It’s been a long wait for the Australian premiere of Dear Evan Hansen after it won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2017. After a critically acclaimed Sydney season, Dear Evan Hansen has now opened at Arts Centre Melbourne.
I had the privilege of reviewing the Australian premiere in Sydney (click to read the full review). It’s a show that has remained with me, long after that opening night performance. Revisiting what was already an outstanding production, the show has settled and the cast are all very comfortable in their roles.
The success of Dear Evan Hansen is the culmination of every single element – the lighting, the set design, the sound, the music, the costumes, the AV design, and of course the perfect casting. It’s impossible to fault.
Director Dean Bryant has found the complexity in each character, balancing the moments of humour and warmth, the anxiety and fears, the frustrations and turmoils, but ultimately delivering a message of hope. Life is a complicated journey for anyone and audience members will relate to different characters depending on their own place in life. Young adults will identify with the challenges faced by not just Evan Hansen, but indeed all the teenage characters. There is no clear villain in this story, each character has their own challenges – their loneliness and turmoils just play out differently. Ultimately, there is a lot to unpack and consider in Dear Evan Hansen.
Beau Woodbridge owns the stage in the titular role of Evan Hansen. He begins as a believably anxious and awkward teen, but with enough warmth and charm that makes Evan a very likeable character. As the show progresses the growth and development in Evan is subtle but evident.
Woodbridge’s beautifully rich voice effortlessly masters the challenging score. His delivery is emotionally powerful, but never forced. It’s a demanding role that has Woodbridge onstage for much of the show, often performing a gut wrenching solo with a stripped back stage. Ben Platt made the role his own when Dear Evan Hansen first opened, and Beau Woodbridge has now stamped his ownership of the role in this Australian production. Beau Woodbridge is magnificent as Evan Hansen and he clearly has a bright future ahead.
Verity Hunt-Ballard is exceptional as Heidi Hansen, Evan’s hard-working single mother. Her motherly angst is palpable and any mother of a teenager will relate to Heidi’s desperate attempt to connect with her son, whilst balancing the challenges of being a working mother.
Martin Crewes is powerfully convincing as Larry Murphy – strong, stoic and grieving in his own way.
Natalie O’Donnell is outstanding as Cynthia Murphy. O’Donnell’s portrayal as the grieving mother is devastating. Her emotions seem so raw and genuine I feel like she needs a big hug by the end of the show!
The experience of all three shines through, delivering outstanding performances. While younger audience members will identify with the challenges of navigating the world through the eyes of Evan Hansen, older audience members will identify with the struggles of parenting.
Making her professional debut Georgia Laga’aia is stunning as Zoe Murphy. Her performance of ‘Requiem’ is tender and heartfelt.
Carmel Rodrigues is delightful as Alana Beck.
Jacob Rozario is excellent as Jared Kleinman, often bringing much of the humour to the show.
Harry Targett is brilliant as Connor Murphy.
The entire cast are vocally strong, and the full ensemble performances are incredibly rich and powerful. The nine piece band, under the musical direction of Zara Stanton (and musical supervision by Laura Tipoki) bring this glorious score to life. The closing number of Act One (‘You Will Be Found’) is a show highlight and fans of the song will not be disappointed.
Dear Evan Hansen is an outstanding and flawless production. It’s an intelligent, thought provoking and inspiring theatrical masterpiece that will leave you pondering its complex story for quite some time, but leave you feeling inspired that you are not alone, and that you will be found.
Dear Evan Hansen is now playing at Arts Centre Melbourne until February 16th, 2025. Don’t miss this one!
For more information: https://www.dearevanhansenmusical.com.au/
