Dear Evan Hansen (Sydney Theatre Co) ★★★★½

Book by Steven Levenson. Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Sydney Theatre Co & Michael Cassel Group. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 12 Oct – 1 Dec, 2024.

I guess it’s no surprise that Dear Evan Hansen, a show about performative morality, has received similarly performative grandstanding reviews from some critics. I’ve read a few that go to great lengths to explain why Dear Evan Hansen doesn’t work as show, all the things that are wrong about it and why it doesn’t deserve it’s success or reputation, without stopping to grapple with the fact this it IS a success, it DOES work as a show and it DOES have a high reputation. I guess the internet loves a hot take (even if it is ten years too late). Dear Evan Hansen is a shamelessly mawkish show of radio-friendly pop hits… that’s not a flaw, that’s its superpower.

Anxious teenager Evan Hansen (Beau Woodbridge, or on the night I went Lawrence Hawkins was in the role) is left with his arm in a cast and a lot of emotions he can’t express. His therapist urges him to write positive letters to himself, “Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be a good day because…” to battle his depression. His single mother Heidi (Verity Hunt-Ballard) does her best to be there for him while juggling work and her own studies, but Evan is left on his own a lot. One day at school, another disaffected teenager, Connor Murphy (Harry Targett), finds one of Evan’s letters in which Evan vents his negativity, and takes it. When Connor is found dead from his own suicide attempt, people assume the letter they found on his body is a suicide note addressed to “Dear Evan Hansen…” Through a combination of his own insecurities, empathy and desire for connections, Evan goes along with their assumption that he and Connor were friends, but the lies start to take on a life of their own and soon Evan finds himself backed into a corner by Connor’s grieving family and his own viral internet fame.

Everyone in Dear Evan Hansen is flawed. The characters are a mix of broken people looking for something to fill the emotional gap and Evan’s fake stories of Connor serve as a rorschach test for each of them. Evan gets to have a close friend he never did in real life, Connor’s parent’s guilt is assauged knowing Connor had made a genuine connection, and his sister Zoe (Georgia Laga’aia) is given a loving brother she never had. But a lie is a lie, and as Evan is embraced by this new, wealthy family, his falsehoods grow more elaborate. For the first act Dear Evan Hansen is a story of grief and the way it skews our decisions, and about how we never know other people’s private pain.

Slowly this circle of half-truths spreads as others unwittingly start to follow Evan’s lead. Fellow student Alana (Carmel Rodrigues) exaggerates her connection to Connor for attention. Evan’s frenemy Jared (Jacob Rozario) blatantly tries to profit off the tragedy. Here the narrative turns to look more at the world of performative internet activism and shallow emotions. I’m just gonna say it, the show’s one true villain is self-deluded and narcissistic Alana who latches on to Connor’s suicide to boost her own profile with no regard for others. When the social media attention on Evan and the Murphy’s turns sour, the heartless anger from those who have developed a gross para-social relationship with them is frustratingly true to form. In classic internet style, for all the talk of empowerment, love and community, people place a higher premium on judgment and righteousness than on grace and forgiveness. 

So let’s talk about this production specifically, the first non-replica production of the show I’ve seen. This isn’t a vastly different take on the material, sticking to the established blue colour scheme of the original, using projections to bring internet culture to life etc, but the techniques used are more up-to-date (the original looks quite dated now as you’d expect from something about the internet that’s already 10 years old). That said, the real stand outs are Matt Scott’s sharp lighting design and David Bergman’s video design. Together with Jeremy Allen’s multifaceted set that combines screens and translucent scrims to give us a 3D internet they manage to make the end of Act 1, the show’s potentially most cringe-worthy moment, feel immersive and rich (with a hint of menace). The technology never overwhelms the characters or emotion – it’s a smart show with a smart execution.

Director Dean Bryant keeps Evan’s nervous ticks to a minimum (thankfully, they are often overplayed in other productions) and threads the needle between keeping Evan sympathetic while also engaging in some awful behaviour.

And this cast… Harry Targett is clearly enjoying his dual roles as Connor, and the version of Connor that lives in Evans head. Jacob Rozario gets to be the show’s clown as the amoral Jacob, adding much needed levity and snark to the saccharine moments. But the show belongs to Evan Hansen, who was played by the terrific Lawrence Hawkins on the night I attended.

I can’t say anything with regards to Beau Woodbridge’s performance, but Hawkins was flawless in the role. Hawkins was a breath of fresh air in Hayes’ Little Women earlier this year, and proves he can lead a show here. His physical size gives Evan an extra sense of boyish frailty which makes his subsequent decisions feel like youthful stumbles.

Others have criticised Pasek & Paul’s pop-Broadway melodies which I find baffling. It’s true that many of them don’t really progress the plot or character in the traditional musical theatre mould, but rather stop the show to express emotions or, more often, to speak directly to the audience. This direct connection to the audience is the show’s strength. The internal struggles of the characters are the internal struggles of the generation of fans it has attracted, and just like pop songs, it’s given them an emotional outlet.

I could discuss the show’s resolution that also seems to serve as a test of the audience’s views, but that would require spoilers. Needless to say, I think it’s a good, aspirational finale even if it does sidestep some of the bigger issues.

This is a great production of a big ol’ weepy pop musical, including, in this case, a star making turn from Lawrence Hawkins (I’d love to watch the show again with Beau Woodbridge to compare – I’m a sucker for a “compare and contrast” moment). After a recent holiday seeing big budget Broadway musicals, it’s great to come home and see the same quality, if not better, on our own main stages.