered with hilarious comedic timing, and you could tell he was having a great time in this role too.

Another cover was playing the role of Connor Murphy—Will Forgrave. Forgrave brought a unique portrayal of this character which I found to be much more genuine and likeable. While there are moments we dislike Connor, Forgrave’s performance made it much easier to connect with Cynthia’s grief and the idea that he and Evan could have been friends. I’m glad we had the opportunity to see Will in this role—he is the 1st cover for Connor.

Other standouts for me were Helen Anker as Cynthia, who left the audience heartbroken as she broke down in grief multiple times throughout the musical, Richard Hurst as Larry Murphy—a character who, in the movie, was just a stepdad, but in the stage version is Connor’s father and shares a lovely moment with Evan during “To Break in a Glove”. And Vivian Panka as Alana Beck, who gave a different take on the role. She performed well in her scenes and created strong tension towards the end of Act Two.

The cast as a whole were on top form. Every single person brought energy to the stage and moved the story forward in their own way. Given how far along the tour is now, it’s great to see how the cast bounce off each other—especially with such a small ensemble and with many lead roles played by covers. The cast were tight, emotionally present, and wonderfully believable. They were truly second to none!

Adam Penford directs this new production of the show, distinct from the one that played in London a few years ago. I mostly enjoyed Penford’s direction—it gave weight to the right moments, particularly the scene where Evan first meets Cynthia and Larry Murphy. This scene was difficult to watch and gave Evan’s lie more weight, as the audience sees how trapped he feels. We feel trapped along with him—it was truly uncomfortable in the best possible way.

Other moments I loved included: Heidi’s phone calls with Evan, where she appears above him in the background of the set. and Connor suddenly appearing behind pieces of furniture during key moments.

This show can be difficult to understand at times, but with Penford’s masterful direction, every second was clear and filled with intention.

One point of critique: I felt the ensemble could have been used more, particularly during the school scenes. These moments felt a bit empty and could’ve benefitted from more interactions or movement to make them feel more realistic. As it stood, they were really only used for transitions and musical numbers.

Set design by Morgan Large worked well, combined with video design by Large and Ravi Deepres. This elevated the production—I didn’t find the digital backgrounds too distracting and enjoyed the minimalistic feel. The use of windows was clever, giving the impression of characters being trapped behind a screen or feeling unseen. This, paired with Matt Daw’s lighting design, created a visually strong and cohesive production.

Dear Evan Hansen is an emotional rollercoaster of truth, grief, and healing. This touring production packs all the emotional punch of the original—and then some. It presents an interesting contrast to the 2021 movie version, and personally, I prefer this UK tour. While it’s hard to compare, I’d recommend fans of either version to try the other!

This show is hearty, heartbreaking, and hilarious all at once. Whether or not you’ve seen Dear Evan Hansen before, try and catch this tour—it’s a must-see production that elevates the story with a stellar cast.

Dear Evan Hansen runs in York this week until Saturday 28th June—click here for tickets!

It then moves on to its final venue in Edinburgh—tickets for that can be found here.

Thanks for reading my review of the UK touring production of Dear Evan Hansen. If you’ve seen the show, let me know what you thought!Sign up for email notifications whenever I post a review. Subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on social media for more stagey content.

Thanks again for taking the time to read—I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions too!

25th June 2025

Robbie Davies | Robbie's Backstage Bants