Roe Reviews Theatre

This is a musical that I have quite a moral conflict with (as most people do when seeing this show). Since listening to the songs at the ripe age of 14 I LOVED IT but when I knew it’s the very messy storyline and processed that as I grew older: this adaptation made me cringe in my seat counting down for the next song so I could escape.

Dear Evan Hansen at a glance follows the twisted lies that Evan Hansen and his family friend Jared set up after a simple letter that Evan writes to himself as part of therapy gets mistaken for Connor Murphy’s suicide note. Fake emails, memorial assemblies, baseball gloves and orchards later he has found himself at the bottom of a very deep well that he cannot escape from and this does a great job at the unnerving situation

Sonny is a strong leader and the majority of the principal cast are strong but at some points I felt the performances… a bit bland, particularly with Alana’s character. I remembered her from the book very self assured and confident but her portrayal on stage felt quite condescending and almost trying to put in some neurodivergence with her bluntness and tone but done completely incorrectly.

The added 4 person ensemble felt necessary to build up school environments but at points felt strange including some of the added choreography in Waving Through a Window which made it feel straight out of a TikTok trend during a time where Evan faces his I want song that should be given its moment to himself.

Two things are for sure though, the staging is absolutely incredible: using the power of technology and projection on glass screens with sliding panels to move from place to place this is a very unique experience for the set design alone. This nights best during you will be found when loads of screen recordings of people’s videos are put onto the screens including videos in full BSL which I greatly appreciated. The second is that Alice Fearn is stunning as Heidi Hansen. The complicated single mother trying to navigate life while putting her child first which leaves her barely around for him to form a mature relationship with her so turns to the Murphy’s as they all grieve together.