Theatre
Dear Evan Hansen at the Palace Theatre Manchester – a sensitive tale of teenage torment
It's in Manchester this week.
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston -
19th February 2025 
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today is going to be a good day because you’re running at the Palace Theatre until the 22 February and the show is fantastic.
It has been a pretty tricky 10 years since the show first debuted, with Covid, worldwide unrest, wild fires, etc and the storylines that make up the fabric of the show are more prominent than ever before.
With music and lyrics written by the talented duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, famous for creating some of the most popular modern musicals of our time (La La Land and Greatest Showman), this show reaches heights well beyond the treetops of its rivals.
The show covers some quite sensitive topics including suicide, grief and mental health, which are all treated with compassion and gentle care whilst still being realistic and honest with the audience.
We follow the story of Evan Hansen (Ryan Kopel), a socially anxious teen who is trying to navigate high school, his mental health and trying to be noticed by those around him. His mum (Alice Fearn) is a single mother, trying to do right by her son whilst doing her best to create a life for them.
Evan has a run in with Connor Murphy (Will Forgrave who stepped in for Killian Lefevre), a troubled young man battling with a number of demons and fighting with his rich yet dysfunctional family played by Helen Anker (Cynthia Murphy – mum); Richard Hurst (Larry Murphy – dad); Lara Beth-Sas (Zoe Murphy – sister and stand-in for Laren Conroy). Connor finds a letter that Evan has written to himself that mentions his sister Zoe and causes him to spiral out of control.
It is Evan’s letter that his family finds on Connor when they discover that he has unfortunately taken his own life. This sets in motion a profusion of events that catapult Evan into the spotlight as his letter is mistaken for a deep friendship between the two. His “family friend” Jared (Tom Dickerson) encourages Evan to keep up the facade which really gets out of control when the well-meaning Alana (Vivian Panka) takes the school-wide movement of grief to new heights.
Ryan’s portrayal of Evan is nothing short of magical. His anxious ticks are natural and respectful, pulling you in with compassion for his character and his timing is impeccable. His vocals are absolutely electrifying, every song is a power house, emotive performance with barely a dry eye in the entire audience, especially after the iconic “You will be found.”
Alice Fearn deserves a special mention for her depiction and performance as Heidi Hansen. Reflecting how many parents must feel in trying to do the best for their children and feeling like they always come up short. Her vocals were fantastic throughout, but her final solo song “So Big/So Small” had everyone weeping.
Not all the vocal performances were of a high calibre, but this is likely down to either first night nerves or just the unfortunate comparison to Ryan, Alice or Vivian. Some of the dancing by one or two of the ensemble also seemed slightly robotic, although as a previous treader of the boards myself, I know first-hand that some people just aren’t natural movers (myself included) and this doesn’t detract from the absolute spectacle that is this show.
The show is only on a short run, from 18 – 22 February at Palace Theatre, Manchester, so if you miss it, I recommend chasing it to another theatre on its UK Tour, you won’t regret it.
Sincerely,
Me x
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Featured image: Supplied
